nine Cabinetr9 Interior Design

kitchen • bath • closet- • library • bar • home theatre

BENEATH THE

Custom closet design

can help categorize, systemize

and simplify your life.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
STAFF WRITER

Y

CONTEMPO DESIGNS

3231 Orchard Lake Rd.
Keego Harbor, MI 48320
248-682-1500
Fax 248-682-6508

1096150

Umbrellas

$49.99 4

5 pc. set,
48" round table

& 4 stacking
dining chairs

Reg. $800

ENT SALE PRICE

$399*

TENT SALE HOURS:
Friday 10-8, Saturday 1 0-6, Sunday 1 2-4

Palm
vir Beach

Pane Furnfture

10

Mon, Thurs 10-8 • Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat
10-6 • Sun 1 2-4

7350 Highland Rd. (M 59 7 Miles W
of Telegraph)
WATERFORD • 248-666-2880

HOME & GARDEN i MARCH 30 i 2006

-

-

* may not be exactly as shown

ou may not be in the market for
a specially constructed hanging
shelf to oblige a closet-loving
cat — Caren Bass designed one. But
even if your closet needs are as basic
as just wanting to be able to find
all your stuff, you may benefit from
expert intervention.
For do-it-yourselfers, hardware and
bed and bath stores could be your best
bet for pre-made bins, shelves, shoe
racks, drawer dividers and hooks.
But having a professional design
— or redesign — your closets can
provide the input, expertise and
muscle you may not want to expend
on your own.
While any closet can be made more
user-friendly, the one in the bedroom
is a common place to begin.
"It's where we start our days, fig-
uring out what to wear',' said Bass,
owner of Custom Closets, Inc., in West
Bloomfield. "It's a waste of time to
have to look for two matching shoes or
the pants that match a jacket!'
The key to organization is to adjust
the space to the needs of the user. Bass
even takes a clothing profile of cus-
tomers, assessing their attire and how
they store it.
Using adjustable systems allows
changes as needs, seasons and fash-
ions change.
"Rods that are set for long dresses
can become double rods for skirts and
jackets:' Bass said. Shelves and bas-
kets are also interchangeable in such
a system. A child's closet with bins
and hooks can become a space for a
teenager's bigger clothes and purses or
ties with minimal effort and cost.
Not only that, closets can be mov-
able."We have taken whole closet
systems to new homes:' said Bass, who
has been designing closets for more
than 20 years.
Twenty-four years ago, Cathi Lefton
had furniture installed into her chil-

drens' bedroom closets. Lefton then
went to work for her closet designer,
and later opened Cathi Lefton's Closet
Design in West Bloomfield.
"Built-ins can be a great space-sav-
ing and money saving way to add fur-
niture," Lefton said.
Laurie Frankel of custom home
builder the Frankel Organization in
West Bloomfield said, "People don't
even want furniture in the bedrooms
anymore. Closets can be used for built-
ins that are both pretty and functional,
and the bedroom is saved for accent
pieces that are just pretty"
Custom closets are a big priority for
new construction. "If you're going to
build from scratch, why not get what
you really want:' Frankel said.
She refers customers to Paul
Hoffman, owner of AP Home Services,
LLC, in Walled Lake, with Paul Burke.
"Paul [Hoffman] just designed a closet
for one of our customers who is 6-
foot-6, adding higher poles for his lon-
ger jackets and pants:' Frankel said.
"When a homeowner is building a
new home said Hoffman, "we strong-
ly encourage them to ask their builder
to make the custom closet system part
of the home's contract price. At this
stage, the closet systems are typically
more affordable because the closet
installer can be part of the building
process and not have to worry about
post-construction issues that will slow
them down.
"Most importantly, the homeowner
can work the cost of the closets direct-
ly into their mortgage!'
And, said Bass, "If your kids have
left the nest, you can make their room
into a great, big walk-in closet with a
center island and a dressing room."
Lefton once designed a room in new
construction that was 24 feet wide. She
included a 16-foot-long island with 40
drawers and hanging space all around
the walls.
Larger spaces can accommodate
locked jewelry drawers, Lucite divid-
ers for ties, belts and purses, baskets