Domestic Science With Julie Carlson
Observed recently: closets and wardrobes with glass doors to encourage orderliness (and easy access on rushed mornings).
Above: The KBH Glass Dresser from Danish company Kobenhavns Mobelsnedkeri is handmade of dark fumed oak, brass, glass, and leather; €4,265 ($4,593) from the Shop of the New.
Above: Designed by Giuseppe Bavuso, the Ego Wardrobe System from Italian company Porro is "dedicated to the order characterized by maximum neutrality." Go to Porro for details.
Above: A closet door made from reclaimed windows in an Amsterdam house via Mechant Design.
Above: From Italian company Lema, the Armadio al Centimetro Aria is a modular wardrobe system with glass doors.
Above: A painted armoire serves as entryway closet. Photograph via It's Monday but It's OK.
Above: A vintage shop display cabinet repurposed as a glass storage wardrobe. Photograph via House to Home.
Above: A glass armoire via photographer Petra Bindel.
Looking for more clothes storage ideas? Browse our Closets archive and take a look at:
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | 
Share on Facebook | 
Share on Twitter
DIY & Remodeling With Justine Hand
I limewashed my bedroom two weeks ago (see DIY Project: Limewashed Walls for Modern Times) and have been enjoying the serenity of the freshly painted space. The one drawback? Every time I opened my closet door, it was an affront to my senses. Dingy and disorganized, it called out for a makeover—something quick and cost-effective.
And so last weekend, armed with a can of leftover paint and a yard of cotton muslin, I got to work. A day later, my closet is as pristine as the bedroom beyond its door.
Photography by Justine Hand for Remodelista.
Above: The inspiration: nonslip, wabi-sabi muslin hangers made by Julie Blaine, owner of my favorite local store Pod/Shop Fog Linen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Here's the backstory:
Years ago, Julie needed hangers for the clothing she carried in her fledgling boutique. She wanted something practical with a signature look and that didn't break the bank. Donated wire hangers from a nearby dry cleaner were filling in until a better option presented itself, but the clothes kept slipping off. Then one day Julie was inspired by some muslin bags that came with the blankets she carried. Methodically, she began ripping the shear fabric into long strips that she then wrapped around the wire hangers.
Sometime later, during a moving sale, I bought 10 of these simple textile hangers for my own clothes. For my new closet, I wanted a complete set. And so, while the first coat of painted dried, I tried my hand at re-creating Julie's hangers. Happily, it was very easy.
Before
Above: When we moved into our our house three years ago, we only had a week before leaving for the summer. With no time to cull and organize, we just shoved things away. The result: My drab closet with mismatched hangers (some of which, you will note, barely had a grip on my clothes) was both dysfunctional and dreary.
Materials
This project is all about recycling. All you need are some white wire hangers from your dry cleaner, good shears for cutting cloth, and a yard or two of any cotton or linen muslin—an old sheet, even a worn T-shirt will do. I experimented with a torn linen pillowcase and some cotton muslin I bought at my local fabric store. Similar Natural Cotton Muslin is $4.50 a yard at Fabric.com.
Step 1 and 2: Cut your muslin into thin strips about a 1/2 inch wide and a yard long. Then tie the end of one muslin strip to the neck of your hanger. For decorative purposes, I left an inch-long tag.
Step 3: Holding your ribbon at a slight diagonal, tightly wrap the muslin around the hanger making sure that each new layer overlaps the one before.
Step 4: When you have several inches remaining, tie off the first ribbon with a double knot and trim excess, leaving behind a small tag.
Step 5: Tie your second ribbon onto the hanger. I placed mine so that it would wrap over some of the first strip. This helps to secure both ribbons and ensures that you don't have two lumpy knots in the same place. The twist in the hook of the hanger provides a nice ridge against which to secure your final knot. When you've finished wrapping your second ribbon, simply it tie off and leave the hook exposed.
Step 6: Voila! My muslin-wrapped hangers.
The Finished Look
Above: With my new hangers, my clothes hang at an even height—so much more functional (not to mention aesthetically pleasing).
Above: Here's my closet, all fresh and clean and ready for spring. Of course, painting your closet and rehanging your clothes also gives you the chance to organize. Feeling ambitious? Try Michelle's ultimate cull: Closet Clean Out: The Only Ten Pieces of Clothing You'll Need.
Hang around—sorry, couldn't resist—here are some more inspirations:
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
DIY & Remodeling With Meredith Swinehart
Heads up: Lighting the closet is unlike lighting anywhere else in the house. We turned to Remodelista guru Thomas Paterson, lighting designer and founder of London- and Mexico City–based Lux Populi, for guidance on how to handle the often confusing space. According to Paterson, closets call for flat, diffuse light, if you're going to find what you're looking for. Here, we address the essentials (stay tuned for next week's Remodeling 101: Closet Lighting Part 2, How to Install Flattering Light).
Above: The well-lit dressing room of blogger Rayan Turner of The Design Confidential.
What is tricky about lighting a closet?
"The mission for lighting a closet is different from almost anywhere else in the home," says Paterson. That's because the goal here is not about achieving atmosphere but about adequately lighting everything inside, from top to bottom. In a packed closet, clothes are hard to find. And in a dark, packed closet, they're almost impossible to locate. Paterson says that inadequately lighted closets can be especially frustrating for men because their clothes tend to look similar; it's hard to distinguish navy wool pants from black ones, for instance. Women's clothing tends to be more differentiated.
What's the goal?
The goal is to eliminate shadows by getting a lot of diffuse light into the space. The variable factors are color (how warm or cool) and quantity (how much light).
Above: The Tweed walk-in closet system by Italian design group Poliform is illuminated by an abundance of diffuse lighting. (See more from Poliform in 10 Easy Pieces: Modular Closet Systems, High to Low.)
What is diffuse light?
"A standard white globe pendant light gives off the embodiment of diffuse light," says Paterson. The translucent glass ball filters the light source (the lightbulb) and throws light indiscriminately. In another setting, this would be a bad thing: indiscriminate light will flatten a space and make it look lifeless. But that's exactly what you want in a closet, because flat, diffuse light is best for seeing clothes clearly. Light diffusion is all about the fixture.
Above L: Ikea's Regolit pendant shade is $4.99. Above R: Ikea's Väte shade is $4.99.
Above L: Moving up on the price scale, one of Paterson's favorite solutions is the Louis Poulsen AJ Eklipta Wall Sconce, a disk of blown glass ($428 at Y Lighting). Paterson says, "It's a stylish classic from the 1950s, and looks at home anywhere." Above R: The lights in situ; image via UK-based DM Lights.
Above: The lighting in the TriBeCa shop of La Garçonne transitions from daylight at the front of the store to diffused artificial light at the back. See more in Sensuous Simplicity for the Thinking Woman: La Garçonne in NYC.
What type of light do I want in my closet?
People like to see how they'll look both in daylight and in glamorous evening light, so "the closets we light in higher-end homes will often have both cool and warm lights and the ability to switch between them," says Paterson. For the rest of us, consider a 3,000 or 3,500 kelvin LED or compact fluorescent bulb. (The higher the kelvins, the cooler the quality of light: 4,000 to 6,000 kelvins is too cold for a closet, says Paterson.) Generally speaking, women prefer warmer light and men will find cooler light more helpful for spotting the subtleties among their darkest clothes.
Incandescents are not the best choice for closets because they produce a warm light, which is not ideal for knowing what your clothes will look like in daylight.
Above: This closet has the diffuse, ample light (and lots of space) required to see everything clearly. Image via Vogavoe.
How much light will I need?
In a small closet—one in which you can touch all walls standing in the middle—you'll need the equivalent of 150 watts or 2,000 lumens of light. (You can use multiple bulbs and fixtures to add up to this amount.) As the closet gets bigger, multiply the wattage accordingly.
Above: White Alvar Aalto shelves hold well-spaced shoes at La Garçonne.
What color should I paint my closet?
The ideal closet has white walls, white floors, and lots of mirrors so that light bounces around the space. If you want a dark closet, paint it a dark color but be sure to add mirrors, which will maximize the light.
Above: An elegant addition for maximum light in an open-space closet: a freestanding mirror box from the portfolio of Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Amee Allsop Design.
Any suggestions for lighting shoes?
The ample diffuse light prescribed here will light your shoes, even at the back of the closet. Just remember that a pair of black shoes in a pile of black shoes will always look black, no matter how much light you flood the space with. If you want to see your shoes, you need to space them out.
Above: Black leather bags—nicely spaced, ergo easy to see—hang against dusty pink walls in the Copenhagen boutique of fashion accessories designer Yvonne Koné. For more, see Copenhagen Cool: Yvonne Koné at Work and Home.
Does closet lighting pose a fire hazard?
Fluorescents are your best bet for safety, since incandescents get quite hot. But LEDs are equally likely to cause problems because their plug-in power supply can get hot. No matter what, make sure you don't cluster clothes around lights or transformers. All fixtures and plugs need room to breathe.
Must all closet lighting be so practical?
No. Next week, see part two of our story in Remodeling 101: How to Install Flattering Closet Lighting.
Meanwhile, learn the ins and outs of home remodeling in our Remodeling 101 series:
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
Home Inspiration With Margot Guralnick
Display or stow? Most of us have so much stuff crowding our lives that finding perfect places for the basics—from toothbrushes to tote bags to cutting boards—can be tricky. Here are 14 everyday challenges solved in our own homes.
Entry
Above: Christine's question: "What to do with all of my husband's beloved hats?" When stairwell pegs didn't work—the hats got knocked off—she and her husband, architect Bill Hanway, came up with an ingenious solution: They hung a Commercial Kitchen Drain Shelf as a train-style metal rack in their compact entry in London. See more of their solutions in Rehab Diary: Finding Storage in Unexpected Places and Storage in Unexpected Places, Home Office Edition. Photograph by Kristin Perers for Remodelista.
Above: "At what point do two adults realize they need to stop dreaming of the perfect shoe rack (and stop tripping over strewn shoes)?" asks Dalilah. When she and her boyfriend, Roman, couldn't find the wheeled wooden shelf they had in mind for their SF apartment, they built it themselves—see The Perfect DIY Shoe Rack for a Narrow Entry. (And then Dalilah went on to inject similar order to their Under-the-Sink Storage.)
Dining Room
Above: A glimpse behind the curtain: Francesca's grand Brooklyn dining room has two pocket closets that hold "all kinds of things I don't want to look at." These include a vacuum, blender, printer (the whole family often works at the dining table), and even the not-much-used telephone. Tour Francesca's townhouse here and in depth in the Remodelista book. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Kitchen
Above: In her rental cottage kitchen in St. Helena, California, Sarah makes up for lack of storage by putting the back of a door to use with an artful hanging system. Go to 11 Favorites: Display-Worthy Hangers for ideas. And see the whole cottage in Sarah's Refined Rental and 10 Tips for Transforming a Rental Bath. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Above: "Recently, I spotted a leather knife rack on the side of a kitchen island that, after hours of online searching, I realized is entirely bespoke. I had to have one, so I made my own," writes Alexa. Learn how she did it in DIY: A Wall-Mounted Leather Knife Holster.
Above: "People ask if we would do it again," says Michelle of her family's Mill Valley, CA, House Remodel. "My husband says yes, if the other option is playing Russian roulette with hostile captors. I say: For this kitchen? Absolutely." To understand why, take a look at her cutting board drawer—and note the way it takes advantage of the narrow no man's land next to the dishwasher.
Above: Justine's 1807 Cape Cod cottage required a lot of shoring up and brightening—see The Soulful Side of Old Cape Cod. But she kept the egg-yolk kitchen pretty much as is, down to the previous owners' solution for the door-less pantry: just add a basic roller shade, the older the better. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Bedroom
Above: To make up for her master bedroom's lack of a closet, Julie introduced an eBay coat rack (which she uses for bags) and an Ikea wardrobe, which doubles as a jewelry display—she hangs necklaces from pushpins on the side. Like the look of the framed prints on top? They're Neisha Crosland wallpaper samples in Ikea frames. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Above: Julie's room also has one of Remodelista's hall-of-fame storage devices: a Shaker peg rail. Tour Julie's house in Mill Valley, California, here, and from top to bottom in the Remodelista book. And see more Shaker storage in Object Lessons. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Above: In her bedroom, Sarah puts a favorite tote bag on display. Suspended from the ceiling molding on an S hook and a beaded string, it holds scarves. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. 
Above: In their just-big-enough-for-two bedroom, Christine and her husband not only fit a bed, but slotted cabinets above, drawers below, and a shelf that works as a night table. Photograph by Kristin Perers for Remodelista.
Bathroom
Above: Most people bemoan the look of cardboard tissue boxes, but few take the extra step that Alexa did: She stitched her own Painted Tissue Box Holder.
Above: A detail in Julie's master bath that she plans to take with her if she ever moves: a custom-made steel medicine cabinet detailed by her architect Jerome Buttrick with an electric toothbrush slot and an outlet. Learn where to locate outlets in the bathroom and beyond in Remodeling 101. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
Utility Closet
Above: Meredith's SF apartment comes with a hallway storage closet that she shares with a neighbor. A while back, in a fit of productivity, she reinvented her side "to fully utilize its potential." She now always knows where her T square is. Go to Remodeling Project: The Storage Closet Reinvented to see her at-the-ready string and twine collection and her favorite storage piece of all, her tool chest: "They are way underrated."
Interested in more Editors' Picks? Here are our:
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar