Homeowners Love these Nine Popular Closet Features

Closets are now being treated as part of the master design of your home to include form, function and design. Homeowners are actually devoting extra square footage to enlarge closets into dressing rooms and create a place for an luxurious “experience” while getting ready in the morning for your day or preparing for a fun evening out. Closets are no longer just a storage space to put your clothing, shoes and accessories.

Houzz writer Gwendolyn Purdom interviewed multiple designers across the country and found nine closet trends that stood out. Check out some of them below.

1. Luxe Lighting
   Again and again, the closet design pros we spoke to cited integrated and often dramatic lighting as a request they’ve heard more from homeowners in recent years. Lighted rods and shelves, interior cabinet lights, lights that shine on cabinets, and LED lights highlighting other specific areas of the space seem to be coming up in designers’ work more often, they said.
2. Mixed Materials
   Closet trends, Carlquist says, often follow in the footsteps of kitchen trends. That pattern may be at play in the number of homeowners and designers asking for and installing closets that combine different colors and materials. “Whereas for years you picked a color — white, black, wood grain, whatever — now there’s a tremendous surge of color mixing,” Carlquist says. One example might be a particular base color for vertical panels and shelves, and another for drawers and doors.
3. Warmer, With Wood
   The rustic character that’s been such a staple of the popular farmhouse style appears to be making its way into closets as well. “I am seeing a migration from ultramodern to transitional — a wanting for more warmth in the space, whether that’s wood-grain cabinetry or lighting and furnishings,” Adams says. Wood looks have additionally gained traction in the form of new textured melamine closet systems and other materials that appear more like natural wood than some earlier wood-grain iterations.
4. Dressing Rooms
   The aspirational idea of a designated space just for getting dressed is no longer reserved for elite homeowners and lucky movie characters.“People are creating their closet-dressing rooms in unused rooms in the house. While a walk-in closet was previously saved for the wealthy, everyone is now getting in the game. I see people converting dining rooms, living rooms and extra bedrooms into dressing rooms,” Adams says. “There has been a shift from closets to dressing rooms, I’d say — a space where you get dressed in, which includes a seating area, full-length mirror, vanity, et cetera.”
5. White and Gray
   Though more colorful options seem to be gaining popularity (Carlquist says her team has installed blue, pink and purple closet features recently), classics like white and gray still dominate the market. “Right now we carry 36 colors, and white is still our most popular,” Carlquist says. Gray, which has become a go-to shade in kitchens, bathrooms and other remodeled household spaces, is a favorite new neutral choice of closet remodelers as well, pros say. Adams says gray is most prevalent in cabinetry and flooring. She’s also seen a bump in a champagne-like color for painted closet surfaces. “It’s not white, ivory or cream but a nice subtle combination of all three,” she says.
6. Brass Hardware
   Brushed or antique brass is a must for many homeowners, the designers say, though Hewett says she expects black and gunmetal finishes to keep growing in popularity in the coming year as well.
7. Hidden Features
   Smart solutions that can neatly be tucked away remain a popular ask, designers say. Moore says his team often hides safes for valuables and integrates hidden panels or compartments into closet projects. Additionally, collapsible or pullout valet rods, hanging rods, ironing boards, drying racks and other features are desirable extras. Even if you’re not incorporating a slick hidden safe, adding more traditional features (think drawers or cabinets) that keep messes contained behind closed doors or panels can achieve a similarly organized feel. Open cubbies seem to be less popular than they once were, Moore says. “Everybody is either liking the cleaner look of seeing [their belongings] hanging, or [they’re] behind something,” Moore says.

8. Simpler Shoe Setups
   Moore says he’s seen a shift in many homeowners’ approach to shoe storage. Flat shoe shelves and hidden shoe storage seem to be more common than in years past. “For years, everybody wanted an angled shoe shelf with a toe catch, and what happens is when you have sneakers or something that doesn’t have a heel, it has a tendency just to fall off,” Moore says. “And the other thing is it eats up a ton of room.”
9. Extravagant Extras
   In general, closets appear to be spaces where more homeowners feel comfortable taking risks and having fun. “People are taking the designs of their closets and private spaces less seriously than the rest of the home,” Adams says. That might mean they’re more willing to use a playful wallpaper pattern, bold colors or a nifty fold-away feature, the pros say.
   Even high-tech add-ons, such as an extraction ventilation system, is something Hewett says she sees more homeowners requesting. “Removing unwanted smells from clothes after a night out is always a great tool,” she says. “Or removing humidity from the wardrobe, avoiding damp clothes and unwanted moisture. Extraction helps to keep clothes smelling fresh and also dust-free.”

Consulting with an organizational expert is a great idea in the beginning stages to see what the latest trends are, items are available for storage and organizational tools, and how to make it all fit in your budget.

Contact Us
In business since 1983, Southern Closet Systems was the first custom closet company ever to serve the Tampa area. From our factory and showroom in Odessa, Florida, we’ve assisted thousands of clients from Crystal River to Tierra Verde with our custom closet designs, storage cabinets, shelving and other accessories.

Give us a call today to make an appointment at 727-447-7227 (in Pinellas), 813-926-9348 (in Pasco) and 813-855-2255 (in Hillsborough) or send us an email.