Closet Encounter: We peek inside the world of luxury walk-ins, where designer wares are elevated to beaux-arts status
Photography by Jake Rosenberg/The Coveteur
Photography by Jake Rosenberg/The Coveteur
Photography by Matthew Williams
Photography by Matthew Williams
Photography by l.A. Closet Design
By Shawna Cohen
What do Rachel Zoe, Tory Burch, Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey have in common? They’re all household names, sure, but they happen to share something far more intimate: walk-in closets that could easily rival some of the world’s chicest high-end boutiques. Forget slick chef’s kitchens or luxurious, spa-like bathrooms—these days, it’s all about the closet. Once reserved as out-of-sight spaces for storing clothes, closets are quickly becoming the main attraction of multi-million-dollar homes. And they’re boasting everything from custom-designed couches and crystal chandeliers to wine bars, massage tables, oceanfront views and, in at least one instance, an escalator (how else to move around a two-storey walk-in?). Some closet connoisseurs are even incorporating “virtual styling tools” into the space, where they can be outfitted remotely by stylist via iPad or computer screen.
“It’s the last frontier of the home,” says Melanie Charlton, CEO and creative director of Clos-ette, a New York-based company that builds luxury closets for clients such as Kate Hudson and Jay Z. “Why would you put your All-Clad in a $250,000 kitchen but not outfit your closet that way? Let’s face it: Your Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermès [clothing] and your jewellery are often more expensive than the art and furniture in an entire home.”
That helps explain why people are dishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars—sometimes millions—to create spectacular closets that double as offices, dens or just quiet spaces in which to read a book, take a call or enjoy a glass of bubbly. “It’s becoming a sanctuary,” says Charlton. Consider it the female equivalent of the man cave.
Thanks to the popularity of websites like The Coveteur and reality shows such as Million Dollar Closets, we’re now more obsessed with peeking inside the closets of the rich, famous and fashionable than ever before. “We’re living in an age of fashion voyeurism,” says Erin Kleinberg, president and creative director of The Coveteur. “Because of social media—Twitter and Instagram, not to mention all those street-style fashion blogs—we’re used to it. In fact, we’ve come to expect it.” Since it launched in 2011, the site has featured more than 350 closets, showcasing the stylish wares of everyone from Anna Dello Russo to Margherita Missoni, but for Kleinberg the one that sticks out most belongs to Toronto philanthropist Sylvia Mantella. “She has this glass cabinet where she houses her Birkins—it almost acts as art,” Kleinberg says. “She also has a rotating closet, just like Cher Horowitz in Clueless!”
Even those without unlimited square footage (or funds) want in on the action. My own closet is around the size of two office cubicles, and yet I recently revamped it to include beautiful Lucite boxes for shoes, wall hooks displaying my beloved designer handbags and uniform, space-saving hangers. I even have a “travel” drawer that holds everything from silk eye masks to printed jewellery rolls. I called in Rena Felman, founder of OrganizeIt!, to help with the task and, well, let’s just say she was equal parts creative genius, therapist and marriage counsellor. (De-cluttering is hard! So is negotiating extra hanging space with your husband.) These days, getting dressed is a dream. This one-time disaster zone is now totally Zen—a space where I choose to linger for an extra moment or two while getting dressed each day.
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