How to Choose a Custom Closet Company

Many people may have noticed the increasing advertising presence of large custom closet companies such as California Closets and Closets By Design.  There also seem to be more smaller local companies doing closets and garages than ever before.  If you are interested in getting a new closet designed, how do you make sense of which company to choose and why?

I wrote an article about this for Lifehack.org, in which there are 17 important questions you should ask when hiring a closet company, and the one important thing you should do first before ever calling one in the first place!  If you are currently in this market, I hope this article will help you clear a path through the cluttered confusion of closetry.

Comments

[Shayla]

What has been your experience with the Container Store's Elfa shelving system? We're considering it for our office closet and would like to hear the pros and cons.

[Lorie Marrero]

Shayla,

We love the Elfa systems. They are easy to install and very versatile. The only downsides are: (1) some people don't like the wire ventilated shelving look, (2) the wire can leave marks on clothing that is directly sitting on it, (3)it's hard to store things vertically on wire such as books. However, Elfa also offers solid shelving, so any of those obstacles can be overcome. They also have plastic liners. It's really just a personal preference thing.

Thanks! - Lorie

[A.B.]

We've gotten bids from Closets By Design and transForm. Looking to get one from ClosetFactory. Anything I should know about any of these companies? Have I missed anyone of note? We didn't include California Closets because we just figured they'd be too expensive.

[Lorie Marrero]

A.B. and others... this kind of advice (and more) is what we help our members with daily in our message boards at www.clutterdiet.com...

I would not be able to answer this question without knowing where you live, since not all of the companies are represented in all of the major cities. If you have bids from two and you've read my article, you're probably in great shape!

- Lorie

[A.B.]

Hey Lorie, I live in NYC.

Where these message boards? I can't find them.

[Lorie Marrero]

A.B.,

We have a paid membership website at www.clutterdiet.com... our members get access to our team via our message boards and get their direct questions answered.

This blog is just a companion to our main website. We have over 100 articles in our member area along with a weekly project plan that is given out each Thursday.

I am feeling like the readers of this blog may not realize that the blog is NOT the Clutter Diet... the Clutter Diet is our main website.

To answer your question, if you live in NYC you have all of the major closet companies available there. I do think if you have bids from two of them and you have read the article I wrote, you are well-positioned for making your decision.

Thanks,
Lorie

[Shari]

Hi Everyone,
if you're is looking for a closet pro in the New York Metro area, cityhammer.com has a section of them with ratings and pic's of their work...

here it is: http://www.cityhammer.com/catalog/companyList/?category_id=31

later,
Shari

[Shari]

Hi Everyone,
if you're is looking for a closet pro in the New York Metro area, cityhammer.com has a section of them with ratings and pic's of their work...

here it is: http://www.cityhammer.com/catalog/companyList/?category_id=31

later,
Shari

[Megan Huegel]

Lorie:

Thank you for including California Closets in you articles about custom closets. As a California Closets franchise owner, I'd like to clarify one item in your article. Oval closet poles are actually inferior to the ones offered by California Closets. The thickness of the metal is thicker in poles offered by California Closets than in the less expensive ovals. In fact, ovals are a European pole, designed for European hangers. Round poles work better with North American hangers.

[Lorie Marrero]

Hi Megan, thank you for your comment. I was told that about the oval clothing rods by a very experienced closet designer. He said that, just like an egg's oval shape makes it stronger (like how you can't crush an egg easily by just pressing on the top and bottom), the oval rods are also stronger just by their shape. So thanks for the information...

- Lorie

[Brandon Matthew]

Wow Nice blog...