Back Into the Closet
By L.J. BUTTERFIELD :: February 27, 2006

Helen Rafferty and her husband, Brian, have been trying to come out of the closet since June. It hasn't been easy. They are enjoying it too much.

Their enjoyment comes from the organizational masterpiece built for them at the beginning of last summer by Bilotta in Mamaroneck; a closet as big and luxurious as a new room in their house.

In fact, it is a room in their house.

An entire spare bedroom, 14 feet by 12 feet with high ceilings, that has been converted into what is now one of their most lived-in spaces.

Sound familiar? That's because the Rafferty's story reflects a growing trend in designer luxury rooms.

Closets, until recently, have not kept pace with the evolution of modern living, void of all the amenities that the modern home-owner has come to expect; not meriting the importance of, say, the mother of all spaces -- the modern kitchen.

"While the kitchen is still the heart of the home, a master suite with a full walk-in closet becomes a close second on an intimate level," said Kristin Ohnmacht, spokeswoman for Bilotta, based in Mamaroneck but with branches in Mount Kisco and Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County.

Their line of cabinetry is also carried at ber-chic Clive Christian of Greenwich in Fairfield County.

Designing the more intimate areas of the home is a concept that has really taken off.

"Luxury closets are being combined with more luxurious bathrooms as an offshoot," said Regina Bilotta, principle at Bilotta.

Until recently, personal spaces have been somewhat neglected, with many homeowners concentrating more on rooms that are used for entertaining, placing the comfort of guests before their own. But now, personal luxury is moving beyond the bedroom, with its high-thread-count sheets, and has expanded into an entire en suite revolution.

"We've had a lot of calls for luxury storage," said Bilotta. "It's an area that has become just as specialized. We do any room in the house. If you can put a cabinet in it, we can design it."

The lap of luxury

In choosing the amenities a closet could possibly have, the sky's the limit.

"We did a very famous celebrity's closet and it was about the size of my kitchen," Bilotta said. "It was maybe 20 feet by 18 with a rotating island for shoes and accessories, all kinds of drawers and cubbies and plush with carpeting. It's closet couture," she said.

For Rafferty, the opportunity to sit down with a designer was priceless. She and her husband are living in a Mamaroneck home built in 1906. A challenge when it comes to consistent design. "A designer came and talked to us about our needs. It was quite an interview process," she said. "(Bilotta) has all kinds of styles, but we wanted an Old World look. Little windowpanes in the closet doors and open cabinetry give it a nice, lighter look that goes with the home. And the quality of the wood and cabinetry is incomparable."

California Closets in Hawthorne is also a designer driven shop. "We don't sell components, we custom make every closet," said sales manager Liz Sleeman. "Some people build vanities, request granite tops or beveled glass. We offer real wood, like mahogany, create spaces for better quality items like cashmere -- we can custom build for exact needs."

The concept of designer closets has permeated the market so much that it's not just the master bedroom getting attention anymore.

"I'm also seeing that designer closets are no longer being limited to primary homes but to country homes and summer homes " and in kids' rooms," said Bilotta.

The days of clearing out closets with the seasons may be nearing an end, too. "I don't think people do that anymore," said Bilotta. Winter clothes and summer clothes can now happily coexist together in the same room at the same time.

Organization

But Rafferty insists that, for her, it's less about luxury and more about organization.

"We never knew where anything was," she said. "It's been a huge time saver in day-to-day living. Everybody is so busy -- maybe it's the area we live in -- I think this has required people to see where they can save time. It's a very practical luxury; we always know where everything is supposed to go. There are divided sections so everything is easy to find."

Rafferty's husband is certainly happy with the change.

"There are a lot of pullout display drawers for my husband. There are special places for his baseball caps, cufflinks and pretty much anything that comes out of his pockets at the end of the day. They designed pullout drawers on rollers so he can see what he's got," she said. "My space was more conventional: Makeup and accessory drawers that are shallow. It makes it easier to see where everything is. I also like my shoes hidden behind the closet door while my husband prefers them to be visible," she said.

The possibilities are endless.

"There are lots of neat gadgets like drawers that are padded out for jewelry. Some closets are outfitted with safes. There are pegs that pull out of panels on the wall so you can pull out and line up outfits to contemplate," said Bilotta. "There are big areas for laundry and ironing boards, drawers with crisscross pieces of wood laid out like a crossword puzzle for compartmentalizing socks or ties, all kinds of shoe storage and glass front drawers for identifying which one to go to for a red shirt or blue. "

So, with all these options, are closets usurping kitchens as the place in the home to renovate? If it were up to Rafferty they would.

"The closet is a luxury I use everyday," she said. "You can avoid cooking if you want but you do have to get dressed."