Behind Closet Doors: 4 Closet Makeovers

These dreamy organized closets will inspire you to tame craft, clothing and shoe clutter.

(Continued from Page 4)

Eco-Friendly His-and-Hers Closet: A Hollywood, Calif., master closet designed by Lisa Adams of Troy Adams Design for an environmental architect and his wife.

The Challenge: The homeowners wanted a closet that emphasized green principles above all else. Adams' task was to maximize the limited space available for a his-and-hers closet while staying true to an earth-friendly philosophy.

The Solution: "I wanted to create a wardrobe that was a living space and not just a place to house clothing items," Adams says. "All of the details, while environmentally conscious, make you want to stay in the space rather than grabbing your clothing and going somewhere else." Adams created a soothing effect with Asian elements: shoji sliding doors, asymmetrical basalt shelves with vases and a fish-shaped lighting feature.

Get the Products: For tiptop closet organization, Adams included the usual suspects, such as drawers with jewelry/lingerie inserts and pull-out shoe shelves , and some not-so-usual items, such as a copper drum that doubles as a stool and a storage bench.

Try This at Home: A pants press, like the one Adams installed for this homeowner, can restore creases to trousers, reducing the need for professional dry cleaning.

How Green Is My Closet? This closet pulled out all the stops in terms of environment-friendly materials: formaldehyde-free bamboo flooring for low emissions, low-voltage lighting to save energy, low-VOC paint to reduce air pollution and beech cabinets produced in Germany, which has strict standards for sustainably managed forests.

Karin Beuerlein is a freelance writer based in Knoxville, Tenn. Her work appears in national publications including Better Homes & Gardens, Yoga Journal, and Eating Well.