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The Expertly-Planned River House Primary Closet Reveal

My brother (and SIL’s closet) technically isn’t my design but once I saw it all done by the incredible team at California Closets I was so excited to style and shoot it with my team. I’ve been so happy with our closet (also by CC) and while it’s certainly a luxury full-service situation, you get exactly what you want at the end with the final design solution being so functional and customizable. Have a lot of gowns and jewelry? They know how to maximize that. Do you have mostly utilitarian boots, jeans, and fleeces? They got you. It’s such a fun exercise to go through – to really list what you have and even more importantly what you wear frequently.

Ken and Katie worked with Amy Bodi of California Closets  – I was sooo happy with Amy’s design of my closet so I knew they were in good hands with California Closets’ Oregon team. One of the first steps Amy does is talk through their lifestyle, AKA – what their real needs are for clothes storage. Ken and Katie (like most PNW folks) are very casual, and neither of them have typical office jobs that require multiple wardrobes. Of course, you want to design it for universal functionality in case someone does have a lot of gowns, they will be able to store them. But for the most part, Amy took the information and designed the closet to meet their needs.

She sent through all the drawings where you can see clearly where the jeans could be folded and stacked, where the blouses could be hung, or where the full-length dresses would live. She might have even done the same exercise with them where I counted out roughly how many sneakers vs. boots vs. tall boots vs. heels and designed the shoe racks to make sure that there weren’t any major holes (I even have a place for my tall boots but this lady – and her husband – love some thigh highs, LOL). The customization and thought-through custom design approach is what you are paying for (well, that along with the incredible installation service – this closet took under 2 days!).

Here are some shots of it without clothes in it so you can see the general layout, materials, and how they match up with the design plans.

Ken and Katie chose black stained wood, with white faux leather handles, and brushed brass accents. They added a few bells and whistles you’ll see below and decided against adding extra cabinet fronts for easy access (the closet has pocket doors on both sides and can be shut off easily. They opted for a lot of drawers and shelves for jeans, and the hanging space is pretty flexible for hers or his (and some but not too many spots for long dresses or suits).

We couldn’t believe that this went from blank to totally done in 2 days. Their crew are absolute pros. This is because they have their own designers and installers instead of using subcontractors, meaning they know this product. That ensures the quality is always extremely high. 

Before we get into the beautiful photos, here’s a little video walkthrough! (just wait for the ad to play:))

The finished product, as you can see turned out so easy to manage and keep organized, met all of their needs (and more) and I actually had to bring in a bunch of my clothes to help fill it, LOL. While Ken and Katie aren’t huge fashion folk they know that a house of this size and budget needs a really thoughtfully designed closet for future owners, so they still went for it.

Wallpaper | Art (unavailable) | Ceramic Side Table | Rug

As you can see it’s a pass-through closet between the hallway and their bathroom (I love a closet very close to a bathroom if you can lay it out that way). Amy and the California Closet team designed it so that the drawers and shelves are on one side, all the hanging on the opposite, and miscellaneous or seasonal shelving with bins up top.

The opposite view shows their Maddox wall organizer which is great for setting out clothes, or more realistically, steaming them or hanging belts and robes.

The finishes are all very high quality and coordinated. It’s a nice detail that puts the simple hook to shame.

California Closets did such a great job of allocating each shelf for different things (and please note the mirror that is tucked away by the dresses – you’ll see it down below.

The closet rods are wrapped in faux leather which is such a nice high-end detail (and makes it so easy to slide hangers).

Long Bins | Woven Baskets

Ken and Katie went with only one full-length hanging rod, the rest for blouses, jackets, or pants. Above, we bought bins for seasonal items (or things like Spanx, slips, and specialty clothes).

Secret Accessories FTW

Two things that Katie and Ken went with are the pull-out hamper and again, a mirror that slides out and pivots – GENIUS.

You could obviously use the hamper for laundry of course (it slips out easily), but they use it for dry cleaning.

I think one of the biggest benefits of California Closets is the drawer customization (which is harder to get off the shelf, obviously – ha, pun intended). It precludes the need for a dresser in your bedroom – underwear, bras, socks all the annoying little stuff can have designated areas as well as T-shirts, athleisure, etc. For Katie, we styled sweaters, sweatshirts, and shoes on the shelves, but could easily have put jeans if you didn’t want to hang them up.

When it comes to shoes, California Closets has a lot of different suggestions (for instance, Brian and I aren’t big shoe people so we did some pull-out drawer shelves and taller cabinets for my tall boots). For Katie and Ken, they wanted flexibility with the shelves so they selected shoe shelves on top (for heels or more occasional shoes) and we styled the rest of the shelves with everyday shoes, but those could easily be for stacks of anything, or baskets full of scarves, etc.

The leather and brass detail make it look so high-end and luxe. There are a lot of different options (or you can use your own like we did for our closet).

Quite possibly the best perk of this are these jewelry pullouts (that are lit with special lights). Listen, in case you are a robber you should know that these are all either my jewelry or props we bought for the shoot, but if you have fine jewelry this is such a lovely way to keep them organized, not to mention visually pleasing.

A huge thanks to California Closets for designing and partnering on my brother’s closet. It’s a total luxury because you get it all totally customized for your needs and installed by professionals. If it’s in your budget for even a simple design solution it’s pretty darn incredible. Thanks, Amy Bodi for helping my brother and SIL – they are extremely happy:)

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Design by Amy Bodi of California Closets
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

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Susan
1 month ago

Never did see the mirror you mentioned. I guess I’m blind. Is there a learning curve to remembering where stuff goes?

Lani
1 month ago
Reply to  Susan

You can see it tucked in and pulled out in the two pics right under the “SECRET ACCESSORIES FTW” heading.

Liz
1 month ago

Beautiful closet! For a project like this, could you please include in the post what the quote from California Closets would be for the project? That would be really helpful for those of us considering something like it and wondering if it’s within our budget! Thanks

Christine
1 month ago
Reply to  Liz

My guess is between $8-10k all in. Thats with the design, upgrades (there are a lot) and full install. More drawers=more money and there are lots of pretty extras in this space.

rachael
1 month ago
Reply to  Christine

I bet it is like double that.

Michelle
1 month ago
Reply to  rachael

yeah. My guess is 10-15. There aren’t that many upgrades actually. But it’s important to know this includes the value of the consultation and install. At least when comparing to other systems that are material only.

Samantha
1 month ago
Reply to  Liz

I second this request!

Mara
1 month ago

Love it! Will you be doing a post about the interior doors? Are they white oak from Marvin TruStile?

Dee
1 month ago

“in case you are a robber” lol

Tiffanie
1 month ago
Reply to  Dee

I love how these River House posts clearly show a sister looking out for her brother. 🙂

Stacia
1 month ago
Reply to  Dee

That made me giggle too. Not that ribbing is funny but that word always makes me think of The Hamburgler!

Michelle
1 month ago
Reply to  Stacia

Now I’m thinking of McRibs haha

Stacia
1 month ago
Reply to  Dee

That made me giggle too. Not that robbing is funny but that word always makes me think of The Hamburgler!

Mara
1 month ago

Love the jeans you are wearing. Are they the Wayne Jean in Kentucky Wash by The Great?

Lani
1 month ago

Great design! Am I reading the plan right? This closet is about 9.5’ W by 8.5’ D?

Lani
1 month ago
Reply to  Lani

Oh, and almost 8’ H?

Kate
1 month ago

OK, I love the closet, but I am kind of obsessed with those dresses! The prints are so cute! Any chance you can share where they came from? The pink and red one is so pretty!

Leigh H
1 month ago
Reply to  Kate

same thought!!

Erin
1 month ago

Off topic but can you share anything about how your LA-based staff is faring in the fires? I keep thinking about them.

Admin
1 month ago
Reply to  Erin

we’re all doing okay! jess, mal, arlyn, and bowser all had to evacuate but their homes have been spared; i’ve been lucky enough to avoid evacuation entirely here in koreatown. it’s been a surreal week but i think we are all really glad to have the site (and all of you!) tethering us to reality! work has been a welcome escape over the past few days. and our evacuees should be returning home this week, god willing! we are all lucky to have each other – i can’t imagine working anywhere else during this crisis!!! i was so happy to see the team’s faces during our morning zoom today 🙂

Meg
1 month ago

Thankful to read this update! Have been wondering about the LA team for a few days. Glad you’re all safe!

MKP
1 month ago
Reply to  Meg

I don’t have any friends or family in LA, but I have been thinking so much about all of you. Reading this blog every day for 10+ years has made me feel like I know you guys and I really do care about you and your wellbeing! Grateful to hear you all are safe and that your homes are safe too.

Erin
1 month ago

So glad to hear it and crossing all my fingers and toes that y’all can return home safely ASAP.

andrea
1 month ago

GORGE! AND, seems like it would be annoying to be pulling the mirror out all the time…….

Hannah
1 month ago

That pull out mirror is genius!!

Michelle
1 month ago

What a stunner. Hereto gush about my experience with CC Minnesota. Yes it’s eye watering expensive, but I had a four by six walk-in that needed every inch to be used. It was a wonderful thorough experience and installation was a dream. Five years later it looks EACTLY the same. That said, CC was the original business that made this service a thing. There are competitors and way better DIY options now so don’t feel you can’t have nice things even if CC is too much. BUT if you are building a luxury home they are a divine choice and I believe still motivates buyers.

KL
1 month ago

I tried to use CC for my primary bedroom closet, which has a weird sloped ceiling, but they don’t operate in Montana (at least a few years ago) 🙁

KS
1 month ago

I cannot recommend California Closets enough. We live in a tiny house with only two 5 x 2 reach in closets in the primary bedroom. CC did an analysis of our clothing, our needs, made recommendations to raise the door headers and rehang the larger openings with wardrobe style doors instead of the sliding variety we originally had. They installed drawers, shelves, shoe cubbies, and hanging bars at different heights. I think it increased our storage ability by more than 190%. It was expensive, but it was so necessary, and 5 years later we still love it. Honestly, it made our house more functional and made it reasonable for us to stay here rather than consider moving. A year later we brought them back to redesign our laundry closet and it’s also amazing.

Lois
1 month ago

I love that your SIL has (I’m assuming!) the same clogs as you!

Gabrielle Castellano
29 days ago

Looks great! Very interesting I love it when you go into detail like this. Could you ask CC to share some baseline pricing, like how much to allow linear foot for drawers with hanging above in their best quality, so we can get an idea? I understand it comes with all the help. Thanks again for sharing.