A 40‑year closet pro says these storage upgrades make homes feel better
Homes.com|By Caroline Broderick
Mike Carson of Inspired Closets Chicago sees rising demand as clutter grows
Key takeaways
- Mike Carson of Inspired Closets Chicago has been in the organization business for almost 40 years and sees the industry expanding.
- Whole-home organization is growing in demand as more consumers accumulate items.
- Homeowners with custom closets are drawn to specialty lighting and two-tone cabinets.
The closet organization industry is in its teenage years and growing, as Michael Carson, president of Inspired Closets Chicago, describes it. “We’re on the upswing right now with awareness,” he said in an interview, also noting an uptick in clients and revenue.
Carson entered the industry in its infancy nearly 40 years ago, and today he sees demand for storage systems in homes extending beyond closets, fueled by homeowners’ growing inventories. Closets today are reaching price tags of $50,000 with features such as boutique lighting and Kardashian-level displays, while some homeowners simply add advanced storage to their pantries.
Carson’s company, and others such as national brands California Closets and Closets by Design, are planning storage in a variety of spaces, including mudrooms, offices, and hobby rooms, to name a few. Bed Bath & Beyond is tapping into the organization industry as part of its merger with The Container Store.
“People are collecting more items: clothes, purses, shoes, jewelry,” said Carson. Inspired Closets Chicago has even completed wrapping paper rooms.
Where there are lots of items and little organization, there is often lots of stress, and more and more homeowners are willing to pay the price for dedicated systems to mitigate that stress, according to Carson.
The combination of growing collections and rising awareness of the stress caused by clutter is fueling a thriving era for his company and its competitors.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What’s one way a homeowner can make their closet more efficient?
Typically, back in the day, closets were a shelf and a rod hanging at a certain height. No matter the length of the clothes, they would hang from that height, and then you’d have a shelf up high, or you would use the floor. Very ineffective. That’s a very horizontal approach to closets.
Turn everything vertical. Make separate sections of vertical adjustability. By doing that, you can double and triple your space.
If you think about a 4-foot closet, cut it in half and double hang one side, that’s four feet of hanging. Now you have 2 feet left over that you can use for shelving, a long hang, or anything you want to do with it. Just the basic premise of understanding the design principles makes a big difference.
What closet and home organization trends do you see?
I think the main trend right now is in lighting. lighting, whether it’s vertical lighting, horizontal over the rod, task lighting, full of vanities or atop dressers with mirrors
LEDs have come a long way, and some of our suppliers have found ways to integrate the lighting into the panels. So, you can really make a simple closet look both peaky or over-the-top, or a Kardashian-style closet just by adding lighting.
We’re starting to see a lot more glass in terms of glass doors or even glass countertops, glass doors that would highlight somebody’s fine handbags or super nice shoes.
Also, two-tone, where you have the bulk of the closet horizontal and vertical in one color, then the faces and the countertops in a different color. It’s usually a solid light color with a wood grain.
Washing and drying machines in closets — what’s your take?
I’ve seen that and wouldn’t recommend it because of the humidity. When we do it, we frame it out to keep it more isolated.
New homes are getting smaller. What does this mean for big closets?
If you think about how homes cost between $300 and $500 a square foot to build, and if you build a 12-by-12-foot closet, that’s going to cost $74,000 in terms of build cost.
And then builders just put a wire shelf around it, which is super ineffective. It’s really economical for builders to start thinking about ways to build closets that maximize square footage and usage.