Home Organization

Are Closets the New Sitting Rooms?

We’re certainly ready to make a case for it! Gone are the days where closets served simply as a clothes depository, often cluttered and packed to the brim. Enter the new era of closets—chic, boutique-like spaces that guests are—get this—invited to hang out in. You heard that right, closets are the new sitting rooms!

2022 11 18 0004 — Photo Credit: Pinterest

There are a number of factors that have prompted this transition—the pandemic forcing people to reevaluate how their homes function; the upsurge of self-care mentality; the effect of influencers showing off their closet renovations and us wanting to follow suit. Whatever your reason, now is the time to take advantage of one of the hottest trends in home design—a boutique closet.

Imagine yourself sitting on an upholstered ottoman in the middle of your perfectly designed closet, sipping a glass of bubbly from the built-in mini fridge and chatting with friends who have stopped over before a dinner out. Or imagine yourself alone in your perfectly appointed closet, easily sifting through the impeccably organized racks and drawers, actually enjoying the process of getting ready in your own personal space. It’s a sense of refuge, a sense of home, and a little taste of old-world elegance. Those are the sentiments that boutique closets create.

So how exactly do you design a boutique closet? First, you need to think about your closet footprint. If you’re building a new home, make sure you’re allotting the right amount of space to make your closet feel luxurious and house all of the accessories you desire. If you’re renovating an existing space, think about if your current footprint is large enough or if you need to increase the size of the space. Second, give us a call! We’ll lead you through the entire process, showing you layout, finish and accessory options to make your closet a space you want to show off time and time again!

Let’s get started today!

How to Purge your Closet

November is here, which means cold weather is right around the corner! As you’re pulling out all of your cold-weather gear, why not spend a little extra time purging your closet of pieces that you no longer wear or want? We know closet purging can seem like a chore, but trust us, you’ll be thankful to shed the excess clutter so that getting dressed is easy and fun again! Here are our top three tips for purging your closet.

Try Everything On

Even if you know you want to keep something, trying the item on is essential to the purging process. It makes you feel and see the piece of clothing in a singular setting so that you are able to make a decision on whether it stays or goes. The top reasons people get rid of clothing are: it’s dated, it’s worn, and it no longer makes you feel your best.

Sort Items into Piles

We recommend sorting your clothes into four piles: keep, discard, maybe, and seasonal. The seasonal pile contains items you want to keep but that are out of season. The keep pile can go back into your closet; the discard pile can be donated or consigned; the maybe pile can be stored in a bin in your closet so you have the option to bring a few items back into your wardrobe if you decide you need them; and the seasonal pile can be stored away until the proper season rolls around.

Wait a Few Weeks

Live with your wardrobe for a few weeks before adding anything new. That will give you time to make sure you truly love the items you kept and to see if there are any holes in your wardrobe now that you’ve purged some items. You’re looking for quality over quantity so be sure any additions are items you truly love!

As a general rule, if you haven’t worn anything in over a year, it should probably go to the maybe bin—unless it’s special occasion wear or has sentimental value. The maybe bin is a great way to purge without remorse. If you end up pulling out an item to wear, you can go ahead and add it back into your wardrobe. Items that aren’t worn within a year should be donated or consigned.

Now that you’ve purged your wardrobe, it’s time to start thinking about whether your closet is working for you. From reach-in to walk-in to fully custom boutique closets, let us create the closet of your dreams at Behind Closed Doors! Contact us today!

Wine Storage But Make it Art

Wine storage, but make it art! That’s our philosophy when we approach residential and commercial wine storage projects. Whether you’re looking to fit a display into an unused space or create a stunning focal point, we’re here to make your wine storage look as good as it functions! Here are our favorite ways to add attractive wine storage to your home or business:

Wine Wall

Wine walls work equally well residentially and commercially. For businesses like restaurants and hotels, we usually go larger to accommodate their inventory. But in residential projects, we find smaller displays work better so as not to overwhelm or take over a space. Wine walls are an especially great option when you have limited floor space.

Wine Room

For our hardcore wine enthusiasts or our largescale commercial projects, we recommend a wine room or cellar. These larger spaces provide enough room for your collection or inventory and can be done in many attractive ways. Some clients even choose to turn their wine rooms into a makeshift tasting room by adding barstools, a countertop and lighting.

Wine Staircase

This is our favorite way to add wine storage when space is at a minimum, both residentially and commercially. You can go more rustic with wall shelving or more modern with glass-enclosed storage. Either way, it’s a creative and attractive way to incorporate wine storage into your home or business.

Let’s start planning your wine storage project today! Contact us to schedule your in-home or in-business consultation.

Our Favorite Space-Saving Solutions

If you’re anything like us, you’re constantly reevaluating how your home storage can work better for you! There’s nothing more satisfying than a high-functioning home, and you can’t get there without talking about storage. Enter our Top Five space-saving solutions for your home!

Murphy Beds

The best way to make a spare room multifunctional is to add a Murphy bed for out-of-town guests. This space-saving wall bed is one of the hottest trends in home design right now and for good reason. It’s an extremely cost-effective way to make the most of your space.

Garage Systems

Whether you’re looking to store taller items like rakes and ladders or smaller items like tools and nails, track and rail systems are a great choice! The best part? They’re interchangeable so they can evolve as your life (and stuff) does.

High and Low Vertical Space

Be sure to take full advantage of high and low storage opportunities in your closets, pantry, garage, kitchen and laundry room. Take your cabinets all the way up to the ceiling to maximize your high vertical space. Down low, think about custom drawers that can fit under beds for increased storage or baskets and bins that can fit under console tables and bookshelves add additional storage.

Optimizing Closet Space

The best way to optimize your closet space is with a custom closet design. This will allow you to make every inch of your space work the way you need it to! Some of our must-haves include an island to store jewelry and accessories—as well as functional add-ons like a laundry hamper and fold-out ironing board—and a mixture of open shelving, drawers, and cabinets.

Dual-purpose Rooms

We’re all about maximizing functionality at Behind Closed Doors, which is why we’re big fans of dual-purpose rooms. Why have a laundry room AND a mudroom when you can combine the two? Why dedicate an entire room to guests who only visit a few times a year when you can add a Murphy Bed to a home office? Dual-purpose rooms are one of our absolute favorite ways to maximize space in your home.

2022 06 30 0001 — Photo Credit: Joanna Gaines

Are you ready to make your home storage work for you? Contact us today!

Is Your Closet Fall Ready?

Fall is here! And while you might be anxious to bust out your sweaters, jackets, and boots, the transition can also come with some dread if you don’t have proper closet storage. It’s time to simplify your life with a closet that works for you! And as the premier closet designer in Coastal Delaware and Maryland, we’re here to help! Check out our five closet must-haves that will make your wardrobe transition from Summer to Fall seamless.

1.Shelves and Racks

Shelves are perfect for stacking cozy sweaters as we move into the cooler months. Don’t be afraid to use up as much vertical space as possible—especially for reach-in closets. If you really want to level up your sweater storage, add some pull-out racks to drape your sweaters on. They make your sweaters super accessible and maximize space by tucking back into the closet when not in use.

2.Full-length wardrobe cabinet

You’ll obviously need one of these for dress storage but you may need to add on another for jacket and long sweater storage. Your everyday jackets probably have a home in the coat closet, but you may want to store dressier jackets and long sweaters with the rest of your wardrobe. So be sure to include ample full-length storage when planning your new closet.

3.Drawers

Drawers are so multi-functional for intimates, accessories, loungewear and beyond. But we especially like them for hat, glove, and sock storage during the transition to Fall. Try putting the drawers in your closet island to keep all your accessories centralized.

4.Varying Height Shoe Shelves

Don’t make the mistake of keeping all your shoes shelves the same height. You’ll want to incorporate some taller shelves to accommodate boots during the transition to Fall. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we’ve walked into plenty of closets with boots crammed in a corner on the floor because there wasn’t proper consideration!

5.Seating

Seating is instrumental in any closet, but we find it especially important during the transition to Fall when you’re working with boots that are harder to put on. You can do something built-in like a bench or bring in seating as a decorative accent with chairs or ottomans. Either way, you’ll thank us!

The only thing left to do is start planning your custom closet! Contact us today to set up your in-home consultation.

Voted Best Closet Company

We are extremely honored and humbled to be voted the Best Closet/Home Organization Company in Sussex and Worcester counties for the sixth consecutive year! We want to extend a huge Thank You to all our customers who voted for us in Coastal Style Magazine’s Best Of Awards. We take great pride in our reputation and work very hard making sure we go above and beyond for our awesome customers. As such, we’re going to take this opportunity to share the Top 3 reasons our customers trust us time and time again with their closet and home storage needs!

1.Quality

When it comes to quality custom closets and cabinets in Coastal Delaware and Maryland, there’s no other name but BCD. We design, manufacture and install all of our custom closets, cabinetry and storage solutions, ensuring quality products as well as a quality experience. Just ask our recent customer Stacy:

“Without hesitation, I recommend BCD. We did a home office and garage with them. Leatie was great to work with, allowing us to use design features we wanted from our former home, and making sure she tweaked them in a way that worked. She listened to us to make it happen the right way. The install team was professional, clean, and very mannerly. They were a pleasure to have in our home.”

2.Superior Service

We are always striving to give our customers the best experience possible. From design to fabrication to installation, we are here to listen to your needs and bring your closet or home storage project to life as efficiently as possible. Recent customer Debbie had this to say about our customer service:

“Behind Closed Doors designed and installed beautiful custom closets in my home. Paul and his team (Leatie, Liz, Josh, Joe, Chris, and Brent) were not only professional, proficient, and courteous, but they were extremely personable and kind! What an absolute pleasure to work with….Highly recommend!!”

3.Timeliness

We know how important your time is, which is why we’re dedicated to delivering quality home storage solutions in the timeliest manner possible. We offer a range of products to fit your desired timeframe—from cabinet lines that offer a quick turnaround to fully custom designs. Recent customer Karla had this to say about her experience with us:

“From beginning to end, Behind Closed Doors was a great experience! The designer, the owner and the installers were excellent! My closets and my garage were well thought out and they look beautiful! I have used two other companies in the past for two different houses and Behind Closed Doors is by far the best!”

Come discover why we’re consistently named the Best Closet/Home Organization company in Coastal Delaware and Maryland!

Get Organized for Back to School

August is almost here, which means it won’t be long now until you’re back into the rhythm of a new school year. Bookbags, lunchboxes, sports equipment are all waiting in the wings so there’s no time like the present to get organized! Here are our top storage and organization tips for a smooth transition into the new school year:

Streamline Your Mornings

Utilize your mudroom or entryway to store everything the kids need to get out the door—shoes, backpacks, shinguards, jackets, etc. If you don’t have lockers or cubbies, you can use a basket for each child that can be stored under a bench. In the kitchen, try dedicating a drawer to lunchbox supplies and hair accessories so you can quickly get everyone set all from the same room, while they’re eating breakfast!

2022 07 29 0002 — Photos courtesy of The Mama Notes

Storage Bins are your Friends

Now that you’ve tackled the necessities, it’s time to think about the fillers. Once you’ve gotten the kids fully ready for the day, there may be some down time before you have to leave. Enter learning/fun bins. Buy different sizes of storage bins to house games, flashcards, puzzles, workbooks, coloring books and the like. Each morning, the kids can pick a bin and do the table activity before heading out the door. Slimmer bins work great for organizing your game cabinet too—another necessity for before and after school.

2022 07 29 0003 — Photos courtesy of Pinterest

Tackle the Kids Rooms

Other spaces that probably deserves some attention prior to the school year beginning are the play room and the kids bedrooms. There’s no better way to start the school year than with an organized life, so be sure to go through these rooms and clean out anything that’s no longer being used. For the kids room, break out books that focus on the new school year and getting ready for fall, make sure everything has a place, and think about creative storage solutions for activities like ready in bed or quiet play.

When it comes to quality custom closets and cabinets in Coastal Delaware and Maryland, there’s no other name but BCD! Learn more about our services here.

+ More

Join Our Team

Get Started