California Closets Kids Closet Design

Home

A Dreamy Shared Kids’ Closet That You Can Customize

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Photographed by Maria Del Rio

Jul 7, 2020

Having a modern, functional, custom closet for her daughters was always a big goal for San Francisco-based mom (and MOTHER’s Partnerships Director) Sarah Ewick. However, as a renter, investing in—or even being allowed to—do a permanent closet installation was out of the question. Luckily, the brand-new California Closets x Martha Stewart system helped her get the job done. Dubbed The Everyday System, the line features customizable, temporary, modular organization units that work great as closets, as well as other places around the house that need tidying (see some examples here). The more accessibly priced units ($999 and up), can be self-installed or customers can opt to have California Closets do the install for them. Folks can chose from one of The Everyday System’s sleek pre-configured designs online, or you can design your own. In this case, Sarah went with the latter option to transform Nell (4) and Winslow’s (1) under-36-square-foot closet space into a mini-oasis of her family’s dreams. Check it all out by clicking into our slideshow below!

This article is brought to you by MOTHER x California Closets.

: A first look at The Everyday System in action! To keep the walk-in space light and airy, Sarah chose a sturdy design that combined shelves, meshed cabinets, shoes shelves, hanging rods, and more—all in Perry St. White Wood Grain and Gold Metal accents.

: "We had two low, mis-matched bureaus on either side of the closet, and two narrow shelves above that wrapped around the whole space. We weren't effectively using the vertical—or frankly, horizontal—space. And the closet became a dumping ground for items that didn't have a home. Books, toys, extra bedding, and clean laundry were constantly piled up on top of the dressers, and then ultimately ended up on the floor after the kids pulled them down."

: "Our biggest goals were to have more storage space overall for the kids' clothes and toys, higher shelves to store toys with tiny parts (choking hazards for our baby, Winslow), and most importantly, shelving and drawers that were fully secured and safe for the kids and wouldn't pinch fingers or tip over. Because we rent—we've been in our rent-controlled apartment for nearly 11 years now—we also needed a closet system that wasn't permanent, provided the flexibility to change over time, and could easily be dissembled and reinstalled in a new space."

: A double layer of gold hanging rods provides ample space for Nell's dresses and coats, plus extra room for accessories.

: Nell, 4, in her beautiful new space.

: "The Everyday System has genuinely improved not just the kids' space, but truly, life in our not-quite 800-square-foot apartment. Living in a small space with two kids and a dog, we're constantly purging and have to be thoughtful about every item we bring into the house. Spending more time at home now than ever, I've also realized how important it is for everything to have a 'home' to be returned to at the end of the day, and also how impactful it is to periodically swap out the kids' toys to keep them excited and engaged."

: "With more storage in the kids' room, we no longer feel like we're busting at the seams and it feels possible to stay in our apartment longer. For this article, we focused on showing how the closet stores all of the girls' things, but day to day, there's more than enough space to neatly store their clothes and toys, along with my husband's and my clothes, and other less-used storage items on the top shelves—like our earthquake kit and winter clothes for trips to visit family on the East Coast. Better utilizing this space has also allowed us to clear out the other closet in our living room (where we previously stored our adult clothes) and make it into an office for working from home, which has been particularly useful during shelter-in-place."

: "We worked with a California Closets design consultant to determine how many drawers, shelves, and clothing racks would be most useful for the space and the kids' storage needs. Because their bedroom is painted a darker color, we wanted the closet to be bright and light and chose the Perry St. White Wood Grain and Gold Metal for the system and finishes. We measured the length of each wall, measuring baseboard to baseboard, and then between the wall and doorway, taking into consideration a light switch we'd need to access for an overhead fixture. One side of the closet could fit a 14" deep system, while the other was able to accommodate a 20" deep system."

: "Before we installed, we had to prep the space, take down the existing shelving, and prime and paint the walls and woodwork. Once everything arrived, self-installing was simple and straightforward. California Closets provides clear and detailed instructions for measuring and installing, including videos and a paper template for installing the metal uprights, which serve as the frame for the whole system. The systems are floor-mounted and the metal uprights are secured to the wall with a single top bracket, meaning there's very little drilling and the system is super secure."

: "Nell and Winslow each have three drawers for clothes, and an additional drawer each for hand-me-downs from cousins that are the next size up. We use the remaining drawers for wipes, linens, and heirloom items they've outgrown that we want to keep—like baby blankets from the hospital when they were born and vintage items that I wore when I was a baby. Racks hang dresses and coats, and shelving is used for additional toy storage; puzzles and Legos, seasonal items like holiday books and trick-or-treat baskets, Nell's bubble machine, and lots more."

: A look inside of The Everyday System's signature mesh cabinets, which houses a sweet collection of Nell and Winslow's keepsake linens, diapers and wipes, and play things.

: "The ample space, deep shelves, and enclosed shelves with mesh doors. The smooth, soft-close drawers. And the bright white and modern gold design."

: "Nell says her favorite part is 'Where all my clothes are hanging up!' I'm not exaggerating when I say Nell was scared of her old closet! She refused to be in there alone. Nell loves that she has drawers just for her, racks for her dresses and coats that she can reach herself, and shelves for her music box and other treasures. The closet is now Nell's special hideaway and she loves playing in there by herself and with her little sister."