CLEAR THE CLUTTER.Byline: Barbara De Witt De Witt, uninc. town (1990 pop. 8,244), Onondaga co., central N.Y., a residential suburb of Syracuse. Fashion Editor Finally, we're becoming shelf-absorbed. After years of poking fun at friends who spent a tad too much time organizing their life, their Filofax and even their sock drawer, the rest of us are now discovering the joys of a tidy closet. Maybe it's the new year ... or the new century ... or simply that we can no longer find anything in our closets, but stores like Hold Everything can't keep enough closet organizers - from canvas sweater drawers to wooden shoe cabinets - in stock, and professional closet designers are busier than ever. ``There seems to be a great need these days for people to get their life organized. People want to be more efficient, and it's starting with the closet ... but it's beyond building sliding racks or drawers. They don't actually come out and say so, but what they want is a closet they can show off to friends, which often means knocking out walls or even turning the guest room into the closet,'' says Ron Locks of Closet Concepts in Northridge. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Locks, who's seen his business double since last year, the current trend is to what he calls ``very visual closets'' with an island of cupboards like a kitchen, and lots of clear acrylic drawers and doors so everything can be seen at a glance. Steve Blumenfeld, owner of the California Closets franchise in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. agrees, commenting the ideal closet should have everything in plain sight as well as off the floor so the client can get dressed Verb 1. get dressed - put on clothes; "we had to dress quickly"; "dress the patient"; "Can the child dress by herself?" dress primp, preen, dress, plume - dress or groom with elaborate care; "She likes to dress when going to the opera" quicker. Whether a person designs his own closet - or hires a professional after discovering how difficult it is to install premanufactured shelving shelv·ing n. 1. Shelves considered as a group. 2. Material for shelves. 3. An incline; a slope. shelving Noun 1. material for shelves 2. in closets with uneven walls and slanted ceilings - there's a new fascination with organizing accessories. According to Sergio Zuniga, manager of Hold Everything at Fashion Square mall in Sherman Oaks, ``Instead of dumping everything into decorative hat boxes and piling them on a shelf like they did a year or two ago, customers are buying canvas or velvet or wooden boxes to organize socks, belts, jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. and even cuff links cuff links cuff npl → Manschettenknöpfe pl . From what I've seen, those tall jewelry boxes are out and what's in are a collection of smaller boxes to fit neatly on top of dressers or shelves.'' Locks has seen the trend, too. He says the latest requests are for custom features such as sweater boxes with clear acrylic doors, drawers that are lined with Ultrasuede for jewelry, belts and scarves, and quilted vinyl-lined drawers to keep hosiery hosiery Knit or woven coverings for the feet and legs, worn inside shoes. In the 8th century BC, Hesiod referred to linings for shoes; the Romans wrapped their feet, ankles, and legs in long strips of leather or woven cloth. snag-free. ``And it's not just a women's thing. Even men want their socks better-organized with one pair in each cubby or divided into color sections,'' he adds. Special spaces for shoes are the big attraction in Blumenfeld's business, where he says his biggest challenge was creating a special shoe closet for a woman's 700 pairs of shoes. Instead of shoe boxes, closet companies often build wooden shelves, usually slanted to display the largest amount of shoes. Most order the shelves without acrylic or wood doors, but it requires a lot of dusting, says Locks. Ditto with the shelves that display all purses. Fancy wooden shelves, clear doors, display areas? If it sounds like closets are becoming more like dressing rooms, you're right, ``but it's mostly a California trend,'' observes Kathryn La Barbera, a vice president of the Closet Factory chain that has franchises throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Europe. ``Here, in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , organized closets are considered a necessity, not a luxury, and clients want everything in the closet, leaving the master bedroom almost empty with just a bed, two night stands and an entertainment center,'' La Barbera says. According to the Closet Factory executive, closet tastes vary from region to region. ``For instance,'' she says, ``in Dallas, they want everything big, so we build closets that are really tall, with three rods instead of two ... and in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , where people live in small spaces with really small closets, we design shoe cubbies This article is about the variant on football. For the Major League Baseball team with the same nickname, see the Chicago Cubs. Cubbies (or Cuppies) is an informal variant on football originating spontaneously in different parts of the world. or heavily slanted shoe shelves to make the most of the least space. In Seattle, there's a growing trend to home offices, and we often are asked to design closets that hold both file drawers and clothing.'' Considering a custom closet? Closet experts suggest making both a wish list and a reality list and then draw up a list of what you don't like about your current closet. And be sure to get estimates. Prices will vary by the amount of custom work and the quality, such as metal and wire shelves compared to solid wood - Locks says most closet companies will charge $1,500 and up for a 12-foot slider A block of material that holds the read/write head of a magnetic disk. See flying head. style and $2,500 for a walk-in style - but that's not including drawers with Lucite doors and other luxuries. In the L.A. area, you can save money by skipping expensive cedar lining. According to Locks, ``Cedar does discourage moths This is an incomplete list of species of Lepidoptera that are commonly known as moths. Large and dramatic moth species
used for hanging x-ray films to dry. There is a clip type, with a clip at each corner, and a channel type in which the film sits in channels in the sides of the frame. are enough. The toss file OK. Now, you've spent the money for a custom closet and realize that not everything you own will fit in it. Blumenfeld from California Closets says the rule of thumb is, if you haven't worn it for six months (well, maybe a year) donate it to somebody who can really use it. ``Do you really need 100 ties? What about those clothes you know you'll never fit into again?'' he asks. ``So, before the new closet is finished, be ruthless about editing your belongings so that there will be space for new outfits.'' In addition to weeding out clothing and shoes, get rid of things that don't belong in your clothing closet in the first place. ``I'm amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. at the people who fill their closets with books, file drawers, photo albums and even tennis rackets rackets Game for two or four players with ball and racket on a four-walled court. Rackets is played with a hard ball in a relatively large court (approximately 9 × 18 m), unlike the related games of squash and racquetball. . All those things are using up space that could be used for clothes,'' says the Closet Concepts designer. Protecting your investment Remember that a custom closet is a selling feature of a home, so keep it clean and in good repair. Remember to dust those shoe shelves, and don't pile so much stuff on shelves that they sag, warn the experts. Other tricks to keeping clothes neat and orderly are to use wooden hangers instead of the wire kind from the dry cleaners; keep clothes covered in cloth or plastic zippered zip·pered adj. 1. Having or equipped with zippers or a zipper: a coat with zippered pockets. 2. Closed or fastened with or as if with a zipper. bags; and never store soiled clothing with clean, which is a problem with sweater drawers, says Locks. His suggestion is to air clothes out before bringing them into the closet, and consider using an odor neutralizer neu·tral·ize tr.v. neu·tral·ized, neu·tral·iz·ing, neu·tral·iz·es 1. To make neutral. 2. To counterbalance or counteract the effect of; render ineffective. 3. , such as the Closet Dry Cleaner from Sharper Image stores. Other suggestions from the pros include folding sweaters in stacks of three or four instead of hanging them; utilizing flat storage containers for blankets; and putting up hooks or pegs for clothes worn often, such as bathrobes and ball caps. Five easy steps to closet perfection Professional organizer Julie Morgenstern says it's important to feel in control of one's life and closet. In her new book ``Organizing From the Inside Out (Owl Books; $14) she suggests this five-step ``attack'' on your closet: Sort: Spend three hours sorting your clothes by color, season, use (office, weekend, gardening, parties), and garment type (jackets, pants, skirts, gowns); then accessories by type (belts, scarves, shoes) and season. Purge: Spend one hour throwing out items you can't fit into; clothes that are stained or damaged beyond repair (even though you love them); shoes that hurt your feet. Clothes you truly think you might wear again could be stored in another closet or a box under the bed. Assign a home: Spend 30 minutes organizing clothing and accessories so you can see everything easily and get to it. Containerize con·tain·er·ize v.tr. con·tain·er·ized, con·tain·er·iz·ing, con·tain·er·iz·es 1. To package (cargo) in large standardized containers for efficient shipping and handling. 2. : Another three-hour assignment, including installation of a battery-operated closet light; shelf dividers; and a small wood, corrugated cor·ru·gate v. cor·ru·gat·ed, cor·ru·gat·ing, cor·ru·gates v.tr. To shape into folds or parallel and alternating ridges and grooves. v.intr. or plastic dresser inside the closet space under short-hanging garments. Next, use fabric boxes for accessories, bathing suits and hats; shelf baskets for underwear; shoe racks or shoe boxes identified with Polaroid pictures of shoes; sturdy wood or plastic hangers (instead of the wire type that get tangled) for clothing; and a scarf stand to keep favorite scarves accessible and wrinkle-free. Equalize e·qual·ize v. e·qual·ized, e·qual·iz·ing, e·qual·iz·es v.tr. 1. To make equal: equalized the responsibilities of the staff members. 2. To make uniform. : This is a five-minute daily maintenance routine that should keep you in control of the closet, says the author, and all you have to do is put things away as you use them and hang up your clothes every night. - Barbara De Witt Neat closet tricks Boot Shapers from Bed Bath & Beyond, $8, to keep your boots standing tall. Nylon zippered garment bags (big enough for a ballgown) to keep dust off but allow fabric and fur to breathe, Hold Everything, $16. Two-step stool, plus a one-step stool for reaching closet shelves, K-Mart, $15.99. Shoe cabinet to hold and hide 45 pairs of shoes, $219, or individual plastic shoe boxes, $9 each; both at Hold Everything. Diamond plastic bra-and-panty organizer (to slip inside any drawer) from Bed Bath & Beyond, $8. Cedar suit hangers to keep jackets in shape and discourage moths, Hold Everything, $29 each. Felt accessory organizers from the Container Store catalog, $10; phone (800) 786-7315. The Closet Dry Cleaner, a battery-operated/electronic device that hangs in the closet and neutralizes odors Odors anosmia Medicine. the absence of the sense of smell; olfactory anesthesia. Also called anosphrasia. — anosmic, adj. halitosis bad breath; an unpleasant odor emanating from the mouth. such as mildew mildew, name for certain fungi and protists, for the diseases they cause in various crops, and for the discoloration (and sometimes the weakening and disintegration) they cause in such materials as leather, fabrics, and paper. and perspiration perspiration: see sweat. perspiration Fluid given off by the skin as vapour by simple evaporation or as sweat actively secreted from sweat glands to evaporate and cool the body. , $59.95, Sharper Image. Canvas storage boxes for sweaters from Hold Everything, $16 and up. Rubbermaid 18-gallon under-bed box with wheels for sweaters or blankets, K Mart, $12.99. Revolving belt hanger that holds four to eight belts or scarves, Hold Everything, $12. Heavy-duty tubular steel rolling rack, Hold Everything, $129. Motion-activated sock light with automatic on/off timer for the sock drawer, Linens & Things, $7.99. Small, three-drawer organizer in white laminate laminate, n a thin slice of porcelain or plastic fabricated in a dental lab, which is cemented to the front of the teeth to cover gaps, whiten stained teeth, or reshape chipped or broken teeth. , Target, $23.53. Storage wardrobes for those off-season or off-size clothes. A stationary style in clear plastic by Zepher is $29.99; a sturdy canvas design with wheels by Organize It All Inc., is $69.99; both at Linens & Things. Sock organizer with three plastic compartments, Hold Everything, $12.50. - Compiled by Barbara De Witt CAPTION(S): 8 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Ron Locks of Closet Concepts in Northridge creates order out of closet chaos. (2 -- 3 -- color) The Closet Factory offers several options, including orgazined closets for children, right, and adults, above, with shelves and niches of varying shapes and sizes. (4 -- 5 -- color) Norm Simon of Marina del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
(6 -- color) Cowboy boots and hats hand from racks in the Simons' newly reorganized closet. (7 -- 8 -- color) Norm and Jane Simon's custom closet, left, has an island of organized drawers for ties, jewelry and other accessories. Above, island drawers can be used to organize and store items that tend to clutter other parts of the closet. Box: (1) 5 easy steps to closet perfection (see text) (2) Neat closet tricks (see text) |
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