At Your Service: A Room of One’s Own
May 1, 2008
Though it may seem like an unlikely source of inspiration, Lisa Adams had a revelation about closets while working for upscale kitchen and bath firm Troy Adams Design. In the same way she observed that the kitchen had morphed from simply a food-prep room into the hub of the home, she realized that the walk-in closet of yesterday had taken on new importance as well. Now called "dressing rooms," "wardrobes" or simply "private rooms," closets are no longer just a place to store clothes.
"The closet has become a non-stress place where people start and end their day," Adams explains. "You can sit down, read a newspaper or a book and enjoy it as you would a spa space—we wanted to make this area more luxurious."
Indeed, in a space designed by her West Hollywood–based firm, you are just as likely to find exotic lacewood cabinetry, elegant tables, ottomans, lounge chairs, televisions, espresso makers, refrigerators and concealed safes as you are pull-out pant racks and angled shoe shelves. The look is more high-end boutique than organized storage.
To outfit such rooms, Adams places an emphasis on design, combining both ergonomics and aesthetics. So the placement of furniture is considered as carefully as it would be in a living room. For example, an ottoman in the center of a large dressing room not only looks good, but is functional. Some closets, like one she fashioned for architect Jim Chuda and his wife, Nancy, have windows and recesses for displaying decorative objects that make the room feel more a part of the home’s decor.
Lisa Adams Closet Design was created a year ago, when she spun off the wardrobe division from Troy Adams Design, which has garnered national attention for its FusionDesign philosophy and sleek, custom look. She spent eight years at that firm, first in operations and finance before quickly making the transition into design. Her lifelong love of fashion would prove a valuable asset: She knows the connection between having a well-organized closet and being well dressed.
"We might help you uncover that there are 10 black jackets you didn’t know you had because you couldn’t see them," she explains. "You really have to be able to see all your clothes to be able to combine them creatively." Her approach has attracted many from the entertainment industry, among them Carmen Electra, Jewel, Byron Allen and Robert Cort.
Because Adams works so closely with clients, she often ends up doing personal shopping and wardrobe styling for them, too. "I’m happy to do that," she says. "It all ties together."
Lisa Adams Closet Design, 310.289.1311, www.laclosetdesign.com
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