Keeping Your Shoes Organized

March 13, 2012

ShoesThe days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer.  And this means that your footwear options have just grown exponentially.  Sandals and thin shoes are back!

But with all these growing shoe options, how can you keep everything organized?  You can’t just leave them all by the door or out in the open?

Well, Contempo Closet has a solution!  We like to get creative when it comes to finding useful storage solutions, so we’ve crafted a unique new option for custom closet solutions.  We’ve integrated sliding shoe racks!  Mounted on steel ball-bearing slides, it’s an easily accessible, hassle-free means to keep your shoes organized, accessible, and out of the way!

Look at our line of wardrobes and accessories and see how we’re working to keep your shoes organized and easily accessible.

Photo Credit: Warburg

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Monsters in the Closet: Helping Your Child Overcome Their Fears

March 12, 2012

Help your child overcome their fear of the dark.Children’s minds are young and easily influenced.  They don’t yet fully understand the world at large, therefore their free to let their imaginations fill in the blank spaces.  Sometimes they can see beauty and wonder where adults do not.  Other times, they can see horrible things.

How do you help your child overcome their fears, especially things like a fear of the dark or monsters in the closet?  Well, there’s no solid answer for that.  Every child is different, developing these fears at different ages and at different levels of intensity.  Therefore, it’s important to approach each on a case by case basis, even if the children are siblings or close in age.

It’s important to speak with a child and try to understand their fear.  Find out when they get scared and why they think they are in danger.  Don’t belittle or ignore their fears.  Instead, explore their fears with them.  In the day time or night time, look in the closet or under the bed with them.  Help them see for themselves that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Do you have any techniques for helping children overcome their fears?  Let us know and leave a comment below.

Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt

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Utilizing Handles as Decorative Hardware

March 9, 2012

A half round handleAt Contempo Closet, we’re proud of the wide range of customization options we have to offer our customers.  Although things like dimensions and finish are important, we let you customize down to the smallest details, even though they might make a big difference.

Handles, for instance, are a terribly underrated piece of hardware.

Handles don’t just make your piece easy to open and close; they’re tiny accents on your piece that bring the design to its center and suggest new stylistic themes.  Consider it casual elegance.

Contempo handles come in chrome and brass finishes, each of which carries its own mood and personality.  Chrome finishes tend have a futurist tone, whereas brass handles might pull your piece just ever so slightly into a more transitional territory.

Likewise the varying shapes of Contempo handle options each also bring varying levels of utility and tone.  Some, such as the L handle are small and shy, whereas the check handle shines with dramatic flourish.  The U handle stands strong and silent, not one to boast of its simple magnificence.

See the rest of Contempo’s handle options here and see for yourself which of our varied handle options would lend a new edge to your space.

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Organizing Closets for Children

March 8, 2012

Conventional wisdom normally has us gearing closet design towards adults, but children are really the ones who need super-efficient closet design.  Adults might keep clothes or accessories for several years, but kids can grow out of their clothes within a matter of months.  For a true organization and storage challenge, get a good closet for a kid.

Organizing for children can be a real challengeThere are a few ways to gear storage towards kids without going overboard.   But first and foremost, let’s try to properly prepare.  Get down to your child’s height and have a look in the closet.  How does it look to you from that height?  What can you grab easily?  What’s difficult?  Do you feel like anything is too far out of your reach?

Now that you have an idea of what the closet looks like from your child’s point of view, it’s time to start organizing.  First and foremost, bring the shelves down to your kid’s level.  Keep a shoe rack down low as well.  If your child is particularly sporty, maybe get him/her two so they don’t end up putting their church shoes next to their dirty soccer cleats.

Take your child by the hand and guide them through the process.  Habits like good organization don’t just happen overnight.  They need to be nurtured and nourished over time.  But the earlier this starts, the sooner your child will develop the necessary skills to organize and eventually develop their own system for storage and organization.

Photo Credit: David Castillo Dominici

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Fun with Mirrors

March 7, 2012

Use mirrors to make your space bigger, brighter and better.Although they’re often ensconced simply as vanity objects, mirrors are one of the most useful objects in the interior designer’s bag of tricks.  Mirrors can make a room look bigger and add a decorative flair and chic sheen to any space.  We’re not saying you’ll get the Versailles Hall of Mirrors or anything, but mirror finishes can add a refreshing aura to any space.

At Contempo Closet, we actually incorporate mirror finishes as an available option on many of our products.  It’s a unique little thing we do, but typically it works great, making spaces appear a bit wider and helping our modern furniture blend into traditional environments.

We do everything we can to make sure our custom furniture looks great in any environment.  Mirror finishes make rooms look bigger, reflect light, and look great with modern and traditional décor.  Mission accomplished, right?

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Spotlight: Item 1265 Hanging Wardrobe with 2 Doors and 2 Exterior Drawers

March 6, 2012

The 1265 provides all the necessary amenities of great home organization

At Contempo Closet, our primary objective is not simply to craft furniture, but to create organizational space solutions.  We aim to mold space, to bring it under control and shape it to your desires.  Our wardrobe solutions aren’t just freestanding closets; they are tools to reorganize and refresh the space of your home.

Item 1265, a Hanging Wardrobe Closet w/2 doors and 2 exterior drawers, is a fairly large freestanding item that nonetheless offers copious amounts of storage with a strong eye for efficiency in modern design and dynamic aesthetic qualities.  Its dimensions place it at six feet tall, just under three feet wide, and only 2.25” short of two whole feet deep.  It’s a behemoth, indeed, and what it offers in size it complements with vast organizational efficiency and intuition.

The wardrobe features two 6.5” tall drawers mounted on steel-ball bearing slides to allow simple gliding interior access.  Each drawer is also 28.75” wide and 14” deep – large enough to accommodate sheer piles of clothing and personal accessories.

Lying on top of the two drawers rests a two door closet measuring 51.5” H X 31.2” W X 20.75” D.  With one steel hang rod included, here at Contempo Closet, we’re more than happy to customize your furnishing with extra shelves, tie racks, pants racks, etc.  View our accessories page to see what else you can use to fill the interior and organize it to your liking.

Give us a call and one of our design consultants will gladly walk you through all the possible organizational designs we can add to make the perfect wardrobe to fit your space and lifestyle.  In addition to custom storage features, this piece is also available in a variety of finishes.  Rest assured we can find the finish necessary to help your piece fit with whatever pre-existing furniture décor you may have.  Use our mirror finish to make the room look bigger and craft a striking shimmering display, or view one of our colored glass finishes to throw a splash of color into your room.

Contempo Closet products are not simply wardrobes.  They are studies in the organization of space.  We work to create the most efficient, magnificently designed wardrobes we can with a modern edge and a contemporary beat.  Call today to find out how we can help you reorganize your space and create a refreshing visual focus for your home.

 

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Time to Clean Out the Closet

March 5, 2012

Get ready to clean out your closet!March is the season known to come in like a lion and head out like a lamb.  While we’re still in the lion stages though, it’s a good idea to start preparing for the lamb.  It’s time to clean out the closet and get ready to bring on the spring!

Send most of your winter items – the wool hats, the fur coats, the snow boots – back to the attic, but keep a few things handy.  Scarves, sweaters, and light jackets may be necessary since the coming months will be warm during the day, but most likely chilly at night or early in the morning.  Be prepared and keep extra layers handy.

Sadly, in addition to the cold, get prepared for a lot of wet.  The coming months will be rainy, so keep an umbrella around, as well as water proof shoes and a raincoat.  A wide brimmed hat is not a bad idea either.

Also, put away the dark colors.  Spring is on its way, so be prepared to greet the flowers and the sunshine with bright colors and a bright attitude.

Of, course, that’s a lot of storage and organization, isn’t it?  Thankfully, here at Contempo Closet, we do storage and organization like there’s nothing but tomorrow.  Check out our custom closet systems to find out how we can craft the best storage solution to fit your needs and lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Simon Howden

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Contempo Closet Aims to Provide Affordable Alternatives for Nursing Homes Seeking to Comply with New Built In Closet Sprinkler Regulations

March 2, 2012

Contempo Closet's freestanding wardrobe solutions provide an affordable alternative for nursing homes looking to comply with the new Life Safety CodeIn the wake of a new Life Safety Code requiring all nursing homes to install expensive, intricate sprinkler systems in their built in closets, Contempo Closet hopes to offer a viable alternative with their freestanding wardrobes and storage furnishings.

In August 2013, a new Life Safety Code Requirement from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will force nearly 16,000 nursing homes to install intricate sprinkler systems in their built in closet facilities in order to ensure the safety of the 3 million elderly citizens residing in nursing homes nationwide.  NJ Furniture Manufacturer Contempo Closet aims to offer these nursing homes a more affordable alternative to expanded sprinkler systems with Contempo Closet’s line of freestanding wardrobes and storage systems.

According to the Dept. of Health and Human Services, “freestanding wardrobes are considered FURNITURE,” which “need NOT be sprinklered.”  The Dept. elaborates further in a 2005 letter stating:

“CMS does not require that freestanding portable wardrobe units used as a closet to store clothing and other resident personal belongings have a sprinkler installed within them…As a piece of furniture they would not be required to have a sprinkler installed in the interior of the wardrobe.”

The alternative, expanding existing sprinkler systems into pre-existing built in closet systems is a costly, time-consuming process, requiring the attention of a contractor, architect, and engineer specializing in fire protection.  The survey and bid process alone, which would require the expertise of the aforementioned individuals, would only account for a quarter of the costs necessary to fully expand a ceiling sprinkler system.

The expansion of a full sprinkler system is a costly, time-consuming process, whereas the simple purchase of a freestanding wardrobe would fully comply with the Life Safety Code requirements.  Contempo Closet hopes to offer nursing homes throughout the US a cost-efficient alternative to meet the standards set by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services with their freestanding wardrobes and storage accessories.

Additionally, a new line of wardrobes boasts a refreshing interior design ambiance, creating a practical and visually appealing storage solution.  Contempo Closet’s line of freestanding wardrobe products come in a wide variety of sizes and finishes, and can be custom tailored to fit any space’s pre-existing décor.

Contempo Closet, a member of the Contempo Space family, specializes in custom closets, wardrobes, dressers and more. Design consultants and craftsmen work with customers to create the perfect piece for any space to best meet the customer’s needs.  Contempo Space will even take the extra step to deliver and set up furniture onsite, leaving the customer free to sit back and enjoy.

For more information on products and services, visit ContempoCloset.com.  For further updates, follow Contempo Closet on Twitter via @ContempoSpace and on Facebook at Facebook.com/ContempoCloset.

Pictured Above: Item 1165 Hanging Wardrobe Closet w/ Two Doors and 3 Exterior Drawers

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Kanye West High End Heels Collection Picked Up By Selective Paris Retailer

March 2, 2012

Kanye West's high end collection be sold at Parisian fashion retailer ColetteInternationally acclaimed hip hop star and fashion designer Kanye West has found his way into one of the most selective fashion retailers in all of Paris, Colette, who have just announced that they will begin selling West’s designer heels collection this spring.

West designed the stiletto heels with the help of Giuseppe Zanotti.  Despite mixed reviews at their Parisian debut last October, Kanye West’s designs have been garnering some serious fashion credibility, even appearing in Harper’s Bazaar Australia.

The price tag on Kanye’s chic heels is as a whopping $5800, far above the standard luxury shoe price of $1200.

Photo Credit: Tyler Curtis

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Is a Built In Closet Right For You?

March 1, 2012

How do you know if a built in closet is right for you?At Contempo Closet, we just announced that we’re expanding our custom closet solutions, designing and building everything from small and simple reach in closets to intricate walk in closet systems.  Now, while built in closets are great, we’re not going to say they are for everyone.  Some people would still be better off with a freestanding wardrobe.

So how do you know which is right for you?

Are you a homeowner?  If so, a reach in or walk in closet, if done right, could raise the value of your home and be a potential draw to buyers whenever you decide to sell.  Having a built in closet eliminates the need for freestanding storage furniture, so potential buyers might see your walk in closet as a time and money saver.  And you might enjoy that closet just a bit for the remainder of your life there.

If you’re just renting or planning to move out in a few years anyway, you might not want to bother with the investment since, unfortunately, you can’t bring a built in closet with you.

Do you need more space in the bedroom?  A cluttered bedroom can be kind of a pain (literally, do you have any idea how many times I’ve stubbed my toe trying to navigate my bedroom in the dark), but a walk in closet may eliminate the need for dressers, wardrobes and other storage items in your room if organized right.  Besides, more space means “room for activities,” as Will Ferrell put it.

(Please don’t try to build your own bunk bed)

Are you slow getting out in the morning? It’s ok if you’re not a morning person (it’s totally a myth) and not too quick to get out the door in the morning.  But a well-organized built in closet could shave valuable minutes off your morning routine.  Plus with pants racks, pneumatic pull-down hang rods, shoe racks and more, organizing a built in closet to fit your needs couldn’t get much easier!

Does this sound like you?  If not, that’s cool. Freestanding wardrobes are a great idea, too.  Whether it’s a wardrobe closet, a reach in closet, a walk in closet or both, they all look great, minimize clutter and make your morning routine move a bit quicker.  If you’ve got the space, why not?

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