More Options For Your Custom Wine Cellar

Closets For Life is excited to announce that we are now a local independent dealer for Apex Wine Cellars.  Based in California, Apex Wine Cellars produces custom designed cellar creations that are handcrafted to match design and bottle capacity goals.  They offer several different collections in a wide array of finishes and materials that can be made to fit into the smallest closet space or up to large walk-in rooms that hold thousands of bottles. 

As a local independent dealer of Apex, Closets For Life will be able to offer our customers a bigger selection of wine cellar shelving options.  A wider choice of styles and finishes means we can design a wine cellar that perfectly matches a customer vision or better match an existing environment.

Apex Classic Collection Wine Cellar

Thinking about adding a wine cellar to your home?  Get inspired by going to the Apex Wine Cellars website and peruse through their huge photo gallery. 

Then, contact Rick Lyrek at Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com for a free in-home consultation where we can look at your wine cellar requirements and the designated space to begin designing your custom wine cellar.

Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including closets, offices, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds.  Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business.


Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

Spring Cleaning Your Garage

We understand that the idea of cleaning out your garage probably sounds as exciting as going to get a root canal.  However, after a winter of cold weather induced neglect, our garages can get pretty dirty and cluttered.  Items left over from home projects such as paint and wood scraps get shoved in a corner because it seems the easiest place to store them.  Random boxes end up stacked next to the garbage can because it is cold and we don't want to deal with them.  And on top of all of this are the lawn mower, snow blower, rakes, shovels, tools and bikes that most of us have stored in the garage.  It is no surprise that by spring, we can barely pull our car into our garage without running into something!

We ask our garages hold a lot.  A little bit of time invested in taking care of your garage and the items inside it will have you feeling more organized and give your vehicles some much needed space.  Here are some helpful tips to get you started.

1) Recycle hazardous materials -
Do you have old paint, oil or other hazardous materials stored in your garage that can't be thrown in the garbage?  There are many businesses and other facilities that will accept and recycle hazardous materials.  To find out the options in your community, go to http://earth911.com/.  Simply input the item you want to dispose of and your zip code and the website will provide a list of nearby options.

2) Look up for storage -
Most garages have ample overhead space so why not utilize it?  Install suspended shelving from the ceiling or a high shelf along a back wall for extra storage that it out of the way yet still easy to access.

3) Garage door tune up -
Can you believe that along with getting up to change the television channel, you used to have to get out of your car and open your garage door?  Oh, the horror!  Along with the TV remote, the garage door opener has to be one of the most highly utilized and under appreciated household inventions.  To keep you garage door working on command, look to this article from Handyman Magazine that describes a handful of maintenance tasks, each requiring less than 10 minutes.

4) A good sweep -
Although it sounds like a big task, removing all the items from your garage and sweeping it out is a great way to force yourself to analyze its contents.  Don't worry, it will go faster than you think and the results will be amazing!  So drag everything out, give your garage a good sweeping and then analyze each item as you put it back in to decide if you still need or use it.  If you haven't touched it in a couple of years or if you can't even remember what it is for, you probably don't need it anymore.  You will be surprised at how many items you end up disposing of and, when you are finished, you will have gained back a lot of garage space. 

Looking for more?  Check out the Closets For Life website for garage organization solution ideas. Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including closets, offices, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds. Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business. 

For a free in-home consultation, contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.


Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

Running Into A Client...and a Great Project

If you regularly read our blog, you probably already know that Closets For Life does more than closets.  We design organization solutions for all areas of a home or business.  For example, we recently completed an employee locker design and installation project for a running store. 

The project came about in a very serendipitous way.  Closets For Life business owner, Rick Lyrek, was on a shopping trip for running shoes.  Rick is easy to spot driving around town.  He drives a blue work van that features his company information on the side windows.  So when Rick, an avid runner, stopped at Run N’ Fun, a running store in Burnsville, owner Perry Bach took notice of his van. Perry was looking to install employee lockers at his store and asked Rick if he would take a look at the employee area and give a project quote.

Rick had stopped at Run N’ Fun to look at running shoes for his upcoming race in April, the Boston Marathon.  His visit to Run N’ Fun was to replace a pair of running shoes.  Averaging 30-40 miles of running a week, Lyrek wears out his shoes quickly. 

A design for the employee lockers was decided upon and the lockers were installed in the middle of March.  Both local businesses are happy to be supporting one another and Closets For Life is thankful for the opportunity to work with Run N' Fun on their project. 

Run N' Fun Employee Lockers

Rick Lyrek and Perry Bach



Happy organizing everyone and good luck on your upcoming run in the Boston Marathon Rick!

Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including closets, offices, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds. Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business. 

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

3 Great Organizing Tips - Little Changes, Big Impact

People tend to believe that an effort to be more organized involves elaborate overhauls of our existing routines or houses.  In truth, little changes can have a big impact.  Here are 3 easy-to-implement tips that can save you time and have your household running smoother.

The Many Fabulous Uses for Hooks
Our first tip comes from a talented professional organizer, Sheila Dingels of Successful Simplicity.  We love her idea of using 3M’s Decorative Command Hooks as a functional yet attractive solution to many of your organizing dilemmas. 

Shelia recommends hanging a series of hooks on the back of your bedroom closet door to hold those once-worn clothes that are still clean enough to wear again, but you don’t want to put away.  Or hang one hook on the wall next to your child’s closet for the clothes they want to wear to school tomorrow, so they don’t waste oodles of time getting ready.  Or why not us Command Hooks to make a decorative display on a bedroom wall of your favorite accessories like necklaces, handbags, or hats? 


Bread Tags Make The Perfect Cord Labels
Another great professional organizer and fellow blogger, Andrea Brandt of Smiling Spaces, recently posted a great tip on her blog that is so simple and cheap, it's brilliant.

Use plastic bread tags to label and organize cord labels.  Nothing is more frustrating that trying to wade through a cluster of cords while trying to figure out which cord belongs to the printer, scanner, TV, DVD player, modem...the list goes on forever.  Take Andrea's tip and use your left over plastic bread tags to label the cords.  You'll never have to guess again!

Check out Andrea's Smiling Spaces blog, for more great ideas.

Keep Track of Children's Clothing With Dots
From the website, www.thriftyfun.com, is a great way to keep track of kids clothing.
 

When you have 2 or more children all the same sex and close in age it can be difficult to keep underwear, socks and other clothes sorted and in the correct drawers.  We all know about "Hand-me-Downs".  Dealing with them can be helpful if you use a permanent marker and put 1 dot it in the waistband or tag of the article of clothing for the oldest child.  When they pass it down to the second child, you add another dot.  Add a third dot for the third child, and if they are still not worn out you can keep passing it down just adding a dot to indicate which child's pile and drawer each item would go to.  Socks can be marked on the bottom.  Makes life in the laundry room much easier!

Make it Easy
We hope these tips inspired you to look for little changes that can make your day run smoother.  We all get overwhelmed at times looking at everything that needs to be done.  Sometimes it helps to figure out how to work smarter, not harder.  Good luck!

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all of your organizational needs including closets, garages, Murphy beds, offices and wine cellars.

For a free in-home consultation, contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

Tips for Organizing Children's Closets

Keeping your child's closet organized can be a challenge.  Getting your kids to keep any area organized can be tough and to make things harder, their closet content is constantly changing.  As adults we typically add new items to our closets slowly and other than seasonal changes, the closet structure usually stays the same.  Children on the other hand are constantly moving in a whole new set of clothes as they grow and new toys as their interests change. 

With these challenges in mind, here are some great tips to keeping their closets organized from birth to graduation.

Flexibility
Design the layout of your child's closet to be flexible.  For example, having a second closet rod positioned lower is wonderful for little kids.  It allows them to reach their day to day clothes on their own and the top bar can still be used for dress clothes or out of season clothes.  As they get older and taller, this second bar can be removed, if needed, to make room for other storage options.

Drawers Instead of Open Shelves
A lot of people will tell you to install lots of open shelves in your child's closet.  The idea is that shelves are easier for kids to access and folding is quicker and easier than hanging.  This is almost always accompanied by a photo of a child's closet featuring perfectly folded and arranged shirts and pants.  Perhaps your children are capable of this but my children's idea of folding is no where near that perfect meaning those open shelves will look messy and disorganized!

Save yourself that battle and instead install pull out drawers or a drawer unit in your child's closet.  You will still enjoy the advantages of folded clothes and easy access and, when closed, the drawers will keep the closet looking clean and organized.

Up, Up and Away with Out of Season or Too Big Clothing
Store out of season and too big clothing in bins on the top shelf of your child's closet.  Putting them in bins on the top shelf means they are within easy reach when its time to pull them out.  However, make sure you are not storing huge bins on the top shelf.  Opt for medium to smaller sized bins instead.  They are easier to get down and fit better on the shelf.  They are also less of a hazard.  You never know what kids are going to get into and you wouldn't want a huge bin being pulled down and falling on a child.

Under the Bed - Prime Realty
If you feel like your child doesn't have enough space in their closet, think about utilizing the space under their bed.  Bins that are just the right height to slide under the bed can be used to store shoes, toys, socks.  They are a perfect kid level storage spot.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all of your organizational needs including closets, garages, Murphy beds, offices and wine cellars.

For a free in-home consultation, contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

3D Closet Drawings So Real You Might Try To Grab For a Hanger



3D CAD Drawing of a Walk-in Closet

A couple from Minnetonka recently had us come out to their home for a free in-home consultation for their master bedroom walk-in closet.  When we met, the couple had a pretty firm grasp of what organization components they wanted on each of three walls. 

As with all of our free in-home consultations, the following day we sent the couple detailed 3D drawings of the proposed closet design along with the price quote.  The detailed 3D CAD drawing included a design of the whole room and a breakdown of drawings that showed the components on each wall.

We asked the couple to hang each separate drawing on the appropriate wall for a couple of days to see how they felt the flow would work.  The couple was very certain that they liked the design as is but agreed to hang the drawings up and get back to us.

Two days later, the couple called to say that they had three changes based on looking at the drawings as they were using the closet.  For example, they decided they wanted the pull-out tie hanger at the front of the closet rather than the back after realizing the husband frequently tries on a few ties before deciding on one and it would be less steps to hang them back up if they are closer to the front.

Ultimately, hanging the 3D CAD designs up resulted in a better flowing closet and a happier client.  Our 3D CAD design drawings are just one of the many reasons to have Closets For Life come to your home for a free in-home custom organization consultation.  We will listen to your needs and then design a custom solution that you can see in detail beforehand.  No surprises, just great results.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all of your organizational needs including closet, garage and office organization systems, Murphy beds and wine cellars.

For your free in-home consultation, contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado

Things to Consider When Designing a Custom Closet Organization System

Frustration!  You can't take another day of walking into your overstuffed closet with sweaters on the top shelf falling on you and dress shirts wrinkled from being crammed in too tight.  You have always wanted a custom closet organization system and you are ready to make the first step. 

Overstuffed Closet

You pick up the phone to schedule an in-home consultation......but STOP!   Wait....did we say 'stop'? 

Yes, we did.

It is great that you are ready to take charge of your closet.  However, before you have your in-home consultation, take just a little time to stare at your closet and think.  Not only will this help your in-home consultation go smoother, it will also help ensure that you end up with a custom closet system that is exactly what you needed.  Here is a short list of factors to think about when planning your custom closet organization system.

Current Needs
Look at your closet and determine what needs are most important for this closet.  Perhaps you have a lot of accessories like ties and belts that need a designated space or maybe your love for shoes has taken over your closet floor.  You will most likely have several designated priorities and it is helpful to have them listed out for your consultation so nothing is overlooked.

Future Needs
It is fairly easy to look at a closet and figure out what you need right now.  A trickier but equally as important consideration is what your future needs will be.  Giving yourself just enough shoe rack space for your current pairs of shoes is fine for now but what about when you come home with those new boots you just couldn't pass up?  Make sure you are looking forward with your design goals.

Flexibility
When designing a custom organization system, make sure to consider options that allow you to change things up.  You might decide that you need more shelves for your summer clothes and less shelves for your winter clothes.  Ask for a design that allows you this flexibility.

Style
The list of material and finish options for your custom closet organization system is endless.  Wood, melamine, color and texture options....you name it and it is out there.  Take some time before your consultation to look around for photos of finished custom closets.  Figuring out what you like beforehand will mean you won't end up seeing a picture of something you love a week after your closet organization is completed.  

Reach-In Custom Closet Organization System

Now you are ready for your in-home consultation!  A good custom closet consultant will help you determine the best design to meet your organization needs.  However, taking some time beforehand to contemplate your own goals will really make a difference in ensuring you are overjoyed with your new closet.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom closet company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all of your organizational needs including Murphy beds, closet and office organization systems and wine cellars.

For your free in-home consultation, contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets for Life Aficionado