by Nick McLain

A well-constructed walk-in closet is smart and efficient, leaving you less ruffled. We asked two highly rated closet professionals to show us how they dress up the walk-ins they design.

"It's the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing before bed, so if it's messy, it leaves you uneasy," says Lonny Goldberg, president of Everything Closets in Chicago. "If it's clean and organized, you feel better all around."

1 “We try to have the lights as high up as we can,” says Lonny Goldberg, president of Everything Closets in Chicago. “We typically use fluorescent recessed can lighting — it adds style.”

2 “There are lots of accessory options that have come out the last five years,” McAffee says. “There are chrome belt racks, padded jewelry drawers and tie dividers. It usually comes down to the price and how much you want to dress it up.”



3 “As far as clothes arrangement, the double hang is the real secret to the whole system,” says Jerry McAffee, co-owner of The Closet Warehouse in Los Angeles. “It allows for much more space.”



4 “Most use an angled shelf with a shoe rail, which is a cool look,” Goldberg says. “Normally, we’ll advise them to put the rest of the shoes in boxes and do a seasonal turnover.”



5 “Almost every project incorporates laundry hampers,” Goldberg says. “A tilt-out hamper is completely removable, so you can carry it over to the laundry room or throw it in your car to take to the dry cleaners.”



6 “If you have room, an island acts as a functioning working table for folding or that sort of thing,” McAffee says. “But the closet needs to be big enough so you have room to get around it.”



7 “Newer closet mirrors can slide in and out, and save space,” Goldberg says. “They’re only 4 feet tall, and from 24 inches away, you can see your whole body.”

"Walk-in closet projects vary in price, and usually involve doing more than one in a home," Goldberg says. "The average price runs about $2,000 to $2,500."