12: Marie Kondo is in my Condo — Part 1

Written by Jaqui Lividini

Prior to finding our current renovation project, I made a mental list of must haves for my new apartment.  The #1 item on my list —  a sizable closet.  I’m in the fashion business and have accumulated many amazing items over the years — and unlike my relationship with homes, which I seem to shed every few years — purging my wardrobe is an almost never proposition.  As a result, an efficient closet was a must have for me.  In every apartment we looked at prior to this one, the “closet room” was always a compromise — it was either a maid’s room or 3rd bedroom that had to be turned into a closet and it always made me feel that perhaps that wasn’t the best use of the space.  When we first looked at the Museum House apartment, I knew exactly where my closet would go.  There was an office on the apartment’s lower level that was screaming for a purpose.  Although no windows, the space had a large skylight that brought wonderful natural light into the space.  In the end it was this space and its practical function that would be the decision maker on whether or not to purchase this apartment.

Lesson #1 – It’s not always the big WOW moments that make the sale, in most cases, it’s the functionality of a space that makes the sale. 

Selfishly, the very first item I tackled once the sale was closed were the closets, with mine being the priority.  My dream was to finally have a space that I could fit all of my clothes — no more seasonal storage. The first decision — the closet design.  In all of my past renovations, except the beach house, I used California Closets, and I’ve always been very satisfied with the result.  For the beach house renovation, I switched to the Container Store Elfa closet system.  Why, you might ask, would I choose this system for a high-end city apartment?  The most impressive element of the Elfa closets is the enormous flexibility of design, not only when you are in the design process, but afterwards as well —  as your wardrobe evolves.    And each season when your closet needs to function differently i.e.: more shelves for sweaters in the winter, more drawers for swim suits in the summer the Elfa system adjusts.  

Lesson #2 – The closet is the one place function wins over form. 

THE SPACE — The room 12X8,  is almost a perfect rectangle, larger than the average size NYC bedroom.  The space had two small closets, one I took out completely to create room for a steaming closet and the other I took the doors off of to create a handbag nook.  There are two big doors in the space that lead to a small space that houses the apartments HVAC system. The dreamy big skylight allows natural light to pour in, in addition to natural light I have 6 high hats and track lighting that illuminate the room to perfection.  

Lesson #3 – Light is the most important element of your closet.  If it can’t be natural, make sure the illumination is as close to natural as possible.

All of my clothing had been in storage for the past year except for a few key pieces, so when the closet designer from Elfa asked me how many skirts, pants, shoes, etc., would be housed in the closet — my answer was "a lot”.  The reality was, I had no real idea of numbers and was not able to access any of my clothes to do a quick count.  Also, with the Elfa design flexibility, I could always change a dress space into a skirt and blouse space if needed and with minimal cost.  So – we winged it! The most important element to me was the layout.  I wanted the “statement wall” of drawers and shelves to be in the center of the room with each side wall housing both long and short hanging.  Early in the process it became clear that my dream (and Marie Kondo’s wisdom) of "everything in one place" was not going to work.  My coats would not make the cut into the new space. Without even moving in yet, I already required a satellite closet. Ugh! My dreams dashed….

Lesson #4 – Use Marie Kondo as a guide, not as a rule.  The perfect situation is rare, and Marie’s advice is great for a suburban house, with lots of “storage” space — but not a NYC apartment. 

 Stay tuned for Part 2…