Dream closets, Finding Inspiration from my favorite fashion bloggers.
Looking for closet inspiration? Well, I can help! I have a confession to make. I absolutely love following fashion bloggers on Instagram for 2 reasons: 1) They are able to do something that I am not capable of (make anything they wear look stunning) …. 2) They have the most amazing homes, and more specifically CLOSETS!! If I had to pick my top 3 Inspirational Closets, it would have to be : Rachel Parcell, Emily Jackson, and Brighton Keller‘s amazing spaces. These ladies have style for days and I love to see the beautiful images of the places they call home. If you are designing yours now, be sure to check out their sites for major closet inspiration.
When we originally were planning our house for construction I had high hopes for my closet. The first draft of the floor plans had an owner’s closet the size of my daughter’s bedroom. Welp, that didn’t last long. Not only did we need to scale back on the overall size of the house, we needed to plan some specific spaces that required a redesign of the entire 2nd floor. Fortunately, it allowed for separate closets for me and my hubby. Unfortunately, the split spaces were much smaller than I had originally hoped so it limited my options.
Space planning tip:
When we built our previous home, we made one decision that will ultimately shape every closet decision in my foreseeable future. We decided to connect our laundry room to our closet. If you’ve never lived with this luxury, have you even lived? (Kidding of course…) But seriously, as a mom with 2 young kids, a husband, and a gym habit that requires lots of laundry, this has been the greatest set up for me to stay on top of the heaps and heaps that I face weekly. I know what you’re thinking,… but I’ll choose doing everyone’s laundry over mowing the grass every time, hands down!
designer closet common denominators:
As I scroll through my Instagram feed I catch myself drooling over the closets and fashion collections that these beautiful women have created. While planning my own space, I’ve noticed some trends among the best spaces I’ve found. Now, I know space can be limited if you’re working within an existing home. But, with some creativity you can incorporate some of these same elements to design your own glam closet.
- Shoes: My inspiration closets almost always have a wall of shelving dedicated to display and store their shoes. Usually spaced evenly among most of the shelves with taller spacing at the bottom for boots. I have also noticed that some of the prettiest closets have an accent wall behind these shelves. Many opt for a painted accent color, decorative wallpaper, or even a mirrored wall to create a dramatic effect.
Amazing shoe collection displayed by Brighton Keller at brightontheday.com
2. Desks: In my dream closet, I would love to have big bright windows and a gorgeous desk and chair. Emily Jackson’s space below is styled without missing a single detail. Now, my current closet will not accommodate any sort of desk space so it’s a no on this home. But you can better believe that this image is burned into my memory bank for the next one!

Glam work space by Emily Jackson at theivorylane.com
3. Chandeliers: I don’t think you could “technically” call a closet glamorous if it didn’t have a fabulous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Whether it is a funky modern design or an over-the-top crystal option, it has to be a statement piece and it will set the tone for the entire space. In my opinion, there is no wrong decision when it comes to a closet chandelier. It needs to be a personal reflection of who you are… and in turn it will help transform your closet into your new “happy place!”

Dramatic chandelier over closet island by Rachel Parcell at pinkpeonies.com
As you work towards planning your space, there are DIY ways to accomplish these ideas.
There are some great closet kits that you can purchase from your local home improvement stores. It requires some measuring and planning but for a couple hundred dollars and some sweat equity you can transform a basic closet easily. The system we used for our last house was ClosetMaid that we bought from our local Home Depot.
In our current home, we opted to have our trim carpenter build us wooden closet shelving. If you use a high quality wood, metal closet rods, and a good paint job the final product can be very impressive. Below is a picture of a closet we had built for one of our model homes.

Wooden closet shelving built by trim carpenter. DIY Glam Closet Inspiration.
I know that the inspiration spaces are a reflection of their respective owner’s style. It amazes me that the big wide world of interior design has led us to a time where spaces like this exist in our personal homes. I am sure there are some of you out there, like me, who got their first taste of “how the other side lives” when MTV Cribs first aired.
Who knew homes like that were even possible? When I think about closets, I flashback to the Mariah Carey episode and realize at that moment in time … the gold standard for glam closets had just been set for the entire world.

Mariah Carey shoe collection closet tour. Photo courtesy of cosmopolitan.com