Walk-in closet turn into art room
Published Saturday July 4th, 2009
Ashira, husband Ohran and their three children moved here from South Africa and finally found a house of their dreams -- a spacious home in a great neighbourhood that overlooks a park.
After living in a small apartment for so long, they were thrilled to have a big home with lots of elbowroom. Ohran has a study, daughters Shali and Atarah have lovely bedrooms and even 3-year-old Avichai has a room designed especially for him. But even with all the space, Ashira was the only one who didn't have a place to call her own.
Between working and volunteering in the community, this busy mom didn't have much time for anything, let alone her one true passion: painting.
She longed for a peaceful place where she could unwind with a paintbrush in the few minutes she did have to herself each day. Her bedroom had a walk-in closet that seemed a likely choice for such a retreat, so she asked me if I could turn it into an artist's sanctuary.
It's not often that I get asked to design a closet, but this huge room was no ordinary closet.
In fact, most women dream of having a walk-in closet like this -- but not Ashira. She wanted the bright, airy room to be transformed into a place where she could get her creative juices flowing.
So, to start, I ripped out a closet area and painted the whole room a soft, creamy shade. I even painted the cabinetry and added beautiful new gold hardware. I then chose wallpaper for a feature wall that inspired the colour choices and finishes for the whole room -- a serene aqua-and-gold-patterned paper with a handcrafted quality.
I then created three zones in the room -- a creative area, a computer station and a relaxing lounge.
In the creative zone, I installed a 12-foot, continuous work surface in brushed gold with storage above and below.
In the work area, I installed a second work surface, complete with under-cabinet lighting, with room for a computer and chair.
And in the lounge part, I put in a sitting area with two canvas chairs, two mirrored cubes and a bunch of throw pillows.
Blue and cream carpet tiles grounded the furniture, provided a splash of colour and can be replaced if paint splashes on them.
For extra elegance, I took the existing wall of windows and mirrored doors and made it more sophisticated.
I created a small bench seat in soft velvety blue upholstery, and kept the mirrors -- but added transfers of Ashira's favourite artist's quotes in gold lettering. I then designed a drapery system that framed both of these areas with three column-like panels.
To further lighten up the room, I added movable track lights and even a funky helix-shaped fixture with teal and purple crystals in the lounge area.
I then added a mini-gallery of Ashira's paintings and her kids' creations, put in vases, pillows, photos and other accents, and the room was complete.
This walk-in closet was wasted space in need of creative intervention. So I blended luxurious fabrics, unusual finishes and stylish details, and now Ashira has a room where she can relax, unleash her inner artist and create masterpiece after masterpiece. Now that's divine!
* Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of W Network's "Divine Design." For more ideas, information and show times visit www.divinedesign.tv.
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