The Bay Area is known for being one of the most diverse, progressive, and innovative places to live. With so many people coming from different backgrounds, each entailing various influences and tastes, it should come as no surprise that design and style trends are constantly changing here, even when it comes to one of the most private rooms in a home, the closet.
Currently, in the Bay Area, some of the hottest closet trends include built-in floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets, using neutral colors such as white, gray, or off-white for storage and décor, and opting for gold hardware with a personalized flair. Of course, these are just some of the trends people are incorporating in their current closet designs.
If your goal as a home remodeling contractor in The Bay Area is to stay up to date with the latest trends for closet design in the Bay Area, then this article is for you. Here, we’ll detail everything these Californians implement in their closets regarding color schemes, storage features, and other stylistic and design choices. We guarantee that if you incorporate these suggestions into your closets, you’ll have one of the trendiest rooms on the block.
Closet Trends in the Bay Area You Need to Try
The modern world is so fast-paced, especially in states like California, where Bay Area cities like San Francisco and San Jose can be a significant challenge keeping up with contemporary interior design trends. A person’s closet is one of the most functional rooms in the house, where you store your most prized outfits, shoes, and accessories. Therefore, it is only right that it is designed according to the height of modern standards, and here’s how.
In the Bay Area, the most common and popular closet trends include:
- Built-in floor-to-ceiling storage
- Glass cabinet doors
- Storage lighting
- Gray, white, or off-white wood cabinets
- Accessory storage and organization
- Personalized gold hardware
If you already have most if not all of these elements in your current closet design, then congratulations, you’re a trendsetter! However, if you’re about to build a brand-new closet for your home or remodel the one you have, we’d like to discuss what these design choices can do for you apart from helping you fit in with Bay Area trends.
Built-In Floor-to-Ceiling Storage
Have you ever walked into your bedroom and realized that the one thing keeping you from enjoying it to its full potential was a lack of closet space? Don’t get stuck with having to choose between hanging your clothing or keeping it all cramped in a dresser. You can have it all with a built-in floor-to-ceiling storage unit!
Floor-to-ceiling storage maximizes your clothing storage potential by incorporating a wide variety of hanging racks, drawers, shelves, and cabinets into a design that is built straight into the walls surrounding your room. This way, you can have all of the benefits of being able to see everything in one glance without having to worry about things getting disorganized or lost underneath other items.
You also have a little more choice regarding what you do with the space. For instance, you can use the shelves to store boxes that contain new shoes or items you don’t want to leave exposed, you could use the racks to hang clothing that is similar by color or type, and you can use the drawers to store things like socks, underwear, pajamas, etc. All of this would be organized by category instead of just being placed on a shelf haphazardly.
There’s also the fact that this type of storage allows you to display all of your clothing, so you can more easily find the article of clothing you’re looking for, and everything is easily accessible.
The most significant benefit of having this storage built-in to your closet walls is that it can often help your closet feel more open and less crowded, allowing you easier mobility to pick out clothes and try on new outfits without leaving the room.
Glass Cabinet Doors
Another great feature you can add to your closet walls is glass cabinets. These are typically made from a very durable, transparent material and allow for maximum visibility while also feeling sturdy enough to hold all of your clothes inside without fear of them falling out or being crushed by the weight of other clothing items stored above it.
Glass cabinet doors will provide style to your otherwise normal-looking closet. It gives the space a touch of refinement and helps it feel as if you are proudly displaying your clothing and accessories to others rather than just storing them here.
One design benefit of glass doors is that they can come in a variety of styles. For instance, if you enjoy looking at the items stored within a cabinet, you’ll want to have clear glass doors, but if you want to keep them slightly obscured or add texture to the room, you can opt for frosted glass. You can even incorporate patterns into glass panels for a more personal touch.
Placing glass doors on your cabinets can also help protect your clothing and accessories from dust and dirt, ensuring the longevity of your most precious, expensive, and high-quality purchases. In a sense, glass cabinets are a preservation precaution as well as a stylistic choice.
Storage Lighting
Another popular trend in Bay Area closets is incorporating lighting directly into the design. Lighting can be useful for both function and aesthetics, as it enables you to see your clothing much more clearly at night or during dark winter months when days are shorter than usual. It also allows you to supplement any lack of natural light since most closets aren’t designed with windows.
In the Bay Area, many closet owners use LED panels, shelf lighting, and cove lighting to give their room a brighter shine and a refined appearance.
Pairing these lights with the aforementioned trend of glass cabinet doors will also give your closet the illusion of having a sense of movement and airiness as the lights reflect off the glass and into the room.
Design experts avidly recommend you use an even white light for your closet to eliminate tinting that could affect other colors within the room, such as your clothes or accessories.
Of course, when choosing lights for your closet, don’t just stop at the storage areas. Remember that your closet’s main light source is an exceptional opportunity for a statement piece. Consider incorporating a uniquely designed chandelier or ceiling light.
Gray, White, or Off-White Wood Cabinets
Before we get too deep into this next trend, we’d like to point out that there are really two trends currently being followed when it comes to a closet’s color scheme. The most prevalent appears to be opting for more neutral tones, such as gray, white, or off-white, for either the entirety of the room or the cabinets, at the very least.
This trend follows the inspiration of minimalist designs that have become extremely popular nationwide for several decades. The idea of using these more neutral colors is that there are usually plenty of other spaces in your home where you use bold colors for your walls, furniture, décor, and more. Therefore, the closet is used as a sort of refreshing escape that provides a sense of calm and relaxation by utilizing these vibrant colors and designs.
Another reason many people in the Bay Area are painting their closets these colors is to help the room feel more spacious, especially if it is small, to begin with. Using dark colors can cause a room to feel smaller or more confined, which isn’t ideal in a space like a closet where you are trying to maximize every square inch for storage.
Alternative Color Trend: Dark Woods and Bold Colors
While there are many people following the more minimalist color scheme mentioned previously for their closets, there is a significant subgroup that is trying to move away from boring minimalist designs by incorporating dark woods and bold colors in their closets.
Even though this trend is usually more prevalent in other areas of the home, there are some Californians who are bringing vibrant wallpapers and colors to their closet walls and pairing them with dark woods that are naturally stained or lighter woods that are painted black or a deep chestnut.
Alternatively, there are some who will opt to paint the cabinets dark colors and match this color with the floors while using a gray or white wall to provide contrast and depth to the room.
Whichever color pallet you pick, make sure it complements the closet space you have and works for it rather than against it.
Accessory Storage and Organization
Closets nowadays don’t have to be strictly limited to storing and organizing shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, and other common articles of clothing. If you have the space in your closet, it’s time to follow the Bay Area trend of incorporating storage and organization for your accessories.
Many closet storage sets, particularly for walk-in closets, will have several drawers that owners typically dedicate to socks and underwear. However, they can also store common accessories such as jewelry, watches, ties, sunglasses, or other valuables.
By storing them in your closet, you’ll free up space in your bedroom, bathroom, or other spaces throughout the home where they were stored previously. Additionally, you can use various organizational tools to proudly display these accessories and keep them in prime condition.
We highly recommend incorporating lighting fixtures into storage cabinets and drawers where you keep your accessories as well for additional ease and elegance.
Personalized Gold Hardware
Arguably the number one trend in Bay Area closet design right now is gold hardware. This seemingly small detail can be added to any style of storage cabinet, drawer, or other pieces of furniture that open with a handle.
Incorporating gold or even similar metals, like nickel and grass, provides the same functionality level as traditional silver/chrome hardware but with a much more refined aesthetic. Regardless of your closet’s color scheme, this hardware will give the space various accents and a pop of color that will help break up any design monotony present.
While using gold hardware alone can help your closet feel more luxurious, Bay Area residents recommend you take this one step further by choosing golden hardware that is unique and full of character, so it provides a personal touch to the room.
This advice is particularly important for closet owners who use more minimalist designs. By choosing more interesting or extravagant hardware, you give your closet a sense of style without needing to paint the walls bold colors or add various pieces of décor to the space.
Final Thoughts
While we concede that it can feel impossible to keep up with closet design trends, many of the ones listed here from the Bay Area are virtually timeless. Design choices like adding glass cabinet doors, personalized gold hardware, and neutral colors will ensure your closet has a comfortable but sophisticated vibe, while storage lighting, accessory storage, and built-in floor-to-ceiling storage units help you get the most out of your closet space and increase its functionality.
And the best part is you don’t even need a large walk-in closet to utilize these trends; they can be easily incorporated in closets of all sizes to one degree or another, so if one trend, in particular, speaks to you, we fully encourage you to follow the example of Bay Area residents and try it out for yourself!
If you are a Bay Area homeowner and have an upcoming remodeling project, contact Element Home Remodeling East Bay. We specialize in modern, open designs and can customize a design just for you. Contact us today to learn more and to schedule a free consultation.
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