<p>We’re about to outfit our master bedroom closet. It’s a walk-in, but not huge (about 9’x4’). I’ve been looking at online systems (we don’t have a California Closet/Closettec type outfit in our local area so having one of them come out is not an option).</p>
<p>I’m happy with the design tool at EasyCloset.com, and I got a quick nice turnaround with a free design from their professionals as well. The reviews of their product seem positive.</p>
<p>Anyone have actual experience with these folks or others? I’m going to check out the bricks-and-mortar offerings from Home Depot and Lowe’s - didn’t really like what I found with their (or Costco’s) online offerings. Don’t care for the look of Elfa (Container Store), so not really considering them.</p>
<p>We’ll have our handyman do the install, so don’t have to worry about how easy it is to install. Just want quality (not Taj Mahal level, though) wood-look with good drawer glides. And of course, shelves and hanging sections.</p>
<p>I think the Ikea Pax system is terrific for a walk-in closet installation. I think they were designed for stand-alone use, with an array of doors to choose from. But I put the frames without doors in a small walk-in, and they look like a high-end system. The great thing is there are many options for drawers, baskets, shelves, shoe-trees, etc., as well as plain old rods. They have a configuring program on the website. Just ignore the idea that you need doors. This also keeps the cost really reasonable.</p>
<p>FauxNom - I did look at that a little bit and I like their look. Did you find that you ended up with unused space because the pieces are set dimensions? </p>
<p>Might not be so bad, but I stopped investigating when I saw I couldn’t customize the dimensions.</p>
<p>I was all set to go with California Closets for two hall closets (very small) but they didn’t return my phone calls. Went down to the Container Store with my measurements and found a lot of things that fit nicely–spent less than $200 and got exactly what I wanted. (I did a lot of checking online to get an idea what I wanted, but didn’t buy online, and I’m very glad I didn’t, as things looked very different IRL.) </p>
<p>My advice: figure out what it is you want to store, then go check out options for storing those things, then think about it for a week or so, then buy.</p>
<p>We used one of the wire-rack systems from Home Depot (ClosetMaid I think), with a couple of stand-alone wood-built pieces for a shoe rack and shelves. Didn’t do any drawers.</p>
<p>I did my own design, bought a couple of kits to start and added some standalone pieces, and installed it myself - did the whole closet (16’ of wall) for well under $200.</p>
<p>It certainly doesn’t look as high end as California Closet-type stuff, but since we spend probably less than 2 minutes a day inside the closet, how fancy it looked wasn’t really that important for us. We were interested in the storage. And since you can see through the shelves, it actually made the closet seem more spacious than when we had the one-rod-with-a-shelf setup.</p>
<p>In our last house, I redid my walk-in closet using the ClosetMaid laminate system (I think they sell it at Lowe’s). Did it by myself one weekend when hubby was out of town. Even installed the chest of drawer module. It was very easy to do. I thought the quality was quite good - never had a problem with the drawers.</p>
<p>Recently had California Closets do our very large master bedroom closet in our current house. They did a great job, very happy with it but I think the ClosetMaid laminate was comparable in terms of quality.</p>
<p>I absolutely hate the wire-rack shelves. Will never have it in a closet or pantry again.</p>
I had one once where the hangers went in the spaces on the wire rack, so you couldn’t slide the hangers. That was a pain.</p>
<p>The system I put in has a rod that hangs underneath the shelves, which solved that problem.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t want wire-rack in a pantry, either. Knock over a box a cereal and you have to completely empty the whole thing to clean it up. Same reason I’ll never have a fridge with wire-rack shelves again.</p>
<p>But to hold up my clothes, the wire-rack system I have works great. We just couldn’t justify spending a couple thou or more for something whose main advantage is that it looks pretty, when it is going to be hidden in a closet.</p>
<p>^Yep. Those are the reasons I dislike the wire shelves. Have had it in a pantry and have had it in a closet where you couldn’t slide the hangers. Other than that, it’s okay. I had it in a storage closet once and it wasn’t too bad but occasionally it was hard to get certain small items to sit properly on the wire shelf.</p>
<p>Yes, we had the “real” Closetmaid wire rack in one closet and the Home Depot version in another - the higher end one lets you slide the hangers.</p>
<p>I like this system (it’s called the ShelfTrack system) because it has a main support bar that goes across the top that makes it easy to get the screws into the studs, and every else hangs from that. It’s much stronger and you don’t have to worry about a sheet rock anchor or poles or diagonal braces to hold up the whole thing.</p>
<p>The Ikea Pax come in 20, 30 and 40" widths, and you have a choice of 2 heights. For my closet, a 20 and 30 were perfect. I was thinking that if you didn’t have a total match, you could always fill the gap with some stacking bins, small shelves, or just add a hanger bar between the wall and the “box”. Just be sure to measure carefully, because the Pax pieces are heavy, and not adjustable once they are built.</p>
<p>I liked not having to drill holes in the walls, which was a problem with the wire systems. But otherwise I’ve found the wire ones pretty handy for clothing storage.</p>
<p>Martha Stewart has a line of laminate components in Home Depot now, and that looked pretty nice.</p>