THE EVOLUTION OF THE CLOSET
There was a time when folks made do with a tiny hall closet and a bedroom armoire or two. Today, closets come in all shapes and sizes, the ideal being the palatial walk-in affairs found in many master bedrooms. It’s at least in part because we now own more 94320uyy`arments than before.
“Bigger doesn’t always mean better when it comes to organization,” says Johanne Marin, vice president of Garde Robes Gagnon. “We’ve had ‘before’ customers with huge closets who still couldn’t find the right sweater when getting dressed in the morning.”
The Mirabel-based company has been helping people with closets of all sizes get organized for 22 years. It designs and builds both custom organization systems for closets and standalone storage cabinetry. Ever keeping pace with customer’s changing needs, Garde Robes Gagnon has won a Consumer Choice award every year since 2013.
Bigger and better was the effect Gagnon customer Sylvie Beauchamp was after when she moved to a new home in Saint-Sauveur. An unused eight-foot square workshop would go, replaced by the dressing room of her dreams.
“The design team worked miracles,” she said. “Everything has a place, and things like mirrors and lighting are right where you need them. It’s really changed my life.”
That’s because a better-organized space saves her both time and stress, Beauchamp reckons. She can easily put her finger on just the right outfit for an important meeting. The design and install process was a surprisingly smooth one too. She still marvels at the creativity that went into it, like the artful arrangement of poles, rods and shelves.
“I like spending time there. My dressing room is a beautiful place, both inside and out,” she says.
Closets and the systems that go in them are evolving, but one thing seems eternal: people feel they don’t have enough storage. Condo dwellers often face the extra challenge of minimal square footage devoted to storage. At the same time, Marin says, they have more clothes: one wardrobe for work, another for weekends, plus gear for yoga, sports or other activities. Finding much-needed space is a prime customer request fielded by the company’s designers.
“They can increase available storage space by as much as 40 percent,” Marin says.
In homes today, a spare room often must multitask. With a sofa bed for guests and desk area for the home office, there’s also need to store office supplies and perhaps out-of-season clothing. The space under stairwells or in basement lockers is often overlooked, says Marin, and garages can hold more than just spare tires and tools.
A beautifully arranged closet is a bit like fashion, says designer Caroline Richard, one of four designers on the Garde Robes Gagnon team. Like clothing, closets come with accessories, from things like drawer inserts for lingerie or ties, to lipstick organizers and leather-covered coat hangers. But, like a basic wardrobe, “the overall organization is most important,” she says. “How you group things, whether you use open storage or closed. It all comes down to the client and how he or she lives.”
The cabinetry that houses it all should harmonize with the overall interior décor, says Richard. Using the latest methods, Garde Robes Gagnon creates custom designs that are European in design and construction quality, yet entirely made in Quebec of materials that are locally sourced whenever possible. The company also maintains its own installation teams.
If ever you are looking to sell, a custom closet is one of the best ways to add extra value to a home but Richard finds people tend to love their Garde Robes Gagnon closets so much they want to hang onto them.
“Fortunately, each is configured in a way that you can adapt it to a new space or if your storage needs change,” she says.
Garde Robes Gagnon operates in Quebec City, Estrie and Gatineau. The Mirabel showroom is open to the public and ideally located about five km from the Premium Outlets in Mirabel. Whether or not you make a pit stop at a mall before heading to Gagnon, you’re bound to collect more stuff over time — and will need some place to put it.
For more information, visit grgagnon.com.