Fundraiser for Children’s National Health System showcases Closet America’s custom closet solutions

Closet America, a leading home professional closet organization manufacturer headquartered in Lanham, Maryland, is proud to showcase their custom closet design at the DC Design House in NW Washington, DC.  This non-profit endeavor, founded in 2008, raises funds for the Children’s National Health System.  They have welcomed more than 55,000 visitors and raised more than $1 million over the last six years.

Closet America was brought in to work on the DC Design House by Melissa McLay of Melissa McLay Interiors, http://melissamclayinteriors.com based in Severna Park, Maryland.  The room she designed was a small guest bedroom.  So small, in fact, that there was only room for a twin bed and no space for a full dresser, so she knew space planning would be a challenge.  So she tapped colleague Skip LaBella of Closet America to transform the closet area.

Ms. McLay commented on her vision for the room.  “My goal was to create a fresh modern space that combines fabrics with an organic feel and the clean contemporary lines of the furniture.”  She knew from the start that she needed the closet to maximize space and serve as a functional storage solution.  Knowing Closet America’s capabilities, she brought them in to design the closet.  “Closet America always designs creative solutions and comes up with many options for my customers. The design they produced for the DC Design House room was a very innovative solution, with areas for hanging, drawers for storage, even a jewelry drawer.  The professional, full-color design plans made it very easy to visualize the final product.”  While she originally intended to source hardware from an outside vendor, Ms. McLay said, “I really liked Closet America’s options for drawer fronts and hardware.  I love the look and feel of the Closet America hardware in the DC Design House room.”

Skip LaBella, president of Closet America, enjoyed the project as well.  “Closet America prides itself in coming up with imaginative and functional designs for our clients.  So we were thrilled when Melissa asked us to collaborate with her in her DC Design House room.  Our offices and factory are located just outside of Washington DC in Maryland, so we jumped at the opportunity to participate in this local charity event.”

Ms. McLay tapped a few other local companies for the project as well.  Victoria Larson Textiles http://www.victoria-larson.com/ fabric “Peacock” was the initial inspiration for the room design, color scheme, and overall feel, since it combines traditional elements along with a modern, fresh, and chic look.  And the room features artwork by Annapolis-based artist Rick Casali http://www.rickcasali.com/, including two paintings and a sculpture.

The DC Design Home, originally built in 1929, is comprised of 7,929 square feet of living space and contains six bedrooms, five full and two half baths, with a three car garage and swimming pool.  Ticketed tours are available to the public through May 11, 2014, on weekends from noon to 5pm and Tuesdays through Fridays 10am to 3pm.  Visit http://www.dcdesignhouse.com/ for more information.