An over-the-top closet is as full of function as it gets.
Photos by Robin May
Judy Dunn really is about the practical. Don't let her layers of glittering bracelets or bedazzled zebra iPhone cover fool you: The woman knows a thing or two about function. And her closet is the proof. With that certain flair that is pure Judy and the day-to-day practicality for which she has founded her business - Dunn's Furniture and Interiors - Dunn has created a respite that does far more than house her clothes.
In 2006, Dunn and husband, Bob, renovated their Le Triomphe home, including their closet that was once home to the sartorial collections of both his and hers. But with the renovation, Bob's clothes got the boot, and Judy took over the entire closet and added a bevy of perks that made the space more usable. She started at the top.
"If you don't build all the way to the top, you lose a lot of space in your closet. I can hang clothes and I have pull downs," she says.
Those pull downs open a new trove of space allowing her to store clothes, yet keep them completely accessible - an advantage particularly sought in Louisiana where temps dip and rise dramatically from day to day.
"I wanted everything accessible," she says, which is why she has enough space in the closet to sit down and put on her shoes, a desk for swapping purses and jewelry or jotting down a note and benches for packing luggage. The Dunns are frequent travelers, and their luggage is a constant, which is why the new space leaves room for bags to have their own home. But, the most impressive quirk of this space - a dumbwaiter.
"We travel a lot, and we're not 25, and didn't want to carry those suitcases downstairs," Judy explains.
And so, they went online and found a dumbwaiter that carries packed bags down to the garage and back up again after the trip.
"That makes it so much nicer," she says of the traveling process.
And for the day in and day out time in the closet, Judy is thankful for a bevy of full length mirrors that give her a chance to see her look head to toe.
"Put as many mirrors in as you can. It makes it feel larger than it is," Judy says.
Wood floors with a bit of carpet are an easier clean up than carpet alone, and lots of drawer space means she can keep all of her clothes in one place.
"This is functional, but works for my personality," she says. "There's no reason it can't be pretty. Add a little paint and a little glitz. Drink your water out of a stemmed glass."
We'll raise our glass to that.