Closet Factory Virginia Beach

Closet Organizers, Custom Home Organization

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Summertime Fun – The Logical Living Home Way

Decorating logically – a custom organizers dream

by: Nina James, My Kirkland’s.com and Logical Living Home Designer

As you all know, I’m working on my first show home. The Logical Living Home. Built by Joey Corp and the custom organizers of Closet Factory. Yesterday, I had to go Kettler and begin to get an idea of what I wanted to put on the front porch, the back porch and deck area. If you don’t know, Kettler specializes in furniture and accessories for outdoor spaces. They have some awesome stuff and I’m so excited about the cool things I get to choose from!

Well, it just so happens that Kirkland’s has some fabulous outdoor product that I can use to help accessorize those same areas and I want to show you these items that may or may not show up in my outdoor spaces (you know I can’t tell you for sure because it has to be a surprise!):

Paper Lanterns – These light up and look so cool at night. If you have an outdoor umbrella, you can tie them to the arms underneath at varying heights and create some nice night time ambiance. Their bright colors make them festive during the day and at night.

Plastic Goblets – These look great, won’t break and have a lid to protect against spills and bugs. Can’t have Mr. Fly doing the backstroke in your margarita!

Stand Up Wooden Cooler – This is absolutely delicious! It’s stylish, functional and since it’s tall, keeps you and your guests from having to squat down all night to get into a normal cooler.

Cover-Up – Ok, not really an “accessory for decor”, but an accessory for the body. They are cute, festive and quite stylish to cover up when it’s time to step away from the pool or beach. (This picture wouldn’t load because it’s 12MB, but keep an eye out in your store. They are really cute!)

Neck Supporter – This is also not really an accessory for décor, but quite comfortable. I have a beach chair that has a self-cushion at the top and I always flip it back because it pushes my head forward and makes my neck hurt instead of supporting it…so annoying. This would be perfect because it goes behind the neck rather than at my head.

Condiment Holder – This is super cute and fun! ‘Nuff said.

I hope you all get to enjoy some great outdoor get-togethers this summer and that some of these items make it into the festivities! I’m looking forward to it myself. We’ll see which of these make it into my Homearama house…. 😉 Chow! Nina

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Trauma Over Homearama

Designing the Logical Living Home

by: Nina James, Kirkland’s Designer, Logical Living Home Interior Designer
 
I am proud and blessed to be able to say that in my first year of business, I got my first million dollar home to stage.  In my second year, I became a National Designer for Kirkland’s.  In my third year, I was a featured designer on Lifetime’s “Designing Spaces” and I am so excited to announce a second milestone in my third year:  I am the designer for a house in the Spring Homearama!  Did you hear that?  I think I heard angels singing.

Let me tell you, people, I had been trying to be a Homearama designer for a long while.  Relationships between builders and designers go way back and it’s hard to find an open slot to slip into.  I was incredibly lucky and fortunate to secure a place on the Joey Corporation and Closet Factory team.  The house is the “Logical Living” house and will feature Closet Factory storage solutions throughout.  I am thrilled to be part this experience!  The team I get to work with is incredible.

So there’s all the sunshine and roses, but here are my traumas:

I am working with Carter’s Furniture of Suffolk for pieces to stage in the house.  Donnie Carter has been wonderful to buy pieces specifically for our house that he might not have bought otherwise.  At the same time, I will also be using pieces right off his floor.  If those pieces sell before it’s time to move them into the house, I’ll have to strategize replacements at the very last minute which introduces a whole new set of challenges.  Will he have something in the same color, same style, same finish?  Who knows?  Yikes!

I had to choose paint colors long before other elements and fabrics in the room were confirmed.  Normally, paint is the very last thing I select after I’ve made decisions on fabrics, rugs, art, whatever.   You all know that about me by now.  Those elements guide the paint choice for me, but this time I had to take a leap of faith and make choices from minimal information.  Double yikes!

The Joey Corporation/Closet Factory house had won tons of awards in the 2011 Fall Homearama like “Best Home in Show”, “Most Creative”, “Best Interior Design” and “Best Cotton-Pickin’-Thing-Ever”.  Ok, I made that last one up, but seriously?!  They actually won more than I listed and now I’ve got all that pressure on me to deliver something just as spectacular as last year.  Triple yikes.

So I’m giving this thing my very best shot and obsessing about it 24 hours a day.  I will continue to do so until June 16th when the doors open to the public and there’s nothing more I can do.  If you make it by the house, I hope you like what you see and feedback is welcome.  I’ll be in the house as much as I can and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about the house or even a dilemma that you might be having at your own home.  I hope to see you there!

PS…if you don’t like what you see, please be prepared to medicate the designer with chocolate until professional help arrives.

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Spring 2012 Homearama – Closet Factory Custom Organization – Home 2

Closet Factory Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads is excited to once again be working with builder Sam Cohen of Joey Corporation to feature another home designed around custom organization.

“Improving lives through better whole home organized living is a gift, and we want to share it with all Hampton Roads”, said Jeff Bruzzesi, Owner Closet Factory Virginia Beach.

Spring Homearama is fast approaching, so mark your calendars now to join Tidewater Builders Association as we return to Chesapeake’s Culpepper Landing June 16-July 1, 2012. Culpepper Landing, which was the site of the 2009 Homearama, is a blend of single- and multi-family homes and natural recreation spaces featuring sidewalks, porches and walking areas.

“We are excited to host Homearama for the second time at Culpepper Landing,” said developer Tm Culpepper, vice president of Robinson Development Group. “It provides us a unique opportunity to showcase the current trends and designs in custom homebuilding. With the completion of our aquatic center, as well as our new row house and villas product, it also gives us the opportunity to showcase the amenities of Culpepper Landing, as well as the fact that we have homes at prices to fit any budget.”

When Culpepper Landing last hosted Homearama, the mixed-use traditional development was just breaking ground. It featured 12 single-family homes ranging from the mid-$300,000s to the low $500,000’s. The community also features 150 acres of conservation area adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp.

“When we were last there, the community was just getting started. Now, it’s home to 112 families,” said S.L. “Sam” Cohen, President of Tidewater Builders Association. Cohen built in the 2009 Homearama and also is building in the upcoming show. “We think visitors will really love how this community has grown and now includes row houses, apartments, parks, a pool, walking trails and much more. And with homes starting in the $350,000s, there is a home for every budget in this show.”

Culpepper Landing sits on the shores of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal and offers access to many activities from canoeing to recreational boating along the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Drummond. Other amenities of the community include hiking, biking and bird watching. When complete, Culpepper Landing will also feature a mercantile district with shops and a large assortment of public squares and pocket parks, providing residents with plenty of places to relax and enjoy the outdoors.