Home Organization

The Garage
Brenda and Randy Ashmore's Little Rock home boasts a one-of-a-kind garage with all the excitement of 1950s rock and roll. With black-and-white checkered flooring and bright red details, the three-car garage houses a completely restored 1956 Thunderbird in Fiesta Red and a Triumph motorcycle. “I really wanted a ‘hang out' of a garage,” Randy says. “And when we built this house, I knew it was time.”

Racing memorabilia line the walls, including the front end of a 1966 Cobra, and visitors enjoy the 1940s Coke machine and replica of an original Texaco gas pump. The fun and functional garage features durable flooring, surround sound and a built-in workstation with a pegboard displaying tools and a flat-screen television. The room is even heated and cooled so Randy can enjoy it all year long. “It's a man's room,” Randy says, “but everyone gets a kick out of seeing it. We keep saying we need to have a party out here. It would make for a great dance floor.”

The Closet
When Bill and Peggy Marshall contacted The Closet Factory in Little Rock, they were looking to redesign their existing closet, and senior designer Nila Ciesiel worked with the Marshalls to design a truly customized space. “The first thing we always do is visit the home and measure and count everything,” she says. “We count the numbers of shirts and pants, and we measure shoes and other items. Then we talk about what the client wants and the options they have. The Marshalls were interested in a few specifics. He wanted everything covered so we installed cabinet doors over all the shelving, and Peggy wanted to be able to iron in the space. We were able to show her several designs that included a foldout ironing board, and we configured walking space around it.”

The Mahogany-stained cabinets are highlighted with task lighting to brighten the space, and complementary granite tops the island and counters. Originally, Peggy had a small vanity space, which she wanted expanded in the new design. “There was a wall of mirrors there,” Ciesiel says. “So we decided to build around it, which gave Peggy the perfect vanity mirror and visually extended the space.”

As with every Closet Factory project, everything is adjustable. The shelves can be relocated and reworked to accommodate for anything. “One of the cabinets holds a television, but if they decide they need that space for something else, they can easily move the shelving. That's the key to organization—to have a place to put everything,” Ciesiel says. 

The Pantry and Craft Room
When Carla Hunter began building her new Hot Springs home, she visited the annual Home Show to search for new ideas and products, and she found the answer to her organizational needs at the booth of Hot Springs' Favorite Spaces. Co-owners John and Marti Favorite have been helping homeowners get organized for years, and Carla was no exception. “Carla saw our closet display at the Home Show and decided she wanted us to craft one for her,” Marti says. “Once she visited our full showroom, she discovered the possibilities we offer for every room in the home, and she wanted us to work on her pantry and craft room also.”

For the pantry, the Favorites worked with a space that was not entirely square and had several unique angles. However, since all the materials are designed, cut and built in Favorite Spaces' shop, customization was no problem. “We created the pull-out pantry especially for Carla,” Marti says. “She had seen something similar to that, and it worked great in the space, keeping everything stored away but at her fingertips.”

In Carla's sewing and craft room, she wanted everything to be very organized and easy to find. “For her quilting squares, we chose pull-out chrome baskets,” Marti says. “You can easily see through them to decipher the color groupings, instead of pulling out each container to see inside. For her beading items, she had specific drawer and divider sizes she needed, and we built all of it to her measurements.” The melamine furniture-grade cabinetry is just one of hundreds of choices Favorite Spaces offers, and the contour of the door fronts and hardware can also be customized. “The melamine is a great choice because it's scratch- and chip-resistant. It looks great for a long time.” Above Carla's workspace hangs a slotted board perfect for hanging tools and other necessities. “The work board is great because there are tons of accessories that can fit into the grooves and organize items of all kinds. We use this a lot in work areas, offices and heavily used spaces,” Marti says. “We spent a lot of time going over all the details with Carla and that allowed us to take advantage of every square inch of space. There's no wasted space, and everything is built to her lifestyle.”