Get the design right then invest in the cabinetry you ’ll love, or skip the design and you will pay forever!
Clever Closet Company was established in 1987 by Sydney based designer Sally Hart, who continues to be the owner, operator and principle designer in the company.
Sally started Clever Closet Company in partnership with a cabinetmaker. Over the years, Sally decided her business served her clients better as an independent designer with a vision for better storage solutions.
Beautiful design that is functional and practical
Sally Hart sees space in a unique way. Her aptitude for designing beautiful, functional, organised storage, frees her clients from the daily mundane frustrations caused by disorganisation in the home. Furniture designed by Sally fuses the aesthetic and functional.
The conflicting elements of limited space, aesthetics and ergonomics are the mainstay of Sally’s design work. “A chest freezer is the ultimate in storage, because it is quite literally “chock a block full, but nobody can find anything in it”. Papers laid out individually on a desk are perfectly accessible and visible, but now you have nowhere to work. Building wall to wall, floor to ceiling wardrobes in your bedroom might ergonomically accommodate all of your clothing, but now you’ve lost the symmetry of the room and the view out the window”.
Great storage design calls for innovation and expertise. Sally annually travels internationally to keep abreast of specialised hardware and materials relevant to the storage industry that are worthy of including her designs. Sally is a well known and respected internationally as a member of the American Association of Closet and Storage Professionals as well as the Australian Kitchen and Bathroom Association.
Sally Hart is Sydney’s leading wardrobe and storage designer. Sally’s achievements have been recognised repeatedly over the years and most recently through being awarded the highly esteemed Best of Houzz Award 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 for service and 2017 2018 for Design.
It’s rare to find a readymade piece of furniture that suits your needs exactly. The more functionality you need in that piece of furniture, the less chance a readymade piece will suit. One size does not fit all in the case of great storage.
Well-designed storage is essential to any properly functioning home. It’s fundamental for managing routine household activities. Without intelligently designed storage efficiency is almost unattainable. Sadly people frequently don’t realise it’s the “tool”, rather than them, which is not working effectively. This is why clients say “they have their life back” after one of our installations. Unfortunately, most people cannot recognise why a design will or won’t work, especially on paper. This is why Sally’s design expertise in functionality and life experience is so valuable in the design process.
Intelligently designed custom cabinetry comes to fore in utility areas such as laundries, and home offices as well as living room spaces where an integrated look is desired. There are many elements to consider in the design process and they often conflict. It’s a balance between what will look great, provide access, maximise storage, enhance the room and function conveniently.
The Clever Closet Company worked hard while I revised the brief for our dressing room three times. Sally understood the aesthetic and practical requirements for our space and came up with something that allowed us to reflect the mid-century origins of the house in a modern and practical framework. Her recommended suppliers worked hard to ensure the finished product was as seamless as the drawings (not easy when there isn’t a straight line in the house). We particularly like the fact that everything floats from the back walls, making the space as big and airy as it can be. She understood exactly how much hanging space and shoe space we really needed.Sarah HartSydney N.S.W
We rang Sally after endless frustration with mainstream wardrobe companies not listening to what we wanted. Our brief was wardrobe solutions & create a better desk/shelf area in our front entrance.
Sally was amazing. Completely understood the brief on what we were after. Listened & has great ideas. She is highly experienced & a pleasure to work with. It is so refreshing to work with someone with her level of experience who didn’t spend tell us what we couldn’t do. Sally is completely solutions orientated.
We would highly recommend Sally.Jen MullineuxSydney N.S.W
Good Morning Sally
I guess you are appreciating a day off today after your busy day yesterday.
Both David and I wish to thank you most sincerely for the exceptional effort you have displayed in designing our new closet. Really,it is almost as big as an entire room.
It has been an exciting journey from the very beginning and finished with such flair yesterday with the photo shoot. Your connection with Howards is certainly appreciated as the hangers and accessories added the finishing touch. We now have a CLEVER CLOSET.Warm HUGS to everyone who has been involved.
Lesley & David CalverPaddington N.S.W
These sessions generally run from 15 minutes to half an hour where Sally learn about you and your home, your desired outcome for the project and discuss the direction you would need for a successful outcome.
During your site consultation, Sally will assess your storage requirements. The site consultation is like a time, space, motion, and personality study that builds a family profile within your spatial framework.
It’s not enough to know how long “his” shirts are, or how many pairs of shoes “she” has. It’s HOW and WHY you have them the way you do, because that tells Sally what will and won’t work for you.
Sally applies this philosophy right throughout your home from mud room, to bedroom. There’s no point designing a space to be “Pinterest Pretty” if you are a “grab and dash couple”. Actually, it’s really common for couples to have their respective spaces designed differently. For example in the wardrobe, if one person wants to roll and fold their clothes really neatly, their drawers and shelves will be sized for that, and possibly sectioned even further if that’s what they like. If the other is “toss and shuffle” style, their side will be less structured and speed based, for example, hooks for “draping stuff” and large drawers to “chuck and rumble”.
….And by the way….where’s the dirty laundry hamper? And who puts away the washing? How far can each person reach? The laundry cycle plays into the wardrobe cycle. More than ten steps to the hamper are too many for most people, resulting in a pile of dirty clothes on the floor, or on the chair in the bedroom. But… a laundry hamper in every wardrobe might mean whoever’s doing the laundry, now has five hampers to empty instead of one central hamper.
In the office, someone likes file drawers and the other lever arch files.
In the living room, someone wants an enormous TV screen and the other doesn’t want to see screen or the cables at all.
Where should the junk drawer be? What about the dog leads and school bags and gym bags?
So what’s the solution? It depends on the house and the family. That’s why we spend so much time finding out how your household works.
I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Sally from Clever closet company to assist you with planning, designing and building your wardrobe. Sally designed and installed mine and absolutely nothing was a problem, even when I changed my mind many times. Sally provided practical advice, things you don’t even consider, and the options, quality and service was excellent and the price very reasonable.Elvira GaluppoSydney N.S.W