I'm Steve, founder of Purpose Design + Build, and this one is for anyone searching custom closets Chicago because the closet in their bedroom has never really worked. Here's the straight version: how I design a closet for an older Chicago home, how the process runs, and where to find the price.
Summary
- A custom closet is designed around what you store and how you get dressed, then built to fit the exact walls, angles and ceiling of your room.
- Bungalows, two-flats and vintage walk-ins come in whatever shape the house left behind, so the layout follows the room.
- Our makeover menu describes a closet as "a closet designed around how you actually live. Full-height layout with hanging, drawers, and shelving, finished, fabricated, and installed."
- A closet is a one week install once the design is locked.
- Starting prices live on the makeover menu, and a real number for your room starts with an estimate.
Why Older Chicago Homes Change the Closet Conversation
A lot of the North Side is bungalows, two-flats, greystones and courtyard buildings, all built long before anyone sold a closet system. The closets in them come in every shape: a ceiling that slopes under the roofline, a wall that runs on an angle, a door that sits off center. A kit sized for a standard rectangle either won't fit that space or leaves the corners empty.
So the design job is to work with the shape you have.
Bungalow Closets: Sloped Ceilings and Tight Footprints
When a closet tucks under a roofline, full-length hanging only works where the ceiling is tall enough. The rest of the space can still earn its keep: shorter hanging sections with shelving above, and drawers sized to the real footprint instead of a stock width trimmed down to fit. Every section gets planned around the actual cavity.
Two-Flats and Vintage Walk-Ins: Odd Angles and Original Trim
Vintage buildings bring a different problem: closets carved out of leftover space instead of planned from the start. The instinct is to rip it all out and square everything up. Sometimes that's the right call. When the door, the trim or the hardware is original and worth keeping, I would rather build the storage to follow the room's geometry, angled shelf and all, and match it to the existing trim so it reads like it was always there.
What a Custom Closet Actually Includes
Custom means the layout starts from your stuff. How much hangs versus folds, how many shoes, whether two people share the space, whether a front hall closet has to work as winter gear storage. Those answers shape the layout before a single finish gets picked.
The makeover menu on our home page puts it plainly: full-height layout with hanging, drawers and shelving, finished, fabricated and installed. The custom closets page walks through what that covers.
Reach-In, Walk-In or a Wall of Built-Ins
- Reach-in: works inside an existing closet opening and gets the most out of a narrow footprint.
- Walk-in: needs enough floor space to step inside, and gives you room for separate zones.
- A wall of built-ins: creates storage along a wall where no closet exists, which crosses over into built-in work.
In our portfolio you'll find a Custom Closet System, plus related built-in and furniture work like a Dresser and Shelving Built-In, a Built-In Dresser, a Mudroom Built-In and a Window Bench. The Custom Closet System is one of six projects on the home page with a before and after you can drag across. The full set is on the portfolio.
Materials, Hardware and Finish
Material choice changes both the price and how the closet holds up. I covered MDF, hardwood and veneer, and what each one does to the number, in the custom woodwork cost post. If you want the longer version of how millwork gets specified, that's in custom millwork solutions.
Hardware and finish get chosen in the same pass as the layout, so the drawers, rods and shelving all match the way you'll use them.
How the Process Works
- Estimate. You tell me about the closet at /estimate, and I send a ballpark range within two business days.
- Design consult. A paid design consult is where the layout, materials and budget get locked.
- Approval. Nothing gets built until you approve.
- Install. Once the design is locked, a closet is a one week install.
For bigger jobs, like baths, kitchens and additions, there's an in-person visit as part of that sequence. Purpose Design + Build is a licensed General Contractor with the City of Chicago, license TGC146780, Class E, and pulls its own permits. The City of Chicago Department of Buildings is the place to look up requirements for yourself.
Closets as a Starting Point
Closets, cabinets and custom furniture are how most clients start with us, and that's by design. A closet is small enough to be a reasonable first step and big enough to be a real project. The pattern is consistent: a smaller project proves whether the communication holds up, and the bigger conversation follows from there.
If you're trying to understand how design and build works as one process, I wrote about that in what design build actually means in Chicago.
When a Custom Closet Isn't the Right Fit
Not every closet needs a custom build. If yours is a standard size and a new rod and shelf would solve the problem, a full custom system is more than the space needs. Custom makes sense when the room has real constraints, like a sloped ceiling or an angled wall, or when the way you store things is specific enough that a generic layout wastes space.
Budget is real too. If a closet is competing with a kitchen or a bathroom, it may make sense for the closet to wait, and that's worth saying before anything gets signed. More on that in when design build isn't the right fit.
What Clients Say
"Purpose Design + Build exceeded our expectations in creating a one-of-a-kind built in for our bedroom with all the functionality we needed and many thoughtful details including a hidden jewelry drawer." Amy D., on the Dresser and Shelving Built-In
"Steve has done multiple projects for me. They have been done well, love the work. He's responsive, creative, and detail oriented." Kristin S., on the Mudroom Built-In
"I had a great experience working with Steve. The results are incredible and I felt like he was really engaged and collaborative throughout the whole process. This is the second project my family has had with Steve and I'd be happy to work with him again." Jonathan A.
Custom Closets Across the North Side
I'm local, and I work across Andersonville, Edgewater, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Lincoln Square, Logan Square, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ravenswood, Old Town, North Center, Roscoe Village, Rogers Park, and the North Side generally. The full list is on the neighborhoods page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Closets in Chicago
How much does a custom closet cost with Purpose Design + Build?
The starting price for a closet is on the makeover menu on the home page. Your number depends on your room and the scope, so request an estimate and I send a ballpark range within two business days.
How long does a closet take?
Once the design is locked, a closet is a one week install. The design itself gets worked out in the consult first.
Can a custom closet work with a sloped ceiling or an angled wall?
Yes. That's most of the reason to go custom. The layout is designed to the exact walls, angles and ceiling of your room.
What's the difference between a reach-in closet and a wall of built-ins?
A reach-in works inside an existing closet opening. A wall of built-ins creates storage along a wall where there was no closet. Which one fits depends on the room and what you need to store.
Do you pull permits?
Purpose Design + Build is a licensed General Contractor with the City of Chicago, license TGC146780, Class E, and pulls permits under its own license.
Should I start with a closet before a bigger renovation?
You don't have to. A lot of people do, because a closet shows you how the process and the communication work before you commit to a kitchen or a bath.
If there's a closet you've been putting up with, tell me about it at /estimate, or call or text (773) 322-1257. HMU if you've got design ideas.