Cara Loren on Alice Lane: The Reveal

The art of closet design is like a strategic puzzle -- in order for it to work and be beautiful, everything must fit! When it comes to Cara Loren's closet...there are a lot of shoes to fill! Both literally and figuratively. It’s not just a place for Cara to hang her clothes at the end of the day. You see, Cara’s clothes are her job! Her closet serves as both an office, set design for tutorials, and houses the volumes of clothes, clutches, coats, and jewelry that she pulls from to create her looks. Now if you ask me, that’s a big job for an 11' x 11' room.

With the right design though, the last puzzle piece fits and the final result is picturesque! We hope you’ll enjoy some of the highlights below and reading our thoughts on what made her closet both successful and beautiful!

Island: Her closet island is the perfect height (36”) to stand and fold clothes on, prep outfits, and even pack for trips. Plus it’s loaded with drawers! Twenty-two drawers to be exact. Each are filled with its own specific item: socks, slips, bras, tights, pants, or jewelry. You name it, its got a drawer. The island top has 4 beveled glass panels that allow you to view the jewelry in the top drawers, like a jewelry case. Oh! And we made all of the interiors of the drawers pink! Ever noticed how everyone and everything looks good in pink!?

Built-Ins: Grouping like colors and styles together help tell a story. Each little scene has a cohesive look; whether it be party brights, neutrals and metallic, black and white, etc. The upper cubbies are a good place for this type of styling. It’s not everyday useful stuff, but the eye loves all of these beautiful moments. We kept all of the items Cara uses and needs most within reach and at eye level or lower to the ground.

Finishes: While it’s a large closet, we had no trouble filling up the shelves! So knowing where to pull a punch or where to keep things visually quiet was key to not overwhelming the eye. We did this by keeping contrast at a minimum, using dark tones instead of the traditional white closet interiors. The closet has 3 large windows that filter in a lot of natural sunlight, so we felt good about using our smokey tones, black carpet, and cerused black island. We mirrored the backs of all the open shelving to give some sparkle, reflect light, and add depth. Mirrors are a great space-expanding trick! The upper cubbies, however, we painted the same color as the ceiling to give it that "hat box" effect. I love how the upper vignettes look styled inside those dark shells! It’s so sophisticated, and makes it look like everything is on stage!

Function: Heel toe, Heel toe… light to dark, short to long. After arranging hundreds of clothes and shoes it became quite the song and dance! We grouped like items together which resulted in a more cohesive finished look (and less like a garage sale), and also makes things easier to find. One type of hanger was used throughout. Cara opted for the thinner space-saving black velour hangers. They play the perfect supporting role! Everything in the closet serves a purpose, even that lamp does it’s job to not just give off light but to also hold necklaces!

Cara’s fashion sense always seems to put a twist on a trend. She’s constantly surprising, inspiring, and challenging us to think outside the fashion box. Her ability to combine things in unusual ways to get a “look” that isn’t ordinary is what I love about her style! Working with Cara on her closet was a joy.

She’s every girl…easy, approachable, kind, and real. But she just happens to be extraordinarily beautiful and great at what she does, too!

Designers: Stacie Graves & Jessica Bennett Photo Credit: Nicole Gerulat