When my husband and I bought our first apartment, one of the things we were most excited about was having way more closet space than we were used to (“A lot,” of course, is a relative term, since we live in New York City).

The only problem was that the two main closets—the small walk-in closet in the master bedroom and the built-in closet in the second bedroom—were definitely going to need a remodel if we wanted to make the most of the space.

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When we moved, I moved all my hanging clothes, bags, and shoes into the master bedroom closet (downstairs). And (shockingly!) there was barely any room for Matt’s things. The closet had two rods and no shelves, so with all our things piled up, it was pretty much a mess.

Before installing my custom closets, my clothes and accessories were taking up all the space.
We decided to start looking into custom closet options, and to be honest, I didn’t know anything about them. Our previous apartment was a rental. Our “custom closet” option was an inexpensive Closetmaid shelving unit we bought on Amazon. (It worked, though.)

Since we were now living in our own home, we were ready to invest in a high-end, more permanent solution—something we’d always have and that would ultimately increase our home’s value in the future.

California Closets Review

I started researching a custom closet company to find out how much they cost, how long the process took, and what options we had in NYC. I’d heard great things about California Closets, so I contacted them to learn more.

Finally, after shopping around, we decided on California Closets for several reasons, which I’ll explain in this post.

Below is a full review of my experience, along with information about how the process works, how much California Closets costs, and whether I think custom closets are worth it.

How does the design consult work?

There’s a form on the California Closets website that you can fill out for a free design consultation. They offer in-person consultations (although I think it depends on your location), but you can also schedule a virtual consultation. To schedule a consultation, simply enter your name, email, phone number, and zip code to get started.

To be honest, I assumed there would be some catch, like having to pay upfront for an in-home consultation, but I was wrong. It’s actually 100% free, and I wasn’t pressured or pushed too hard, which I really appreciated.

A design consultant responded quickly to my request to schedule one. She emailed me a brief outline of what I could expect from the consultation.

The consultation will last approximately one hour.
After discussing the spaces, the consultant will take measurements.
Then, you’ll sit down and design the space together in real time.
My consultant’s name was Kim, and she was great. (I recommend her if you’re in NYC.)

Reach-In Closet Rendering

Master Walk-In Closet Rendering

When she arrived, we sat down and discussed the different layouts, accessories, details, etc. She was very clear about how my decisions would affect the overall cost of the project (more on this later).

I walked her through each space and told her what I had in mind. She suggested what was possible, what wasn’t, and what options I had to make the most of the space.

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What is the design process like?

During my consultation, Kim took several measurements, entered them into her software, and within 10 minutes, I had a 3D mockup of both cabinets.

I was honestly amazed because I had no idea I would be able to see the possible layouts so quickly. It was so exciting to see the cabinet come to life in real time. I literally took 100 photos and videos of his laptop screen while he made minor adjustments and changes so I could send them to my husband, who wasn’t there on the day of the consultation.

3D Design of Reach-In Closet

3D Design of Master Walk-In Closet

He was very thorough and detailed with everything, which I greatly appreciated. He gave me the confidence of knowing I was in good hands.

Once we were both happy with the design, he started crunching numbers to give me a rough price…

What is the average price of California Closets?

Throughout my research on custom closets, I wondered: how much does a custom California closet cost? I found an article in BHG (Better Homes & Gardens) that said custom systems cost between $1,500 and $5,000, but the post didn’t go into any further detail, so I had no idea what to expect.

I now realize there is no true “average” price, as it varies greatly depending on the space, the product you choose, the design you choose, the custom storage options, the accessories, and even where you live. There are literally hundreds of different options and combinations.

How much did California Closets cost me?

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; it wasn’t cheap.

Although my closets aren’t huge, I was pretty specific with my “must-haves.”

SECOND BEDROOM CLOSET COST:

I decided to convert the built-in closet in our second bedroom/office into a “beauty closet” that included a hanging rod, five shelves, a combination of glass and white wood shelves, and a mirrored back panel. We chose the same white wood material as the main closet, plus chrome hardware.

Including materials and installation, this closet cost $2,585.

MASTER CLOSET COST:

I wanted white wood, chrome hardware, two soft-close jewelry drawers, twelve shoe shelves, double hanging rods, several adjustable shelves for shoes and purses, and a pull-out belt/tie rack.

Including materials and installation, the closet cost $3,640.

We also installed floating shelves from CB2, as well as this acrylic stand for my sunglasses (which I found on Amazon). It’s actually designed for nail polish use in a salon.
After receiving the quote, I reviewed everything with Kim and looked for different things we could remove or reduce the price to keep the cost down. But in the end, I didn’t want to compromise, so we decided to keep the design as it was.

[Disclaimer: California Closets offered me a membership discount, which brought the price down a bit, but in total, we ended up spending about $5,200.]

I would say that if you have a specific budget, it’s a good idea to let your consultant know ahead of time so they can guide you in the right direction and keep the price down.

What is the installation process like?

After signing the contract, we had to pay a 50% deposit to set an installation date. We were told the delivery time would be 6 to 8 weeks. I’m not sure if that’s standard for everyone or just for our location/dates.

The day before our installation, California Closets scheduled a “scrape and paint” day, during which someone came to (literally) disassemble the entire closet, plaster it, and paint it in preparation for installation.

This service is optional (and comes at an additional cost), as some people prefer to have the building’s maintenance staff handle it. The only thing we had to do to prepare was empty the entire closet before they arrived.

The next day, a two-person team came to install it. And it was much faster than I expected. In total, I think they were there for about 3 or 4 hours.

Once everything was finished, my design consultant, Kim, called to check on us and make sure we were happy, and we were.

About a month later, after we’d stored everything in the closets and lived with them for a while, we decided to add a second clothes rod to the main one. (We had initially rejected the idea because I thought I needed more space for long dresses.)

I also decided to add jewelry shelves. So the team scheduled an appointment to send a technician out to do the installation. Those additions cost an additional $355.

Are custom closets worth it?

Now that I’ve said all that, I definitely think it was worth it to get custom closets. Not only are they beautiful, but they’ve also helped us optimize our space.

And I have no doubt that when we’re ready to sell our home, custom cabinets will definitely help increase its value.

There’s no denying that cabinets are expensive. For us, it was a considerable increase, especially considering the last cabinet system we rented cost $100 and we installed it ourselves.

Could we have saved money with a cheaper option? Of course. But I’m a firm believer in the principle of “you get what you pay for,” and in this case, I think we did.

California Closets Review: The Cost, Before & After Photos, and How it Works