Rider, a military and veterans affairs case worker, had received a call from a colleague saying that the owner of Closets by Design in Exton was looking to donate a makeover for a local disabled veteran.

Immediately, Rider thought, How about Jim McGuire?

In Jim McGuire’s original master bedroom closet, clothes hanging on the one pole were too high for him to reach comfortably. The closet in the hall was also disorganized, and that too, was updated. | photo from The Inquirer

Rider has known the decorated Vietnam War vet since 2005, when he worked on McGuire’s behalf to replace his Purple Heart and Air Medal, stolen shortly after McGuire returned home from the war in 1968.

At first, McGuire, 66, and his wife Lorraine, 61, didn’t understand why someone wanted to transform space in their home–for the price of nothing. The couple hadn’t asked for help, but Charles Waterman, Closets by Design owner for the last nine years, wanted to do just that and “give back to the community.”

“After they explained everything to me, I was all for having new closets where the clothes would be easier to reach,” said McGuire while sitting in his motorized scooter, his Dalmatian Sparky–the name a salute to his two sons, both of whom have been firefighters–resting near his feet. “As much as I can, I try to do things for myself.”

McGuire had been in Vietnam six months when his platoon was ambushed while it was preparing a landing zone. He was shot in the right leg as he tried to save the life of another soldier.

Since then, McGuire has suffered heart disease, diabetes, and prostate cancer–all documented effects of Agent Orange exposure. “I remember the mist landing on my arms,” said McGuire, who also served as a Dustoff medevac helicopter crew member, evacuating wounded soldiers under fire. In 2010, McGuire suffered two strokes, causing paralysis on his left side.

After the war, McGuire worked as a Philadelphia police dispatcher and as a painter for the city prison system and recreation department.

“This is a guy who has given a tremendous amount of public service to his country,” said Rider, 66, also a Vietnam veteran who works in the Bucks County office of Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R., PA.).

So in June, a team of workers descended for two days on McGuire’s home on a leafy street in Northeast Philadelphia, and got to work. They retrofitted the master bedroom and hall linen closets, and built a computer workstation. On the second level, within the expansive recreation room, the contractors redesigned a roomy walk-in wardrobe area, where the couple can now store hardly-used articles.

McGuire and his wife moved into their home in 1972 and like nearly 90 percent of seniors in their sixties, according to a 2011 AARP study, they wish to “age in place”–to stay put in their current home.

For most people, that would mean making certain areas of their house more accessible and creating systems to avoid too much climbing, maneuvering, bending. For a client with dexterity and mobility challenges like McGuire’s, additional modifications were considered.

“We added products that would make things more accessible for Jim and reduce excessive reaching,” said Closets by Design senior designer Cay Evans, of the $8,000 makeover. “And we also took into consideration some separate storage needs for his wife.”

The first step was removing the lone pole in the master bedroom’s closet and replacing it with multiple hanging bars, including a center pull-down rod. McGuire can now remain seated in his wheelchair and bring his shirts and pants within reach.

Stylish white cubbies were installed, providing plenty of storage for sweaters, and the scoop-handle fronts on the built-in drawers are easier for McGuire to grip.

Previously, a clothes tree often toppled from the weight of too many coats and hats, and McGuire had difficulty reaching the upper hooks. Now, outerwear is easily accessible in a locker with waist-high brass pegs and soft-edged shelves.

The hall closet was once a mishmash of medicine bottles, bath towels and table linens. The space was repurposed with more white cubbies and under-mount metal baskets, holding objects front and center. McGuire’s medicines have been organized in drop-down drawers.

McGuire says he pays bills and orders his medications online. He also likes to stay connected on Facebook with his post-traumatic stress disorder groups and friends from his days as a dancer on American Bandstand. (He was 16 then, three years before he was drafted into the Army.) Taking note, the crew constructed a raised office system along a wall in the master bedroom, where McGuire can easily slide his wheelchair under a worktable that holds his computer. Above, a shelf now holds his TV.

“The desk is really nice,” said Lorraine. “Before, Jim was always working at the kitchen table, and the whole area was always a mess.”

The light and airy theme extends into the upstairs 9-by-6-foot closet. Before the makeover, the space had piles of clothing on top of Christmas ornaments. The custom-designed space was revamped into an organized depository for out-of-season coats and decorations, as well as bulky items like suitcases and extra pillows for when the grandchildren visit.

McGuire calls the redesigned space “wonderful.”

“Everything is so easy now. I never thought redoing closets would change my life.”

By Catherine Laughlin

Originally posted in For The Inquirer | July 27, 2013

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When it comes to organization and functionality, there are several areas that seem to beg for some structure. Closets that become a catch-all for clothes, shoes, linens, accessories, home items, toys and more. Garages can become so full of gardening equipment, unused furniture and electronics that there’s hardly enough room for a vehicle. And offices would be buried under papers and supplies without some organization system.

Closets by Design in Exton custom designs, manufactures and installs products that can solve these organizational problems and fix more complicated spaces. And now, they offer a selection of Murphy Beds that can be built into wall units or offices to add function to the room without taking up precious space.

Consolidation Is Key

The easiest way to save time and energy is to organize and consolidate your belongings in a way that is logical and accessible. Looking at an overflowing closet or cluttered garage is intimidating, and so the staff at Closets by Design is here to ease your stress and help you complete the project.

Charles Waterman, owner of Closets by Design says, “Life is crazy enough.” His company wants to “give time back to the homeowner” by helping to consolidate their necessities.

Closets by Design meets with each customer in a free in-home design consultation. The designers ask questions to find out how to best organize your belongings in way that be the most useful for each customer. Do you like your shirts folded? Pants hung by the waist, long or in half? Shoes facing in or out? Jewelry in a drawer or hanging? Whatever your answer, Closets by Design will have a consolidation solution for your space.

Another benefit to organization, Waterman says, is increased space. “We can typically double the size of your space without even moving a wall,” he says.

Keith Lowe of Middletown, Del., has worked with Closets by Design for a variety of upgrades in his home, including creating new closet spaces in his master bedroom, guest bedroom, pantry and stairs. Each had its own unique requirements, according to Lowe, but, “it’s easier to take care of a house when it’s organized,” he says. Having custom-made closets has made all four of his spaces more organized and functional.

Mary Beredjiklian, of Media, says that her new garage cabinets are “very clean and streamlined.” In fact, they keep her from seeing the clutter and make sure everything has its place, including canned goods, bottled water, cleaning supplies and even hazardous materials.

Closets by Design has ultimate flexibility because they use quality, custom cabinetry, not prefabricated cabinets.

One of the main reasons Beredjiklian would recommend Closets by Design is because of the personal attention and ability to customize her designs.

This one-on-one time with a designer is key to solving challenging space issues. Lowe says he had a very unusual space under a set of stairs that required extremely complicated specifications.

The designer not only worked with him, but created a roll-out cart with functional drawers and spaces that could even be used to serve drinks if he needed additional serving space for a party, Lowe says.

All in the Details

Customers who use Closets by Design know they are going to get quality accessories and workmanship that will stand the test of time.

When completing a closet in a master bedroom, Closets by Design uses solid handles and knobs—not hollow ones. Also, when hanging drawers designed to withstand heavy tools in a garage, the hardware they use, such as ball bearings, can withstand up to 150 lbs. of weight versus what Waterman describes as “a cheaper ball bearing only able to handle 25 lbs.”

“It’s this behind-the-scenes type of quality that sets us apart from our competition,” says Waterman.

In fact, no matter what you are purchasing from Closets by Design, you will receive a quality product, stellar service and amazing results. Customers throughout the Delaware Valley attest to the excellent customer service, extremely polite and clean installers and overall a finished product that enhances daily living and improves the quality of their homes.

Visit ClosetsByDesign.com to schedule your free in-home design consultation or call 610-644-4143.

by Jeannine Fielding, a freelance writer in Bucks County

Originally printed in suburbanlife, July 2010 Issue

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