How  did an industry that started with making better use of a box (a closet) become culturally entangled with architecture, fashion, celebrity, identity, consumption, wealth, and aspiration?

What started decades ago as an improvement to a box—the closet—with double hang and shelves has now evolved through an interesting path that crosses all of these specialties, with fashion and celebrity leading the way.

Translation: if you are in the custom storage industry or you’re an interior design professional and you’re still thinking that closets are just about organized storage - you’re missing most of the current picture.

When it comes to the  “reveals” that we see on home makeover shows, we’re shown the frenetic pace at which things happen (with the current timeline being close to 72 hours - a room makeover is completed - that starts today).

And yes, I mean that affectionately.

Because when you care deeply about beauty, function, fashion psychology, and yes… a little Fashion Feng Shui… you start noticing things other people miss.

Like fictional closets.

And real ones.

(I judge both. Sometimes harshly. Occupational hazard.)

Which is exactly why it feels like such a missed opportunity that The Devil Wears Prada gave us iconic fashion personalities… and almost no meaningful closet voyeurism.