Closets by Design

As part of a full remodel for my modest townhome, I wanted to upgrade three of my closets — an entry way closet, a bedroom walk-​in, and a bedroom reach-​in — from the old ‘rod and shelf’ style that was the standard closet years ago. I wanted a clean, simple, built-​in look but didn’t want to pay a fortune. Closets By Design delivered exactly what I wanted. The full cost for my three closets was $ 3000.
Before choosing this company I also read the reviews here. I was concerned about the negative reviews. Allow me to offer some advice which might help avoid the problems experienced by the customers who wrote those negative reviews:
My first piece of advice is obvious. Everyone should realize that the designers are sales people and their primary job is to close the sale. No one should be surprised when the designer pushes them to commit. It is how they get paid.
When meeting with the designer pay close attention and ask questions. If you like what you see and hear, I suggest taking a day or two, looking the design over, thinking about it, and if you need to, having the designer come back and make changes. Sure, they would rather be making new sales calls but if you are serious they shouldn’t have a problem coming back. I used the brochure to help me visualize what the closets would look like, especially the detail and how components fit together.
The designers are also human and make mistakes. Check the design sheets carefully. I went so far as to get an email address from my designer so I could ask questions that were too involved for a phone call or text. I also suggest double-​checking the measurements. Since the installer will measure, the measurements don’t need to be perfect but they should be close. A difference of more than an inch or two might be a problem. Again, if you’re not certain about what you are getting, ask.
If needed, have the designer revise the drawings. They are what the installer is going to use so you want them to be correct before the installation.
Something that I expected but seemed to surprise others was the required prep work. Unless you have brand new construction, your existing closet is going to need to be prepped. At the least that means removing anything that is already built in (depending on the design possibly even baseboard), repairing any damage from the removal, and probably painting. In my case since I will be changing my flooring I even removed the carpet and the tack strips. If I hadn’t been able to do the prep work myself I would have hired a handyman. I would not expect the company to do this work. Their expertise is installing closets not repairing walls.
My installer was fast and neat. My three closets were done in a little over 4 hours and there was virtually no mess. But I also tried to make it easy for him by clearing out the areas near the closets and the patio where he did the cutting. He did a very good job and it looks good. If you get close, is it absolutely perfect? Of course not.
This brings me to my final piece of advice: realistic expectations. With all due respect to Closets By Design, if I owned a $ 5M home I would have hired an interior designer and a master cabinetmaker to do my closets. In that situation you bet I would expect everything to be exactly level and plumb and flush to the walls and floor. And I would expect to pay a whole lot more for that result. On the other hand someone wrote about doing-​it-​yourself. I’ve done (and am doing) a lot of the work in my remodel to save money but to me having these closets done by Closets By Design was definitely worth the cost.
I hope this advice helps.

Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Excellent design, workmanship and very professional. Having done another significant home improvement project which has been disastrous, they restored my faith in good companies!

My closet is small and challenged. However my designer Annie O’Keeffe knew exactly how to maximize the space. She did a wonderful job and I can now see all my clothes and shoes and even walk into the closet. I’m a repeat customer because of Annie and her excellent design and customer service!

I had used this vendor in the past for simple closet shelves but my most recent experience allowed me to see their true colors. I had a custom panty built that needed adjustable shelves. The designer put together a design & collected the deposit. That was the last I ever heard from her. The pantry install went horrible. I reached out to the designer to get resolution she never called me back & when the installer came out a second time (a completely different person) he was unable to fix the mistakes & left me with an incomplete unusable pantry. This is now 8 weeks later and I was told by the installer that it would all have to be taken out & redone. I called customer support and asked them to remove the unusable materials so I can have another vendor do the install I was harassed & threatened that I would loose my deposit & have to pay for the removal. I then learned that they had charged my CC as if they had completed the job which is illegal as they never received a sign off! I have had the CC company reverse the charges. For a professional closet install use valet closets in Campbell. I will never use this vendor again

The design for our walk-​in closet turned out to be so so, and there were several gaffs in the execution, such as the closet needing a full paint job instead of the minor touchups we were told would be needed. However, when Byron was told about the problems and saw the pictures we sent, he refunded the money we had spent for the paint job and made good on the other problems. Some of our hanging clothes didn’t fit in after the remodel, but I figured out how to get more hanging space instead of the way-​too-​much shelf space, and Byron accommodated us on that as well. We now love our closet. Mistakes can be made, but the way they are handled by the provider is the most important thing, and Byron rose to the occasion.

I was very satisfied with the Closet World design, installation and customer service. They listen to me and designed the closet and fine-​tuned imperfections to make it perfect. I compared other closet companies and closet world provided best price and best service. I appreciate Closet World commitment to customer satisfaction. Thank you! Saman

We recently put in a $ 4300 closet system with Closets by Design. We loved the designer, Maria and scheduled the installation. It took 6 weeks to schedule installation! The first thing the installer did was go over all of the potential damage (not very motivating to continue) We had to speak with the installation manager to get our baseboards replaced after installation. The system is nice and looks good but not worth the $$. They couldnt start until 1pm because we were the second job of the day and didnt finish until 830pm! We had to call them to come back out to repair /​finish the job and it took 2 weeks to schedule that. I will look for another product or company next time.

The design consultant was great and things went very smoothly but actual appointment they only gave us one day in advance warning to prepare the room. The contractor left huge holes in the wall, which could have been avoided, had they been more careful. We refused to complete payment until they at least came to look at the damage that was caused and are being threatened with a collection agency. I would not recommend this company for installation unless you are looking for a hack job.

Zero stars based on their lack of professionalism.
Bad sign when you schedule an appointment with them and the dispatcher calls you ten minutes before to tell you that the designer can’t make it and they have to reschedule. No reason, no apology or anything. Hmmm, ok, fine. Things happen. Though it kinda stunk because I took time off from work to meet with the designer.
So we reschedule for a couple days later. Guess what? *Thirty* minutes PAST the appointment time (again I took time off of work to go home to meet with the designer), the dispatcher calls again to tell me that her designer can’t make it «because she has to pick up her son from school». Didn’t offer an apology or anything for inconveniencing me. ?? So now I’ve wasted a total for 4 hours (driving to/​from office) for 2 no-​show appts.
She asks if I’m free later that day to meet with someone, so I say after 2pm. Her response «I don’t know if anyone is free to meet with you today. I’ll have to call you later.» Why bother asking me if I can meet later when you dont even know if your designer team can meet then? Also, as the dispatcher and scheduler, shouldnt you have access to everyone’s appointment calendars? I politely replied that I am no longer interested in dealing with them.
Afterwards, I read all the reviews for the SF and Hayward locations, and I’m happy that I will not be working with them. I’m opting for Closet Factory or The Container Store.

Don’t hire this company unless you have a lot of time to be frustrated. poor communication and a nightmare trying to get them to fix issues cause by designers miscalculations that was caused by incorrect measurements. Not to mention that designer tried to make excuses for why its was installed the way it was. Quick to cash in you check but slow in scheduling… and designer don’t seem to listen to your concerns. I am stuck with messed up walls and a closet that don’t function well not to mention that the shelving in the middle of my closet is off centered. I should have done better research. When designer came to look at project she tired to make excuses for why it was the way it was not taking responsibility for her actions .she simply measured wrong promised to fix it never heard from her again. (Not to mention that she was over 3 hours late for appointment and never called to say she was going to be late). To date No calls no email no communication whatsoever. Unhappy and now I have to hire some to fix all this mess.

Not as happy with the installation the 2^nd time. There is inconsistency and too much turnover with the random contract installers.

Total NIGHTMARE!!! 3^rd time this company has been to our house to fix a mess of a closet that they installed improperly. It’s been almost 11 months to date and we are still dealing with them. Installer totally rude, doesn’t want to work or be here yet the company sends him out to do installations. First time in our house they put holes every where and mangled our closet. Trying to find someone to talk to at the company to voice our concerns was even harder. Receptionist would never transfer us to the owner. Told us that the owner was always in a meeting. Would never return our phone calls but get his minions to undo his evil doing. 2^nd time they were here to fix the repair, Ken, supposed manager came out and promised us all the things that would be fixed. The only thing was he had ordered all the wrong material offered put it up anyways to see how it looks. 3^rd time here today, within a year, I called Ken to see what’s going on. Ken no longer works with the company. That’s great. Some guy named Byron calls out to confirm appointment. Sends the same guy that was here for during the 2^nd installation process. One of the things that we had stated were that the drawers had big gaps in-​between them. I go upstairs to inspect the process, the guy had already brought his ladder down from upstairs so he pulls out the drawer to stand on top of it to get to the top of the closet with a crow bar to remove something. Not only was he oblivious to me watching him, he just went about his business like that was okay. Maybe that’s why the drawers were not fitting properly!!! I am so worn out from this process, every time they are here we have to remove everything out. My advice… get a pre-​cut closet from Home Depot. Save your money and stress. The quality of the material is basically the same. They are not in the business of customer service, they are sharks, delivering poor quality material with a bad attitude. If I could give a negative rating I would. Reported to the BBB and in response Closets by Design said that they had delivered the product as promised. What a joke??? Don’t be fooled by their magazines and newspaper ads. Probably pictures of some other people’s work… Guy slams the front door to go get something from his van, my wife asks him politely not to slam it, he rolls his eyes and doesn’t even mutter an apology and goes on about his business. Unprofessional, unorganized, and simply rude!!!

Nightmare averted! Our designer, Amy Green, was a neurotic mess… switching from «faux friend» to dragon lady and back on a dime depending on whether she thought she was losing the deal or not. This woman obviously doesn’t understand the meaning of «free consultation» and continually used the guilt angle based on «all the time she had put into our design».
That might have been forgettable had she been competent in creating our design, but after hours of high-​pressure histrionics we eventually succumbed and signed on, only to have the installer show up 6 weeks later and tell us there was no way her design was going to work.
Based on that experience, we decided to cancel and go with the Closet Factory.

I had a master closet redone and got a few quotes and consultations before chosing to go with Closets by Design. I have to say, the main reason I went with their offer was the sales person, Jenny Q. She was absolutely fabulous! We went thru a few iterations of the plan, which was actually a fun process thanks to Jenny. It wasnt just about the product and the cost. You have to feel comfortable and confident with who you are working with. The closet has made my life so much more less stressful and more calming. Everything is in it’s place! Great quality and great job all around!
The only constructive feedback I would give this company is that they should have their installers wear uniforms or at least company shirts. And don’t send an installer alone, this was not a one person job.

I used Closets by Design 3 times in the past and had great service. The fourth time for my new house was a disaster fand took them three attempts to install 4 closets with a poor looking result.
Mollye the designer mis-​measured 3 out of the 4 closets. One of them was so bad they couldn’t even get it to fit and the installer had to come back a second time to install it. The installer then didn’t measure correctly either and they had to use many filler boards to get it to install leaving a poor looking product. I asked for another designer to come out and re-​measure my request was denied.
The third time they had to come out to fix the trim on two closets I sent explicit instructions to Byron the installer supervisor about how the trim was supposed to look and he didn’t acknowledge my mail or tell the installer what we wanted.
The installer Raul (sp?) either didn’t speak English or has problems communicating. He would arrive at noon and stay until 10 pm and still have to come back again. His installation quality was poor and I had to have him fix the trim on the linen closet three times. When he was done he left my existing baseboards short and my wals torn up so now I have to hire someone else to fix them. He would install trim and was too lazy to miter the corners like casing should look. I was told by Byron he was one of their best which didn’t make me feel beter.
Over $ 20,000 later, 6 frustrating days of installation where I had to miss work, my 4 closets are in but for the money I paid I should have just called a cabinet maker.

I went with Valeska on designing a closet for my new home. She was super efficient, knowlegeable and very professional. She gave great pointers on hangers. Would hire her again later for my third closet.

Bad experience! Would not recommend it. The installation crew and the manager were very unprofessional. If I could give them negative star I definitely would.

I am a homeowner who recently purchased an upscale on the golf course home in the San Ramon Bridges neighborhood. We needed an entertainment center, bookshelves as well as an office system, who we turned to ClosetsByDesign of Hayward to help us out. Their designer Valeska came to our home and helped to design a perfect system for each of these rooms. She was very pleasant and most of all worked to get us great pricing.
After all was delivered we were very satisfied with how all had turned out as the workmanship was right on target.
I can only highly recommend their services and products and I’m confident you will get the same high quality results we received from Closets By Design

A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind. But, a clean, well organized closet is a beautiful thing indeed. And that’s exactly what we got.
This was our second closet project with ClosetsByDesign. In 2004, I selected them for a complex walk-​in closet, and the installation worked well for us. So, when I needed to reorganize a new space, I contacted ClosetsByDesign again along with three other companies. I ended up choosing ClosetsByDesign again because I liked the product style best.
When it came time to install, they arrived on time and Chris provided a very professional installation (even accommodating a last minute design change). The first closet was problem free and I’m very happy with the most recent installation.

⁴⁄₂₄ UPDATE:
After reading my review, Management contacted me to see what they could do to make the unit as perfect as possible so we would leave with a happy experience. After 2 more appointments, the unit is now looking very nice and high quality. I appreciated the extra effort they put in, and we are happy with the result in the end. Of course, 5 appointments to install a closet system is excessive — but they made sure the last 2 visits fit in our schedule and showed up on time. They definitely get an A+ for Customer Service!
³⁄₁₇ Review:
We used Closets by Design to install a closet system in our nursery, and overall were pretty underwhelmed by the quality and service. For the original installation date, they sent only one person, who arrived hours late and did not complete the job. When we inspected the work he did do, it was totally unacceptable — the wood was all scratched up, crooked, drawers didn’t slide properly, shelves were sticking out… just a mess. We called the manager who was more than willing to set up another installation a couple of weeks later to complete and fix the job.
For the 2^nd appointment, the techs were 3 hours late and did not bring any materials. They inspected the job and made a list of everything that would need to be replaced. The material was ordered and a 3^rd appointment was scheduled for a week later.
The 3^rd appointment, the tech came on time but had no idea what he was supposed to be fixing. After several hours, he fixed and finished the job to what I would call a borderline acceptable result. The wood finish is terrible cheap quality — white glue lines on every edge, chips and scratches throughout. The drawers don’t close unless pushed with a great deal of force. Still some small gaps. Acceptable, but barely… about the quality of a piece of $ 200 IKEA furniture, but for 10x the price.