Before and After: The Happiest, Most Colorful Little Closet You’ve Ever Seen

As Studio DIY’s Kelly and Jeff Mindell were gearing up to adopt their second child, they knew they wanted the new nursery to be someplace that felt bright, cheery, and tropical—the exact opposite of the tan-and-mint space they’d inherited when they bought their LA home. Especially cringe-y: the storage-sparse closet, with its ’70s-style mirrored doors.

Pulling out the mirrored doors made the outside way fresher; adding in a new custom unit from Tailored Living with shelves, drawers, and rods made the inside way more functional.

The wallpaper, installed on the walls and ceiling, is from Chasing Paper. “I love the simplicity of this pattern,” says Kelly. “It doesn’t have any hard outlines, and it’s only one color. Plus, I liked that the shade of green felt a little warmer than some other prints I’d found.”

Kelly and Jeff had a pro install new wood bi-fold doors, but wanted to give them a special something. “I was inspired by the sunburst screen doors we see frequently in LA, so I ran with that idea,” says Kelly. She and Jeff used wood molding to make the design, then painted the whole assembly—what else?—sunny yellow. “The hardest part was getting all the various rays of the sun cut and lined up properly so the design both functioned and looked cohesive,” says Kelly. “But I’m really thrilled with how it turned out!”

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