Transforming Chaos to Order

By Pam Windsor

Mark and Sandra Sokol have helped a lot of people throughout Middle Tennessee get organized. As owners of "Closets by Design" in Franklin for nearly two decades, they are experts in creating order out of chaos whether it is in a closet, pantry, mudroom, laundry room, home office, playroom, or garage.

"When someone calls us, what we're looking at is basically what someone's needs are and what their space will allow us to do, "says Sandra Sokol. "We want to be as creative as possible, but we also want to be cost-effective when we're beginning our design process."

They start by sending a design consultant to the home for a free consultation. Depending on the customers' needs, the designer might look at one small space, several different areas, or the entire home. 

"The design consultants look at those spaces," says Sokol, "sits down and talks to the client about their needs and wants, then measures, designs, and prices everything right there. Clients select colors and materials, and in just a couple of hours, we have a contract signed and can give them an installation date."

"Closets by Design" has its own manufacturing plant allowing it to create everything on site. That helps shorten the time between the design and installation date, as well as alleviate any potential delays in the event of a last-minute change or adjustment. There is no need to order a shelf from somewhere else and wait for it to arrive when it can be made locally.

The Sokols, and their staff, take great pride in helping people clear their clutter and improve the quality of their lives. In the years they have been in business, they've often created organizational units for a family in one home, then been called back to do it again when the family moves to a second home, and perhaps even a third. The longevity of their business has worked in their favor.

In the wake of COVID-19, they saw business drop at first, then pick up when people found themselves forced to stay home. As the lockdown continued, there was a growing need to revamp and reorganize. 

"When consumers started having to stay home and work remotely, they realized their houses weren't set up for that type of scenario," says Sokol. "So, we started getting calls from people saying, 'I need to have my house reworked, I've got to have a home office, or I've got to find a place to put the kid's toys because the mess is driving me crazy!"

Though located in Franklin, their territory stretches north to the Kentucky border, south to the Alabama border, east to Tullahoma, then just past Dickson to the west.

Sokol says every day brings new challenges and new rewards. 

"We're in our 17th year of business, and my husband and I were just talking about how we'd do it all over again tomorrow. We love what we do! We love our customers, we love our work family, and we feel very, very fortunate."

Closets by Design is located at 118 Fort Granger Drive in Franklin. (615) 261-8700.