The Custom Media Wall That Transformed Our Home
There are certain projects in a home that quietly change everything. Not because they’re flashy or trendy — but because they make your everyday life feel calmer, more beautiful, and infinitely more functional. That’s exactly what happened when we decided to transform our builder-basic upstairs loft into a fully custom media and storage wall with California Closets. And honestly? It turned out even better than I imagined.
Why We Went Back to California Closets
This wasn’t actually our first project with California Closets. A few years ago, we used them for our primary bedroom closet, and I was blown away by both the design process and the final result. I worked with designer Todd Golbeck, and from the beginning, he understood how I wanted our home to feel — elevated, timeless, functional, and family-friendly without sacrificing style. That process was so slow (about a year) and he was so patient with revisions, ideas, and different iterations. Their online designs tools brought the vision to life so it was really easy to visualize and make edits as needed.
When I started dreaming about what to do with our upstairs space, I immediately knew I wanted to work with Todd again. The room had all the classic “builder basic” problems: blank walls, not enough usable storage, and furniture that felt temporary and disconnected from the architecture of the home. We had multiple standalone pieces trying to do the job of one cohesive system, and the space always felt visually cluttered. With two kids, two dogs, books, games, electronics, blankets, and all the daily life that accumulates in a busy household, I needed something that worked hard but still looked beautiful.
Designing a Built-In That Looks Original to the Home
What I love most about this project is that it doesn’t feel like furniture. It feels architectural. Like it was always supposed to be there. That was incredibly important to me because our Sonoma home already has a lot of detailed white trim and millwork throughout. I wanted the new built-in to complement the existing character of the house instead of competing with it.
We chose Classic White cabinetry, which blends seamlessly with the rest of our interior details, and paired it with Benjamin Moore Silver Satin walls for a soft, warm backdrop that keeps everything feeling light and airy.
For contrast, I selected matte black Haniburton hardware from Schaub, which gave the entire design a more tailored, sophisticated look without feeling overly modern. We have black Emtek hardware throughout the home on our doors and while I really debated doing an antique brass to break away from the black - the black felt more cohesive. The result is crisp, timeless, and incredibly custom.
The Storage Is Life-Changing
One of the biggest wins from this project was eliminating two bulky standalone furniture pieces that were taking up space without truly functioning well. Now, everything has a place. The closed cabinetry hides all the practical family items you don’t necessarily want on display, while the open shelving allows space for styling, books, art, and meaningful objects that make the room feel personal and layered.
