Style on Exhibit with Style Me New’s Chris Santelli

Chris Santelli believes there’s a story behind what we wear — and for that matter, how we wear it.

The fabrics, colors, textures and patterns we gravitate toward. The way we assemble tops, bottoms, handbags and shoes to create a look that’s uniquely us. All of these things are more than just “things to wear.”

For Santelli, owner of Style Me New, a style concierge service, they’re an expression of our personal style, a direct connection to who we are and how we live. So when she and her husband relocated from San Francisco to Tampa Bay last April, she knew she wanted her new closet space to be much more than an afterthought.

“When I go into my closet, I want to shop it,” she says.

With the help of California Closets, Santelli transformed her typical walk-in closet into a boutique-style space with crisp white shelving, glass cabinets and plenty of strategic lighting to highlight her extensive shoe and handbag collection. From start to finish the project took about two months to complete, however actual installation only lasted two days.

“It was really important for me to use great materials,” she said. The base material was imported from Italy,  using textile patterns Linen and Corsican Weave, while vanity drawers have decorative Italian glass inserts in Old Silver. The entire space measures 37 square feet with ten-foot ceilings.

But her favorite part?

“My vanity area, which is almost like a desk,” says Chris. “I can go in there and do my work and makeup all in one area, and my son (Grant) can sit there with me and doodle. It’s nice and cozy.”

A Space for Shoes

• Mix of high and low

• Gucci peep-toe pumps

• Miu Miu pink snakeskin pumps

• Bottega Veneta sandals

• Alice + Olivia floral heels

• Cole Haan Oxfords

• Chucks

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A Space for Vanity

• BeautyBlender

• Too Faced Born This Way foundation

• M.A.C. lipsticks

• Hourglass concealer

• Love Potion perfume

• Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede cologne

• Thalgo hand cream from The Grand Beauty Spa

 

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A Space for Handbags

• Orange Fendi I got in Rome on my honeymoon

• White clutch is GiGi New York from one of my favorite discounted online designer sites, Orchard Mile

• Green fedora from Goorin Bros.

• Various clutches (Miu Miu, Michael Kors, Loeffler Randall), which I love because they are easy