Issue Date: April 30, 2006
Walk-in space galore
A California Closets insider checks out "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
THE PLOT: With World War II raging outside their front door, four London children are sent to live with an eccentric professor in the English countryside. During a game of hide-and-seek, they find a mysterious room containing a wardrobe that acts as a portal to the magical world of Narnia. The children soon learn that they are the only ones who can save Narnia from the wicked White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who has doomed Narnia and its whimsical inhabitants to eternal winter.
Insider's Credentials: One-time design consultant Lisa Lennard is a program development manager for California Closets, a company that plans and installs high-end closets for the rich and famous.
OVERVIEW: "The whole concept of a wardrobe is very European. They didn't used to build closets in their homes, so you had to create a closet from wall space. It wasn't until after the war that closets built into houses [started to become more common]."
Scene 5: Just Your Imagination -- The older children don't believe Lucy's (Georgie Henley) claim that she entered Narnia through the wardrobe after tapping on its back panel.
"I didn't understand why sometimes it would let them through and other times not. I think it was more of a time warp; all the stars had to collide for them to get through. ... What my customers would have loved is how [the wardrobe] seemed to grow as needed."
Scene 8: The World of Narnia -- The children borrow the wardrobe's fur coats to guard against Narnia's chill.
"Fur coats actually require refrigeration. I've never put a climate-controlled closet in, but that would be fun. It would require us to team with an air conditioning company, but you know, it's all about the customer."
-- Ellen Durston
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