HomeWorx by Cheryl von Tress

SPACED-OUT:

Whether it’s a small dwelling or a small room in a large dwelling, good interior design makes the best use of all available space.  I’ve helped many clients reclaim underutilized floor space.  Why pay for space and not use it?  Smart space planning with the right elements for function and beauty create pleasurable, satisfying dwelling design.

Capturing Space:

Many times, a two-story home includes a dormer window or two.  What to do with that space?  There are moments when you’re at the stair landing, the sunlight beams through the window, and you want to linger – savoring the warmth, the light, the calm.  An accent chair or small bench gives you a place to capture the moment.  A basket nearby with a book, magazine, soft throw, “readers” (you know, those oft-misplaced glasses before you commit to prescription lenses!) – instant moments of respite await.

Nooks and corners are great places for storage benches – whether built-in cubbies or with  drawers, even ready-to-assemble cubes, with a padded seat cushion.  Or, a solid wood open frame bench with storage baskets beneath.  Grab that empty space for additional seating and storage.

 Collecting & Controlling the Clutter:

One way to maximize a small space is to define a central area, e.g., a wall-mounted television with storage below.  A place for phone charging and music playing; office supplies,  greeting cards; art supplies for doodling/painting while watching a movie; and, shelves for the DVR and DVD player.  This works especially well in condo and apartment living.

Kitchen:  Unorganized pantry shelves are real space wasters.  Step-up wire shelving adds  utility to pre-fixed pantry shelves.  The use of baskets to organize small items like snack bars, packaged seasoning mixes, bottled waters (no more grabbing one and the others fall like dominoes), small cans (tomato paste/sauce, mushrooms, olives).  Roller shelves/wire baskets really help use all that hard-to-reach back area of a cabinet.

I recently created a baking cupboard.  Now, the basic ingredients I might need for cakes, cookies and pies are controlled in two containers.  I pull those out, plus the flour and sugar canisters, and voila! easy breezy set up and clean up.

Bathroom: For modest expense, create niche storage with shelving by cutting into the sheetrock.  Capturing five to six inches of storage depth for small items a bathroom needs without sacrificing precious floor space.  Again, adding a roller shelf or basket to the vanity cabinet allows easy and full access to generally unused space.

Reflecting more on the bathroom…do you have a wide plate glass mirror, two sinks and no upper medicine cabinet?  A custom cabinet with a small drawer can be a great solution.  A small, functional wood cabinet (best when extended to the vanity top for maximum space capture) can be custom built to suit your needs and divide the wall of mirror into two nicely organized grooming areas.  This solution frees top drawer space and makes your most used items readily available at eye level.  In a smaller vanity area, sometimes an upper corner cabinet can be installed.

Kid Clutter:

Okay, we’ve all seen the kid chaos of play and creativity.  Create a wall grid for hanging toys, art supplies, jackets and sweaters.  A couple of elements come to mind.  First, a series of 2 x 4 boards installed in the pattern of your choosing.  The thickness allows you to use various types of hooks.  Secondly, well-secured curtain rods could be used with S-hooks for suspending baskets, tote bags – use your imagination.

An instant art gallery with easy art rotations can be made by coating boards (2 x 4’s or sheet plywood cut to custom size) with magnetic paint and then using magnetic strip tape or magnets to display your child’s art… AND yours!

Closeted No More:

One of the smartest uses of space is to capture a closet as a work center.  Paint it adoringly.  Remove the doors and use fixed-in-place hanging side panels or draw curtains for a touch of beauty and function.  Or, if you want floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall storage, create a graphic, modular system and fill it with attractive baskets and storage bins to control the mess.  Ready-to-assemble lower cabinets and drawers are best for hiding clutter and make a quick weekend project of this idea.  Shelving or modular cubes add ease of access to the most used items.

Size Wise:

Take a moment.  Hang out in your space.  Think outside the box about how the space can be re-imagined.  What would you like to be able to do in the space?  What keeps that from happening now?  If it were a dream space, what would be different?

Cheryl von Tress owns Cheryl von Tress Design Group, serving Southern and Coastal Oregon and Northern California.  www.cvtdesigngroup.com   541.951.9462  LIKE us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.