I know we have been quiet for quite some time but we did have a huge wedding complete with a 120-person barbecue at our house to show off our renovations. And now it's time to get back to work, now not in let's-get-this-house-livable-mode but instead, let's start to tweak perfection.
First up?
Under the Staircase
An ugly return (for our HVAC system), a leftover bench for impromptu (but rare) seating, and a cabinet that only holds batteries just isn't cutting it for this lovely little nook. What we do lack on the first floor is a proper coat closet, somewhere we can hang guests jackets and hide our vacuum.
The Ideas
I scoured design blogs and Houzz to find what others have done with this often under utilized space and found a variety ideas ranging from wine storage to bedrooms to offices to general storage.
What we can cross off the list...
Bedrooms
No need! We have 6 already so another bedroom is certainly not high on our priority list.
Wine Storage
While some friends and family may argue that this surely must be high on our priority list, they are correct but not for this location. When we eventually build a wine storage area suited for our wine-loving needs, it will land in the basement and will leverage our old coal stove encasement.
Other Rooms
Like a bedroom, we do not need any more kitchen, desk or library space but I included all of these because I was impressed with the creativity and utilization of this space.
General Storage & Coat Room
A place to hang guest's coats, a place to hide our vacuum a place to stash our growing tablecloth and linen collection, now that is the place we need!
First up?
Under the Staircase
 |
| Before: How the nook looked in Joan-Days |
An ugly return (for our HVAC system), a leftover bench for impromptu (but rare) seating, and a cabinet that only holds batteries just isn't cutting it for this lovely little nook. What we do lack on the first floor is a proper coat closet, somewhere we can hang guests jackets and hide our vacuum.
The Ideas
What we can cross off the list...
Bedrooms
No need! We have 6 already so another bedroom is certainly not high on our priority list.
 |
| All the utilities make this bedroom look horrible, but umm, interesting? |
While some friends and family may argue that this surely must be high on our priority list, they are correct but not for this location. When we eventually build a wine storage area suited for our wine-loving needs, it will land in the basement and will leverage our old coal stove encasement.
 |
| Wine Storage Mecca, too modern |
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| More wine storage ideas |
Like a bedroom, we do not need any more kitchen, desk or library space but I included all of these because I was impressed with the creativity and utilization of this space.
General Storage & Coat Room
A place to hang guest's coats, a place to hide our vacuum a place to stash our growing tablecloth and linen collection, now that is the place we need!
 |
| Love the look of these drawers! |
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| Like space allocation but don't like how it looks different than stairs |
 |
| good use of shelving |
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| LOVE how no space is unused with pull-out method |
General Look & Feel
So now that we know how we'll use the space, one small section for the return vent, one section for pull out drawer and two sections for coat/storage closet, we just have to decide on how it will look. What do you think? Painted white, light oak wood like our floors or darker stained wood?
Option A - Painted White
So now that we know how we'll use the space, one small section for the return vent, one section for pull out drawer and two sections for coat/storage closet, we just have to decide on how it will look. What do you think? Painted white, light oak wood like our floors or darker stained wood?
Option A - Painted White
Option B - Light Oak Wood (same as our floors)
Option C - Darker Stained Wood (same as our vestibule)
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