I don’t know how many times I’ve said this over the years, but it remains as true today as ever. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in an idea, and while my comments section can often feel like I’m drinking from a fire hydrant with all the ideas being shared with me (which I love, but it can also be a bit overwhelming). sometimes ), sometimes it’s a single comment that catches my attention and really makes me think in a new direction.
And that’s exactly what happened when Phoebe made a suggestion about the combo closet room and laundry area I’ll be building in the current guest room. She suggested I divide the room into two separate areas so we could have a separate closet and a separate laundry area.
That’s an idea I had already considered, but had thrown it out because, in my opinion, one room (presumably the laundry room) could be accessed through the current door that enters the room from the hallway, and the other area (presumably the closet). It would require a new door from our future bedroom to that separate area. I shared this idea a while ago and it looked like this…
I had considered that option very seriously, and had even talked to Matt about it, but for some reason he is adamant about not building a wall in that room, and especially not putting a door from the bedroom to that room. I don’t know why he’s so adamant about it, but he is. And since he makes so few requests when it comes to this house, I pay attention when he really is adamant about something, even if I don’t understand their reasoning. And since then, I’ve been really excited about having a comfy little reading area where the closet door should be anyway. With that idea in mind, I left out the two-bedroom option and really stuck with the reading area idea, so I don’t want to give up on that now.
All that to say, when this idea was presented, I didn’t really consider it. I dismissed it immediately and explained why I couldn’t and didn’t want to do it. Phoebe explained that this wasn’t what she envisioned and sent an email to explain her idea in more detail. I wasn’t suggesting completely closing the two areas off from each other, and I wasn’t suggesting putting a door from the bedroom to the new closet space (which, for some reason, is the part Matt really objects to). And she sent me this drawing…
I was intrigued. Her design still showed a wall separating the two areas, and she knew Matt wasn’t crazy about that idea. But I thought that maybe, since it didn’t require a door from the bedroom to the separate part of the room (the part labeled Laundry Room), he might be okay with it. So I started playing with the arrangement.
What I realized very quickly is that this plan wouldn’t even require me to build a wall. You could literally use the closets, arranged in two “U” arrangements and secured to the floor and ceiling, to divide the room into two spaces.
At first, I had a hard time getting everything to fit because I was still determined to use the 23-inch-deep IKEA cabinets for both areas. Wrapping such deep cabinets around the corners creates a lot of wasted space, so with four wasted corners, you weren’t actually gaining storage space by having more wall space available. Everything you would gain with more wall space you would lose with the corners.
So I headed to Pinterest and Houzz (my two go-to resources when I need quick inspiration) to look for closet inspiration, and realized that most closets don’t use 23-inch-deep frames. Most closet systems are only 14 to 16 inches deep. The only reason you would need 23-inch deep closets is if you want to put doors on them and have everything closed from the inside. But if you don’t use doors, there’s really no need for such deep frames.
This is what I’m talking about. This is an image from Home Depot’s Custom Closet Systems page. You can see that the hanging clothes are protruding from the frames of the shelves and drawers. Those frames are only about 14 inches deep.
And there’s no need for them to be deeper since there are no doors in the frames, and hanging clothes don’t need to be completely contained within those frames. And having shallower shelves makes more sense to me. I had a hard time imagining storing my folded shoes, sweaters, or purses on 23-inch-deep shelves. It seemed like a lot of wasted space. And the good news is that when you reduce the depth from 23 inches to 14 inches, the corners become usable. You can build usable corner shelves in 14-inch deep frames without taking up a lot of space within the room, so no storage space is wasted.
So with all this new inspiration, I started from square one with the room. I started out trying to make the 14-inch-deep IKEA cabinets work, but since they only come in three widths, size limitations became an issue. Also, the main size you would need for this new design to work (the 14″D x 29.5″W) is the size they have been out of stock for several months and there is no indication of when you will receive it. Deeper. I can’t base my entire design on something that may or may not be available when I’m ready to start the room. And they didn’t fit perfectly anyway. It was more of a “It’s the closest to what I need so I can probably make it work.” type of situation.
So in the end, I decided that the way to squeeze every inch of usable storage space out of this room is to build it myself from scratch. With that in mind, I designed, modified, moved things, and modified some more, until I came up with what I think is the perfect plan based on Phoebe’s original idea. This gives me quite a bit more closet storage than my original idea and separates the laundry area from the closet area. And best of all, going from 23-inch deep frames to 14-inch deep frames leaves room for a small island in the middle of the closet area, which not only gives me more drawer space, but It also gives me a counter to fold clothes right out of the dryer. So here’s the new plan…
I am very excited about this new plan. I stay awake at night and dream about it. I can’t wait to get started! You can compare it to the previous plan below. I was able to make the above plan with IKEA planners, which offers a 3D view of the plan. I couldn’t make the new plan in the IKEA 3D planner because it doesn’t allow you to place the Pax cabinets anywhere other than lined up on a wall. Anyway, here’s the old plan, which only used the two long walls of the room. This was the laundry side:
And this was the side of the closet:
The new plan calls for a stacked washer and dryer, but I’m okay with that. I mean, I’m only five feet tall, which means I’m used to things in life being a little uncomfortable for me. When I had my old washer and dryer (before I bought the current ones), I had to use a step stool to take things out of the washer. Constant little inconveniences are just a way of life when you’re only five feet tall, so I’m used to it. So if I have to use a step stool to get things out of my dryer, it won’t be any worse than my old washing machine.
Side note: As I was finishing writing this post, the entry guys showed up!!! They weren’t scheduled to be here until Monday, but they finished their latest project early and came right away to get started. WOOOOOO!!!! They will start today at the back of the driveway (the back section of the driveway behind my shop and the ramp to the shop) and then work their way to the front of the property. So at the end of the day today, you may have a ramp, but most of the progress will still be made next week. But at least there is progress, and sooner than expected! How often does THAT happen?
UPDATE: The washer and dryer in the new layout are on an outside wall. That’s the part of the room that sticks out beyond the front wall of the living room and the front wall of the master bedroom. There was originally a window there, but we had it closed.
ANOTHER UPDATE:
Okay, okay! I hear you all! I promise, I hear you. I made another floor plan that shows a side by side washer and dryer with upper cabinets instead of stacking the washer and dryer. This would also include a countertop over the washer and dryer, which I didn’t show in the drawing.
I also love the ideas of a door between the two areas, like I did with my music room doors (i.e. sliding doors that aren’t actually sliding doors), and the locking rolling island idea in case that you need the washer and dryer outside. All great ideas!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 upper that my husband Matt and I purchased in 2013. Matt has MS and can’t do physical labor, so I do most of the work in the house alone. You can learn more about me here.
