6 minute read
INTERIOR DESIGN
Space and stuff have a complicated relationship. Most of us lack the former and have way too much of the latter. And lake cabins, retirement homes, and historic homes can take the storage crunch to extremes.
So for real-life storage solutions, we went to the experts. We asked Kelli Wegscheid, AIA, architect/owner of Harmonious Architecture in Perham and Jody Keppers, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, and licensed architect of Keppers Design Architecture in Duluth for advice on how to make the most of the space we have, whether we’re remodeling or building new.
WHAT’S THE MOST COMMON STORAGE RE-DO WHEN A FAMILY REMODELS A CABIN? Wegscheid: In remodels, most often there is a tiny kitchen. They’re remodeling a kitchen and dining room into a very large kitchen with an eat-in island, so there’s room for multiple people to cook at one time.
HOW CAN WE ADD MORE KITCHEN STORAGE? Wegscheid: The cabinetry under the kitchen island adds a lot more storage. I also recommend taking over any close-by closets as a pantry. It doesn’t have to be big; even two feet wide by two feet deep is enough to store additional paper products you don’t want to run out of for big group gatherings. People have a lot of items like slow cookers and large serving plates that they need for the holidays, but that they don’t use the rest of the time.
Keppers: Run the kitchen cabinets all the way up to the ceiling, even if you have the taller 9 or 10-foot ceilings that are popular today. It’s great for those seasonal items that you only bring out for the holidays. Also, it eliminates a horizontal surface that tends to accumulate dust. HOW CAN WE MAKE A KITCHEN OR PANTRY LOOK LESS CLUTTERED? Keppers: Doors on cabinets. For example, those open shelves that are popular in kitchens these days are great if you have an artistic flair and items worthy of display. But garden-variety dishes will likely just be clutter.
Also, utilizing roll-outs instead of doors at kitchen lower cabinets, makes it easy to access the whole depth of the cabinets. Items stored in the back don’t get lost in the clutter.
Consider using tall narrow roll-outs in kitchen pantry cabinets. It is an ideal way to access shallow items like canned goods in a deep cabinet, and all the labels are right up front and easy to see.
WHAT’S AN EASY WAY TO KEEP KITCHEN COUNTERS CLEAR? Wegscheid: When people come over, they want to take their purse out of the car and into the house, and lay their phones and their sunglasses on the table – and the kitchen clutters up. It’s nice to have a hallway drop zone that’s near the kitchen but not in the kitchen that’s kind of the designated phone jail or electronics area.
WHICH ROOMS OR ZONES PRESENT THE BIGGEST SPACE CHALLENGES FOR YOUR CLIENTS? Keppers: The living room is often a challenge because it serves so many functions and links to so many other spaces in modern open room formats. You may have three features competing for attention. Will the TV, the fireplace, or the window view be the most important? It’s vital to have a direct connection to the kitchen and dining areas - and possibly a deck too - but you need to also have space for furniture so people can sit!
WHAT ROOMS FEEL LIKE WASTED SPACE, BUT CAN ACTUALLY PULL DOUBLE DUTY? Wegscheid: A lot of people would say that we don’t need a dining room, we eat outside. And I’ll say, yes that might have been the case with your seasonal cabin, but as you’re here more in the winter, it might not only be an eating space — it might be a game table or a place to put together a puzzle on a rainy day, too.
Some people think they can just get rid of the table altogether. But in a new lake home, I would still recommend a table space, even if it’s small. Maybe incorporate it into an eat-in kitchen, but don’t get rid of it altogether. A dining room doesn’t have to be big or formal, but at least having a table space somewhere is good.
WHAT STORAGE SPACE DO YOU MOST RECOMMEND TO CLIENTS? Wegscheid: It’s important to have room to create some type of mudroom because as people are doing more water sports and activities, they need room for the beach towels, snowmobile helmets, and all of the flip-flops. So whether that’s a closet or a bench or hooks, you need somewhere you can house all that gear for all the activities, especially if you’re there all year long.
Keppers: Cubbies in the mudroom. Each person has their own space for coats and boots, and the regularity of the cubbies gives structure to the space. A drop zone counter just inside the mudroom door provides a great space for putting keys or that bag of groceries while you organize yourself on the way into the house.
Photo Supplied by: Harmonious Architecture
WHAT ARE SOME EASY STORAGE SOLUTIONS WE CAN BUILD INTO OUR HOMES IF WE’RE BUILDING NEW? Keppers: Be thoughtful about your space planning. Cluster functions so that you minimize hallways.
Use the space under the stairs. It can be awkwardly shaped, but it’s great for luggage and other seldom-used items.
Built-ins are a good way to combine functions. For example, a window seat can combine the functions of seating to appreciate a view, a comfy and sunny day bed, and provide storage underneath. HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE SPACE IN BEDROOMS IN A NEW BUILD? Wegscheid: Minimize closets and maximize sleeping space. I try to design bedrooms that fit one queen bed and one twin bed so a whole family could stay in a bedroom if needed. The twin bed might change from a crib to a bunk bed over time, so on the rare occasion when you have a full house, like on the Fourth of July or on other holidays, an entire family of four could fit in a bedroom.
We’ve also done a lot of bunkrooms. They seem cool to the kids and you can fit a lot of kids in them. For example, one bunkroom has three sets of bunk beds, so six kids can fit inside. Another has two queen beds with a twin over each one, so they can fit two sets of grown-ups in a queen with a twin bed above each one. That sleeps six, too.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SMALL SPACE SOLUTIONS THAT HOMEOWNERS OFTEN OVERLOOK? Keppers: Use a hot roof or parallel chord trusses on the upper level of a home. This turns cold, unusable attic space into habitable space — you can actually use all the space under the roof! Sloped ceilings make room forms more dramatic. And it creates opportunities for storage at the edges of the rooms.
Creating more storage space doesn’t have to be complicated. By maximizing the space we already have and thoughtfully designing or remodeling new places to stash and stow our goods and gear, we can make sure every square inch of our house or cabin is used as efficiently as possible. L&H
