Storage walls: built-ins can make a home efficient and spacious - Home

Sunset, Jan, 2003 by Mary Jo Bowling

Single walls that are dedicated to cabinets, closets, and shelves save time, space, and even money. "Locating storage in a central place means the family need only go to one space to find something rather than digging through three," says architect Rebecca Schnier. "Built-ins also save space and money by taking the place of multiple pieces of furniture."

The challenge is to keep a storage wall from looking like a bank of closed cabinets. The following examples show how homeowners successfully centralized storage.

Along a spine

Nancy Cantwell's 1,200-square-foot home in Los Angeles feels spacious because of the clever reassignment of storage. Architect Aleks Istanbullu created a 30-inch-wide "storage spine" that runs nearly the length of the house and acts as a divider between public and private spaces. All storage closets, cabinets, and drawers are located here.

"Originally the house was a series of small rooms that had no cohesive sense," says Istanbullu. "There was a little storage here and there, scattered around. By locating storage for her stereo equipment, CDs, and clothes together in a single unit, we were able to create the equivalent of two walk-in closets." Freeing perimeter walls of cabinets gives Cantwell more room for furniture and art.

DESIGN: Aleks Istanbullu Architects, Santa Monica (310/450-8246)

Multipurpose wall *

Architect Steven House designed the storage wall in this home to serve two purposes: One side marks the entry and screens the interior from people standing at the front door. The other side faces the dining room and holds cabinets and open shelving. This gives the homeowners room to store linens and platters close to where they will be used. It also anchors the dining area, making it a distinct room in an open floor plan.

DESIGN: House + House Architects, San Francisco (415/474-2112)

Microwave center and more *

The owner of this Seattle kitchen is an avid chef, with a large collection of cookware and plates. Architect Kyle Gaffney's objective was to organize and prioritize the storage. The wall provides a place to store items not used every day and holds a microwave above an open shelf.

"The open section is important," says Gaffney. "It gives cooks a convenient place to put things they are taking out of the microwave."

DESIGN: SKB Architects, Seattle (206/903-0575)

* Under the stairs

In this family room, the homeowners required space for a TV, stereo, toys, and art. To make it work, architect Rebecca Schnier looked to the stepped Japanese tansu for inspiration. She used the space underneath the stairs for cabinets, drawers, and closets. "The low cabinets are for their daughter's toys and games. They are easy for her to reach," says Schnier. "Right now, the tall closet holds more toys, but later a desk could be put in there."

DESIGN: Rebecca Schnier Architects, Oakland, CA (510/836-5600)

RELATED ARTICLE: Storage wall strategies

Break it up. All of the units shown here have integrated open displays for art and objects. Leaving a small space in the storage wall makes it decorative as well as functional. To further highlight ornamental elements, many designers use contrasting colors and install lighting in the open display shelves.

Vary colors and lines. Schnier says a good way to avoid a locker-room look is to break up the lines and colors along the wall. For example, she utilized two complementary tones of wood on her tansu-inspired storage wall. Schnier also played with the lines of drawers and doors, designing them to align in interesting and unusual ways.