Squeezing in a desk … and storage - built in furniture

Sunset, Feb, 1991

You could call it a pocket desk: bookshelves, drawers, and a writing surface were built into the wall to save space. Cabinetmaker Elliot Apatov designed the cherry-wood desk for a compact bedroom where every inch counts. He took advantage of the fact that behind his bedroom wall is a stairway leading down to the garage.

This stairway contained ample left-over space for overhead storage. To make the desk, Mr. Apatov cut a 4- by 5-foot hole in the nonbearing wall between bedroom and stairwell, framed in a header and sill, and installed a plywood box that spans the stairwell. Drawers and shelves fit into this 42-inch-high box-bridge, which maintains a head clearance of 7 feet 8 inches above the stairs. The box contains three additional shelves-accessible by ladder from the stairway for towel and linen storage. Set 40 inches above the floor, the laminate-topped writing board or "desktop" can extend 24 inches on its maple tracks. It's faced in cherry to match the detailing of the rest of the cabinet. Both sets of drawers can be removed for more shelf space. Mr. Apatov took his inspiration from the built-in cabinetry often found in Craftsman-era bungalows.