Opened or closed storage units

Sunset, April, 1985

How does an architect store his own books, papers, and drawing supplies? Using materials left over from the construction of his house, San Francisco architect Glenn Lym put a 7- by 8-foot storage unit at each end of his study. One unit forms a giant shadow box of open shelves; the other forms a grid of cabinets.

For the open shelves, Lym used 1-by-10s faced with 3/8-inch birch plywood. To achieve a uniform look, he made each opening 18 inches square. The unit sits on a 6-by-10 beam that spans the width of the room and rests on 1-by-6 baseboards. Though the unit appears to float above the floor, it's secured to the rear wall studs with L-brackets.

For the cabinets, Lym built a box frame out of 3/4-inch plywood, then bolted it to studs; doors are 3/8-inch plywood. Another section of 6-by-10 beam was screwed to the bottom of the cabinet, creating the feeling that this unit is also floating.

Finished units received coats of paint.