A few questions come up again and again in our client meetings. In our first blog post ever, we will try and tackle one of them.
The first is "IS A WALK IN CLOSET, OR WALK IN PANTRY NECESSARY IN TODAY'S HOME"?
As we all design our dream homes in our head, there are a few elements that come to mind that seem luxurious, sophisticated & that we feel would just take our spaces to the next level.
For a lot of clients that seems to be the walk-in pantry.
If you're having trouble picturing what I'm describing, picture a drywalled, often angled and nestled into the corner of the kitchen, with a frosted glass door seen again again in kitchen's of the 90's, complete with wire shelves lined with boxes of dried goods & bins of potato's and onions.
Although the ability to allocate this much space is a sign of luxury and abundance, and I'm all for a "buttlers pantry" complete with a second sink, dishwasher, coffee station etc., the typical pantry (normally about 3' x 3' ) is a waste of space (in my opinion) and here's why:
- In a drywalled pantry, you are allocating the majority of the space for you to step in to, to grab the items you need. This means that you're using all of that functional usable storage space to allow for your body to take up space.
-Because much more than a 12" deep shelf is difficult to reach to the back of, you generally only have that much space along the wall. Picture wire shelves from floor to ceiling.
So here's the alternative:
FULL HEIGHT CABINETS WITH PULL-OUT SHELVES & ROLL-OUT DRAWERS
-These units range from as narrow as 12" wide to repeated units and full walls of full height storage.
-They are generally 24" deep
-They come with a ton of different storage options, all contained within one unit. Drawers, pull-out shelves, bins. They can be pull-out so when standing behind the unit you have full access to the items at the very back of the shelf.
-Full-height cabinets are a beautiful, simple feature that tie in with the rest of the cabinetry in the kitchen. There's no having to try and tie the design of the hinged door into the design of the kitchen.
Apply the same idea's and principals to the walk-in closet, and you realize how much space is wasted by requiring floor space within the closet. If you're tight on space, eliminate it and go for wardrobes. Ikea makes an amazing line called PAX, that is beautiful and super functional and customizable.
The walk-in closet differs though, as it's one of the features people really fall for when looking at a home. The island for shoes and jewelry, a bench to sit on while you slip your pumps on, the rows and rows of hanging space, and drawers to store seasonal items. If you've got the space, in this case, go for it.
I'd love to hear how you feel about these to items. Necessary or not?
Do you have any other design specific questions that nag at you? Let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.