Sunset Makeover: 5 Ways to Create Smart Storage
Five ways to make cabinetry and shelving work harder—and look mighty good while doing so.
The living room at the 2015 Sunset Idea House in Denver, featuring a custom unit by Jonas DiCaprio of
1. Make it entertaining central
Built-in furniture was often used to divide rooms in midcentury homes. So at the 2015 Sunset Idea House—a remodel of a 1950s ranch style in Denver— Design Platform‘s Jonas DiCaprio created a massive custom unit that functions as a media cabinet in the living room (top image). On the entry side, it’s an armoire for coats; on the kitchen side (above), it’s a wine bar worthy of the set of Mad Men.
2. Organize a mudroom
For this family cabin on Washington’s Lake Chelan, Seattle architectural firm Bosworth Hoedemaker and interior designer Amy Baker knew carving out spaces for communal storage was key. So they turned a long hallway on the main level into a combination mudroom, pantry, and linen closet with a well-organized system of cabinets and cubbies. True to the home’s purpose as a vacation retreat, the mudroom area (above) includes a high shelf for hats, hooks for towels, niches for carryalls, and low shelving for flip-flops.
3. Install a book display
You’re a city-dwelling couple in a compact one-bedroom apartment. Then baby arrives—now what? Instead of fleeing for the suburbs, design editor Erin Feher Montoya and her woodworker husband, Danny, worked small-space solutions into their 500-square-foot San Francisco abode. Rather than take up more of the living area’s footprint with a large freestanding bookcase, Danny designed a series of floating boxes to store the family’s book collection. The boxes are mounted on the wall as an extension of the gallery wall above the sofa; a library ladder allows access to the highest boxes.
4. Go up in the kitchen
With 12-foot-high ceilings and relatively tight quarters for cooking, Erin Feher Montoya and her husband chose an adjustable shelving system commonly used in restaurants to extend their storage capacity upward. The open metal shelves echo the industrial mood of the couple’s loft and—bonus!—are affordable; E-Z Shelving‘s custom systems start at $800.
