Asko Washer
Expert space planners are fond of saying that you can get space to stretch. They look at raw rooms and pen layouts that satisfy a specific function economically, in terms of how much real estate will be swallowed. Realize that the secret to this hinges upon compromise on your part and re-evaluation of how little you can get by having.
One favorite way to get limited space to serve you better is to coax the ordinary closet to function at a much higher level. The most obvious way for a closet to work harder is to get a professional closet organizer to outfit the old closet. When you provide double pole hanging you are able to double the storage capacity. Notice too that any built-in shelves or pull-out drawers generally are taken clear up to the ceiling so that not an inch is wasted. Often this necessitates tearing out the 12″ to 18″ or so of drywall above the present closet door opening in order to easily access the entire cavity space.
Another way to expand the storage is to divide the closet in half: One side for clothes and the other for another purpose. It might be a built-in desk for homework that occupies the second half. Other uses for one-half of a closet could be a coffee bar in a master bedroom, a storage closet for sports gear, or built-in files. Our example coaxes more use out of a closet that was intended for a stacking washer/dryer unit. These are most common in condos, town homes, and apartments. The beauty of this particular arrangement rests on the appliance selected to perform double duty: A combination washing machine and clothes dryer.
Made by ASKO this appliance offers full features in half of the typical space. It is only
23.5″ wide and 23.625″ deep. While perhaps not the most efficient selection for a family of four, this type of unit works great for one to two people. Most beneficial in this setting is the fact that the space above the unit now can be devoted to laundry supplies and a convenient linen closet. Therefore the space that the old linen closet occupies might now be allocated for another type of storage in the household.
Sometimes this sort of shift in storage inches and feet demands that you do some purging. When I remodeled and took away half of my spacious linen closet, I also removed old towels and sheets. I voluntarily limited myself to three sets of sheets for my bed, and two for the guest bedroom. Each room has a set of flannel sheets for the winter and soft, high thread count for the summer. I bought four wonderful large bath sheets for the master bathroom and four new bath towels for the guest. Along with wash cloths and about fifteen small hand towels, that is the extent of my linen supply. We wash towels often and when the towels get worn, I’ll replace them.
In my situation, the shrunken linen closet allowed us to create another walk-in closet. Closets sometimes are transformed into home offices. Because there is height over-head, shelves can be custom built or installed from modular kits. There is room for a fax machine, printer and scanner, telephone, and generally a decent size work surface. Most people desire that the work area be closed off when not in use and this is easily
accomplished in a variety of manners.
Sliding doors that pocket back into a wall are great because you can get the doors to totally push out of the way. Bi-fold doors work well too when there is room to one side for the doors to stack. You might also use a curtain on a rod if you prefer a less austere way to close the utilitarian area off from sight. A former closet can also morph into a wine tasting area complete with an under-the-counter type wine chiller and cubbies made to store the red wine. If positioned near the back or front door, a closet of four to six feet in length might be transformed into a compact mud-room with hooks for jackets, cubbies for the kids’ backpacks, the family fax and message center.
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