I enjoy visiting model homes both on behalf of current and future clients — as well as to get inspiration for design. My favorite discoveries always involve the creative use of space. Here are some cool examples of how to utilize small spaces and nooks…as well as to re-purpose space to suit your needs.
Being a wine lover, I especially liked how one basement made room for this wine bar. It’s a perfect space in which to host friends for a wine tasting night or simply an area to gather for pre-dinner drinks.
Another cool idea — if you have a significant inventory of wines but don’t have a proper wine cellar to store them in — is to incorporate your wine storage into the decor of the room. Of course, this probably isn’t ideal for wines that need to be stored at specific temperatures or that you’re interested in “aging” properly. But it’s certainly a fun way to display “ready to drink” wines or even empty bottles with sentimental value.
Then there’s the most utilitarian space — the “drop zone” or “mud room.” This is something I wish we had. We have done what we can with our small laundry room inside the garage entrance, putting in shoe racks and hooks for jackets, but I prefer the cubby or locker-style set up like this, if you have the room. It gives everyone their own individual space and keeps things from ending up all over the floor.
An equally useful way to use a “drop zone,” laundry room, or area off the garage — especially if you have pets — is to add a doggie shower. I’ve seen this quite a few times lately and love how it keeps pet messes from getting tracked in the house AND reserves the bathtubs and showers for the humans in the home!
As you know, home office space has been at a premium since the pandemic forced almost everyone into a new work-from-home and virtual schooling routine. I love how one model home utilized this top level “loft” space as a home office with His and Hers sides of the desk.
Here’s another way to keep costs down and make creative use of space (again, in a loft area upstairs)…hang shelving on one wall to provide desk, storage, and display space.
But my personal favorite reminds me of Harry Potter’s infamous “cupboard under the stairs.” Why not utilize this nook — typically wasted space — for a cozy desk for paying bills, catching up on email, or even as a quiet space for a child to focus away from more distracting open spaces in the home? Similarly, in our home, we actually repurposed one of the two large double closets in our older son’s bedroom into a study nook, removing the sliding doors and having a carpenter build a desk with file drawers on either side and shelving (and lighting) above.
And if you have a bedroom with a nook you find hard to decorate around, you may be able to make use of that space for the bed itself…giving it a feel of a rustic sanctuary.
If you have a home project in mind and would like some contractor recommendations, give either Kris or me a call!
