There are areas in your home, most likely that have some wasted space. many times you aren’t even given the opportunity to use those spaces. The most widely wasted space inside a home is under a set of stairs. The builder/designer may add a closet, it may have a bit of sloped ceiling, but they usually block off all that other space under the stairs. That space is incredibly useful. My kids and I spent many a night under the stairs in our old home after returning from Salt Lake City to a Tornado Zone in Memphis. The sirens would go off and we’d climb under the stairs. Part of it was opened, yet unfinished, so the kids would crawl into the “short” area with their sleeping bags, blankies, and stuffed animals. The dogs and I would sit on the carpeted area of what was our pantry. This was a fabulous use of our “under” stairs wasted footage.
Another great space is ABOVE the stairs in a 2-story home. (See the picture below.) The Investment Home I’m currently building had a bunch of very useful area above the staircase which was at the back of a small closet. SO, I simply had the builder omit the back wall of the closet and build several shelves over the stairs to flatten out the usable area. NOW what was going to be about a 4′ wide x 3′ deep closet is still 4′ wide, but about 6′-6″ or more deep! This is a KID’s room!!! Just think of all the things the family living here could do with this closet! A little girl might make it a doll house. (There is a window up high on the left wall). Mom could do double rods in this closet and put those “don’t fit yet” clothes up high, and shelving down low for all those toys.
I maintain, I’d rather have a huge closet and a tiny bedroom so that all my “stuff” has a home out of the sight of guests.
In a kid’s room, I’d love to have a small walk-in closet if at all possible. Let’s pretend for a moment we have a 6′ wide by 4′ deep closet. The door would be on the 6′ wall. On one side, I would do double rods (or triple rods depending on the age/size of the child) so that all their clothes could hang nicely. Clothes that fit, lowest, especially if the child is old enough to pick out their own clothes. In the upper would be the “still too big” clothes to be used next summer and the “too small” clothes, saving up for a good garage sale. On the opposite wall I’d have shelves floor to ceiling. The shoes would have a home and the toys would too. On the upper shelves would be the things I need in the child’s room, but I don’t necessarily want the child getting into. Keepsakes, breakables, toys that have been confiscated because the child refuses to take turns, etc.
If there is a PLACE to put everything, the room CAN be cleaned. If there isn’t a closet big enough to hold all the toys, the floor of the bedroom will be forever cluttered, or the under-side of the bed will be nonexistent!
