There are many different types of closet doors to choose from. The choice of closet door will depend upon the type of closet, individual taste, budget and available space.
Originally closet doors resembled the door to the room but on a slightly smaller scale. If the entry way to the room had an eight raised panel door then the closet tended to have a slightly smaller eight raised panel door. If the entrance had a 4 four raised panel door then the closet had a slightly smaller four raised panel door and so on. The nature of these doors only allowed narrow access to the closet and these closets didn't lend themselves to accommodating a closet organizer at all. This seemed to be the trend until at least the middle of the 1950s.
As homes became larger so did closets. Bedroom closets transformed from small cupboards off the side of a room to extending for almost the entire length or width of the room. The standard bedroom closet became almost six feet long. to accommodate these newer and longer closets in new home construction, builders started to install two section folding doors that ran along upper and lower tracks. At the very best, these doors were functional. At the worst they were ugly, track popping hollow core pieces of veneer.
The 1970s and 1980s saw the introduction of sliding mirror closet doors into closet design. Initially these were a big hit. A great deal of new construction included sliding mirror doors for closets. This type of door provided two distinct benefits. First and foremost, mirrored closet doors make rooms look much larger. This was an enormous benefit when it came to bedrooms in apartment condo complexes that were built with an economy of space. The second advantage were the doors provided full length mirrors that are always desirable in bedrooms.
The past two decades have seen the introduction of french doors and pocket doors into closet design. The benefit of french doors on closets is questionable in my opinion and I never recommend their inclusion. The closet would have to be pristine for french doors to work. Pocket doors have the great benefit of space saving. A pocket door allows for the construction of a completely functional closet in a very small space. The installation of pocket doors must be done by someone familiar with pocket doors but the added cost of labour can be well worth the result.
There are many different types of closet doors to choose from. Wander through your local building supply store when trying to decide what closet doors are best for you.
Wednesday 23 September 2009
How Do I Start to Design a Closet?
How to start designing a closet is a question that professional closet designers are frequently asked. It may well be one of the more important questions that we are asked. As the old saying goes "if you don't start on the right road you may never get to the right destination".
The first thing to think about when you are designing a closet is what purposes you want the closet to serve. This may sound simple but there are a multitude of purposes for a single closet. Ask yourself these questions and think carefully about the answers:
1. are you designing a walk in closet ?
2. is it a daily use closet?
3. is it for long term storage?
4. are you designing a closet for shoes or other specific items?
5. do you intend to store camping equipment or other sports gear?
6. does the closet require a make up table or a dressing table?
7. Do you want a closet design for personal use or will the closet be shared by the whole family?
8. do you intend to design a child friendly closet?
As your self these questions and many more and eventually you will have narrowed the the focus of the closet and appropriately defined the purposes of the closet.
Without a defined purpose a closet is simply an empty box. Sure, you can install a few shelves and a hanging rod to create a generic closet. Without knowing the purpose of the closet it will just be a guess when it comes to shelf placement, etc. Once the specific purposes of the closet have been identified then you will have an easier time designing the organizational components of the closet.
If you are asking yourself, "How do I design a closet?" you are taking an important first step towards achieving a great closet design. The thinking and planning part of the process should start and finish before the actual physical and tangible work begins.
The first thing to think about when you are designing a closet is what purposes you want the closet to serve. This may sound simple but there are a multitude of purposes for a single closet. Ask yourself these questions and think carefully about the answers:
1. are you designing a walk in closet ?
2. is it a daily use closet?
3. is it for long term storage?
4. are you designing a closet for shoes or other specific items?
5. do you intend to store camping equipment or other sports gear?
6. does the closet require a make up table or a dressing table?
7. Do you want a closet design for personal use or will the closet be shared by the whole family?
8. do you intend to design a child friendly closet?
As your self these questions and many more and eventually you will have narrowed the the focus of the closet and appropriately defined the purposes of the closet.
Without a defined purpose a closet is simply an empty box. Sure, you can install a few shelves and a hanging rod to create a generic closet. Without knowing the purpose of the closet it will just be a guess when it comes to shelf placement, etc. Once the specific purposes of the closet have been identified then you will have an easier time designing the organizational components of the closet.
If you are asking yourself, "How do I design a closet?" you are taking an important first step towards achieving a great closet design. The thinking and planning part of the process should start and finish before the actual physical and tangible work begins.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Kitchen Pantry Design
A kitchen pantry is just a big closet. When you think of it like that, the lack of common kitchen pantries seem indefensible. What other room in your house has so many different things and different sized things that need to be stored?
When I was younger I had the opportunity to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in a 1940s style Art Deco former residential hotel. It was grand and lovely. It had every thing from a service entrance to a six story grand atrium which all of the apartments overlooked. The rooms were all over sized and the ceilings were high. I lived in this apartment for at least 6 or 7 years, maybe more. One of the things I loved about this apartment was the walk-in pantry off of the kitchen. It was a small 5 sided room, approximately 3 feet by 5 feet, with an odd 18 inch by 18 inch window on the wall facing the door with opaque glass.
My first pantry was very simple. There were 4 or 5 shelves on the left hand side and a few less shelves on the window wall facing the door. The shelves were a bit shallow but it was a perfect place to store tins and boxes and baking supplies. It was also a good spot to keep my mop and broom and a bucket.
After having a kitchen pantry it's hard to live in a space without one. I have developed an interest in kitchen pantry design and try to peek into as many different pantries as possible. I keep learning about more and more kitchen pantry ideas.
Around the turn of the last century some kitchen pantries, particularly in farm houses, were very large and were used for food preparation as well as food storage. The pantries tended to be a separate room off the kitchen and were also used for cold storage. The pantries would have long chopping tables that also made for excellent work surfaces for pickling and making jams.
As families began to purchase more and more of their food items the space needed for preparation was reduced. By the 1920s and 1930s, the average pantry was reduced to a large closet and as time marched on pantries were completely eliminated from new house design.
It was not really until the advent of modern kitchen design that the kitchen pantry enjoyed a bit of a renaissance.
I was visiting friends who have rented a luxury villa over looking the bay of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. Their house is simply gorgeous and a perfect place for them to live while they are building their own equally gorgeous home. As always I had a peak around for a kitchen pantry.
Behind one of the doors of the bank of 9 foot high built in cupboards was a small pantry. This pantry was not used for food storage at all. It seemed to be a bit of a clean up closet. There was a large stainless steel sink, stainless counter top, and a large stainless garbage can. It was a mini-prep area disguised as a kitchen cupboard. The beauty of this pantry is that temporary clean up can happen with the closing of a cupboard door. I was paused by the genius of this idea. In an age of open concept kitchen/living areas, it is often difficult to hid the food preparation mess while entertaining. The host could excuse himself to do some dishes or clean up but this is often met with protests from the guests. In this case the hosts simply shuts a door and doesn't think of the mess until the guests have left. Brilliant.
When designing a kitchen pantry you should think of it like you would any other closet. Try to think about what purposes yo want the pantry to serve. Is it simply for storage or would you like to accomplish different things with the pantry. Do you like the idea of having a butler's pantry for your fine china and flatware? Do your homework. Research different styles of kitchen pantry organization. There are a number of companies that offer shelving, work tops etc for a kitchen pantry. I came across a funky website that can give you some ideas about kitchen pantries. Also check out the Kitchen and Pantry Storage section of the Home Depot web site .
Plan your kitchen pantry carefully. With creative and clever ideas you will be amazed at what can be stored in the pantry and what you can do with the pantry. A well planned kitchen pantry is a great addition to any house.
When I was younger I had the opportunity to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in a 1940s style Art Deco former residential hotel. It was grand and lovely. It had every thing from a service entrance to a six story grand atrium which all of the apartments overlooked. The rooms were all over sized and the ceilings were high. I lived in this apartment for at least 6 or 7 years, maybe more. One of the things I loved about this apartment was the walk-in pantry off of the kitchen. It was a small 5 sided room, approximately 3 feet by 5 feet, with an odd 18 inch by 18 inch window on the wall facing the door with opaque glass.
My first pantry was very simple. There were 4 or 5 shelves on the left hand side and a few less shelves on the window wall facing the door. The shelves were a bit shallow but it was a perfect place to store tins and boxes and baking supplies. It was also a good spot to keep my mop and broom and a bucket.
After having a kitchen pantry it's hard to live in a space without one. I have developed an interest in kitchen pantry design and try to peek into as many different pantries as possible. I keep learning about more and more kitchen pantry ideas.
Around the turn of the last century some kitchen pantries, particularly in farm houses, were very large and were used for food preparation as well as food storage. The pantries tended to be a separate room off the kitchen and were also used for cold storage. The pantries would have long chopping tables that also made for excellent work surfaces for pickling and making jams.
As families began to purchase more and more of their food items the space needed for preparation was reduced. By the 1920s and 1930s, the average pantry was reduced to a large closet and as time marched on pantries were completely eliminated from new house design.
It was not really until the advent of modern kitchen design that the kitchen pantry enjoyed a bit of a renaissance.
I was visiting friends who have rented a luxury villa over looking the bay of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. Their house is simply gorgeous and a perfect place for them to live while they are building their own equally gorgeous home. As always I had a peak around for a kitchen pantry.
Behind one of the doors of the bank of 9 foot high built in cupboards was a small pantry. This pantry was not used for food storage at all. It seemed to be a bit of a clean up closet. There was a large stainless steel sink, stainless counter top, and a large stainless garbage can. It was a mini-prep area disguised as a kitchen cupboard. The beauty of this pantry is that temporary clean up can happen with the closing of a cupboard door. I was paused by the genius of this idea. In an age of open concept kitchen/living areas, it is often difficult to hid the food preparation mess while entertaining. The host could excuse himself to do some dishes or clean up but this is often met with protests from the guests. In this case the hosts simply shuts a door and doesn't think of the mess until the guests have left. Brilliant.
When designing a kitchen pantry you should think of it like you would any other closet. Try to think about what purposes yo want the pantry to serve. Is it simply for storage or would you like to accomplish different things with the pantry. Do you like the idea of having a butler's pantry for your fine china and flatware? Do your homework. Research different styles of kitchen pantry organization. There are a number of companies that offer shelving, work tops etc for a kitchen pantry. I came across a funky website that can give you some ideas about kitchen pantries. Also check out the Kitchen and Pantry Storage section of the Home Depot web site .
Plan your kitchen pantry carefully. With creative and clever ideas you will be amazed at what can be stored in the pantry and what you can do with the pantry. A well planned kitchen pantry is a great addition to any house.
Sunday 5 July 2009
Designing a Kitchen Pantry
Designing a kitchen pantry is one of my favorite topics. I love closet design and closet organization techniques and I love to cook. It is only natural that the combination of closet design in the kitchen would be irresistible to me.
When visiting friends or attending real estate open houses I always make an effort to peak into all of the closets and kitchen pantries that I come across. As an aside, visiting local area real estate open houses is a fantastic way to pick up new design ideas. Whether you are interested in interior design, interior decorating, closet organization, or kitchen pantry design open houses are a wealth of information and ideas. I pay particular attention to the open house ads that boast of complete renovations or completely renovated homes. If the open house ad mentions gourmet kitchen then it is a must see for me. The only downside is that you must undertake a little bit of a charade and pretend you are slightly interested in buying the house or at least interested in buying some sort of new dwelling in the next 12 months.
Getting back to how to design a kitchen pantry, the first thing you must consider are the functional goals of your new kitchen pantry. Are you designing a pantry for the purposes of storing food or unused appliances? This is the most common type of kitchen pantry and adds a great deal of convenience to your kitchen. This type of pantry allows you to see a great deal of items at eye level. As opposed to upper cabinets and lower cabinets, pantries tend to run from the floor to ceiling and permits storage in the thigh to nose range that is by far the most accessible area.
In the event you are designing your kitchen pantry for storage what types of things would you like to store in the pantry. Often people like to use the pantry for excess food items. The pantry provides spill over storage which allows people to stock up on non-perishable items that they might find on sale. If the purpose of the kitchen pantry is to only store food items then you need only be worried about shelving. You can install a number of shelves at different heights depending on the general heights or the cans and bottles etc you tend to buy most often. Remember to leave at least 3 inches of clearance over the stored items between shelves. For example, if you intend to have one shelf of the pantry devoted to cans of soup or stewed tomatoes you should measure the can (generally 5 inches) and add 3 inches. Therefore the next highest shelf should be at least 8 inches higher. You may want to install adjustable shelving in your kitchen pantry. The use of adjustable shelving means that you can be less careful in where you place the individual shelves.
If you have a walk-in kitchen pantry, you might want to consider installing a modular closet organization system. These are the same closet design systems that are used in walk in bedroom closets. You can pick an chose amongst the different components. In the case of a pantry you would want to forgo the hanging rods and add more shelving. Modular closet design systems come in a range of different prices. With a bit of homework you should be able to find one that fits within your budget. You can find different types of modular closet organizations systems at Canadian Tire.
Another type of pantry is called a functional kitchen pantry. Often people ask me about tips on designing and installing a functional kitchen pantry. Other people ask me "What is a functional kitchen pantry". This type of pantry is a pantry in which actually do certain tasks like chopping vegetables or rolling pastry. These pantries become mini work areas. The beauty of these self contained mini work areas is that can be closed off in the event of entertaining or they can be a centralized area to keep baking supplies and to prepare to make bake goods. A lot can be written about this type of pantry so I will save further information for another post.
In conclusion, designing a kitchen pantry is much like any other type of closet organization design. The first step is to determine the main purpose of the pantry or closet. Once you have determined specific goals and identified specific purposes then the design of your closet or kitchen pantry becomes relatively straight forward.
I am attaching a link to a site I find useful when it comes to kitchen pantries .
When visiting friends or attending real estate open houses I always make an effort to peak into all of the closets and kitchen pantries that I come across. As an aside, visiting local area real estate open houses is a fantastic way to pick up new design ideas. Whether you are interested in interior design, interior decorating, closet organization, or kitchen pantry design open houses are a wealth of information and ideas. I pay particular attention to the open house ads that boast of complete renovations or completely renovated homes. If the open house ad mentions gourmet kitchen then it is a must see for me. The only downside is that you must undertake a little bit of a charade and pretend you are slightly interested in buying the house or at least interested in buying some sort of new dwelling in the next 12 months.
Getting back to how to design a kitchen pantry, the first thing you must consider are the functional goals of your new kitchen pantry. Are you designing a pantry for the purposes of storing food or unused appliances? This is the most common type of kitchen pantry and adds a great deal of convenience to your kitchen. This type of pantry allows you to see a great deal of items at eye level. As opposed to upper cabinets and lower cabinets, pantries tend to run from the floor to ceiling and permits storage in the thigh to nose range that is by far the most accessible area.
In the event you are designing your kitchen pantry for storage what types of things would you like to store in the pantry. Often people like to use the pantry for excess food items. The pantry provides spill over storage which allows people to stock up on non-perishable items that they might find on sale. If the purpose of the kitchen pantry is to only store food items then you need only be worried about shelving. You can install a number of shelves at different heights depending on the general heights or the cans and bottles etc you tend to buy most often. Remember to leave at least 3 inches of clearance over the stored items between shelves. For example, if you intend to have one shelf of the pantry devoted to cans of soup or stewed tomatoes you should measure the can (generally 5 inches) and add 3 inches. Therefore the next highest shelf should be at least 8 inches higher. You may want to install adjustable shelving in your kitchen pantry. The use of adjustable shelving means that you can be less careful in where you place the individual shelves.
If you have a walk-in kitchen pantry, you might want to consider installing a modular closet organization system. These are the same closet design systems that are used in walk in bedroom closets. You can pick an chose amongst the different components. In the case of a pantry you would want to forgo the hanging rods and add more shelving. Modular closet design systems come in a range of different prices. With a bit of homework you should be able to find one that fits within your budget. You can find different types of modular closet organizations systems at Canadian Tire.
Another type of pantry is called a functional kitchen pantry. Often people ask me about tips on designing and installing a functional kitchen pantry. Other people ask me "What is a functional kitchen pantry". This type of pantry is a pantry in which actually do certain tasks like chopping vegetables or rolling pastry. These pantries become mini work areas. The beauty of these self contained mini work areas is that can be closed off in the event of entertaining or they can be a centralized area to keep baking supplies and to prepare to make bake goods. A lot can be written about this type of pantry so I will save further information for another post.
In conclusion, designing a kitchen pantry is much like any other type of closet organization design. The first step is to determine the main purpose of the pantry or closet. Once you have determined specific goals and identified specific purposes then the design of your closet or kitchen pantry becomes relatively straight forward.
I am attaching a link to a site I find useful when it comes to kitchen pantries .
Friday 5 June 2009
Closet Design
A good closet design is worth it's weight in gold. Not all closets are the same and each should be given some independent thought. This applies to all closets whether they are new construction, part of a renovation, or an existing closet that is about to have a face lift.
Properly organized closets with an effective closet design make your life easier. That is reason enough to start organizing all of your closets. With the proper organizational systems you can for once and for all know where everything is. You will no longer spend anguished mornings searching for your child's snowsuit on the day of first snow.
In my business, I tend to treat bedroom closets a bit differently than the closets located in other parts of the home. Even the lexicon is a bit different. A large closet in the bedroom is called a walk in closet. A large closet located in the kitchen is called a pantry.
If you have the luxury of planning your bedroom closets pre construction you can make a custom designed closet and include everything your heart desires. Have you always wanted special jewelery drawers? Or perhaps your closet could even include a dressing table. Look through some magazines or visit your friends houses to find interesting closet design ideas.
If designing your closet pre-construction, they first thing you need to decide is whether the closet will be a reach in closet or whether you have room for a walk in closet. Custom designed walk in closets will had a great deal of value to your house at re-sale. Accordingly, it might be wise to spend a bit more in initial construction to have a walk in closet. Also many walk in closets can also serve as entrance ways to the master en suite which is an added perk.
If you can afford the space you really should consider adding a walk in closet to the master bedroom. I have never had a client regret adding a walk in closet to the bedroom design but I have had many clients regret not including such a closet in their plans. Although including walk in closets in every bedroom would be a decadent treat it is not really necessary and would not increase the re sale value of the house as much as the master closet.
Another way to create value in your home is to create a pantry off of the kitchen. In my opinion, kitchen counters should be kept bare. Aside from a few simple things like a utensil crock completely empty kitchen counters have a better look. It's easier to keep stuff off your counter if you have a custom designed kitchen pantry. Kitchen pantries are my favorite type of closet to design and therefore I will devote an entire post to pantries in the coming weeks.
After considering bedroom closets and kitchen pantries, the remainder of a home's closets are generally found off of hallways. Although these closets tend to be smaller they are a very important part of the house storage system. In fact, I might even say that it is more important to properly organize small closets in order to make the most efficient use of a small space.
The considerations of designing an already existing closet are different. The foot print of the closet already exists and you must arrange the design to make the most effective use of an existent space. If you can only afford the time or money to organize one closet you should start with the front hall closet. Nothing is more frustrating that an over stuffed and poorly organized front hall closet. A good front hall closet design is critical as this is the closet that your family will likely use the most. Not only is the design lay out important but I suggest that you spend more on the closet hardware. This closet will be subject to more wear and tear than any other closet in your house. You will be happy that you spent a bit more and got good quality hinges and door runners. I grew up in a house that had a front hall closet door constantly off the track so i speak from experience.
Whatever closet you are thinking of designing or organizing the initial planning stages are crucial. If you feel at a loss in the planning stage consult with a professional closet consultant. Also great organizational ideas can be found on line of simply by walking the closet design aisles at Lowes or Home Depot or your local DIY store.
Take your closet design seriously and you will be glad that you did.
Properly organized closets with an effective closet design make your life easier. That is reason enough to start organizing all of your closets. With the proper organizational systems you can for once and for all know where everything is. You will no longer spend anguished mornings searching for your child's snowsuit on the day of first snow.
In my business, I tend to treat bedroom closets a bit differently than the closets located in other parts of the home. Even the lexicon is a bit different. A large closet in the bedroom is called a walk in closet. A large closet located in the kitchen is called a pantry.
If you have the luxury of planning your bedroom closets pre construction you can make a custom designed closet and include everything your heart desires. Have you always wanted special jewelery drawers? Or perhaps your closet could even include a dressing table. Look through some magazines or visit your friends houses to find interesting closet design ideas.
If designing your closet pre-construction, they first thing you need to decide is whether the closet will be a reach in closet or whether you have room for a walk in closet. Custom designed walk in closets will had a great deal of value to your house at re-sale. Accordingly, it might be wise to spend a bit more in initial construction to have a walk in closet. Also many walk in closets can also serve as entrance ways to the master en suite which is an added perk.
If you can afford the space you really should consider adding a walk in closet to the master bedroom. I have never had a client regret adding a walk in closet to the bedroom design but I have had many clients regret not including such a closet in their plans. Although including walk in closets in every bedroom would be a decadent treat it is not really necessary and would not increase the re sale value of the house as much as the master closet.
Another way to create value in your home is to create a pantry off of the kitchen. In my opinion, kitchen counters should be kept bare. Aside from a few simple things like a utensil crock completely empty kitchen counters have a better look. It's easier to keep stuff off your counter if you have a custom designed kitchen pantry. Kitchen pantries are my favorite type of closet to design and therefore I will devote an entire post to pantries in the coming weeks.
After considering bedroom closets and kitchen pantries, the remainder of a home's closets are generally found off of hallways. Although these closets tend to be smaller they are a very important part of the house storage system. In fact, I might even say that it is more important to properly organize small closets in order to make the most efficient use of a small space.
The considerations of designing an already existing closet are different. The foot print of the closet already exists and you must arrange the design to make the most effective use of an existent space. If you can only afford the time or money to organize one closet you should start with the front hall closet. Nothing is more frustrating that an over stuffed and poorly organized front hall closet. A good front hall closet design is critical as this is the closet that your family will likely use the most. Not only is the design lay out important but I suggest that you spend more on the closet hardware. This closet will be subject to more wear and tear than any other closet in your house. You will be happy that you spent a bit more and got good quality hinges and door runners. I grew up in a house that had a front hall closet door constantly off the track so i speak from experience.
Whatever closet you are thinking of designing or organizing the initial planning stages are crucial. If you feel at a loss in the planning stage consult with a professional closet consultant. Also great organizational ideas can be found on line of simply by walking the closet design aisles at Lowes or Home Depot or your local DIY store.
Take your closet design seriously and you will be glad that you did.
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