9 Clever Carpentry Ideas From Our Houzz Tours
Take inspiration for storage, seating and beautiful design with these ingenious woodwork solutions
Whether you need extra storage, a comfy place to sit or a way to transform the look and feel of your home, a brilliant piece of carpentry can make all the difference. We’ve picked out some of our favourite joinery projects from recent Houzz Tours to help you garner ideas for your own home.
Make a multi-purpose seat
There are loads of storage ideas in this kitchen, but one of the niftiest has to be this seat at the end of the run of units. The designer, Hannah Morris of Ian Dunn Woodwork & Design, has made use of the space by building a low storage drawer with a cushioned seat above.
The seat is located next to a window, so it’s the perfect spot for gazing out at the garden, or chatting while someone else is cooking.
Visit the rest of this family kitchen with clever storage
There are loads of storage ideas in this kitchen, but one of the niftiest has to be this seat at the end of the run of units. The designer, Hannah Morris of Ian Dunn Woodwork & Design, has made use of the space by building a low storage drawer with a cushioned seat above.
The seat is located next to a window, so it’s the perfect spot for gazing out at the garden, or chatting while someone else is cooking.
Visit the rest of this family kitchen with clever storage
Maximise a corner
This stunning extension was created by leaving the original back wall of this Victorian villa in place – the warm exposed brick and attractively curved staircase balustrade form the perfect nook for a bench seat. The team at Scenario Architecture designed a seat that hugs the back wall and corner, with some nifty storage below.
This clever use of space helped to add a living area to the cooking and dining room, and provides a perch for relaxing.
See how this extension preserves the proportions of the Victorian property
This stunning extension was created by leaving the original back wall of this Victorian villa in place – the warm exposed brick and attractively curved staircase balustrade form the perfect nook for a bench seat. The team at Scenario Architecture designed a seat that hugs the back wall and corner, with some nifty storage below.
This clever use of space helped to add a living area to the cooking and dining room, and provides a perch for relaxing.
See how this extension preserves the proportions of the Victorian property
Beef up a Billy bookcase
This smart wall unit was a very clever Ikea hack. The shelves are classic Ikea Billy bookcases, and the cabinets below are kitchen bridging units.
Interior designer Malcolm Begg of DesignSixtyNine attached the cabinets to the base of the wall and laid a sheet of wood on top. He screwed the bookcases to the wall upside down, and attached a cornice to the top. The whole thing has been painted grey to give it a cohesive, bespoke look.
Tour this chic living room full of clever hacks
This smart wall unit was a very clever Ikea hack. The shelves are classic Ikea Billy bookcases, and the cabinets below are kitchen bridging units.
Interior designer Malcolm Begg of DesignSixtyNine attached the cabinets to the base of the wall and laid a sheet of wood on top. He screwed the bookcases to the wall upside down, and attached a cornice to the top. The whole thing has been painted grey to give it a cohesive, bespoke look.
Tour this chic living room full of clever hacks
Slide away
This beautiful riverside home has been designed with three separate areas, or bays, beneath a series of pitched roofs. However, when you enter the house it feels like one light, airy, connected space, thanks to the large sliding barn doors that open up the entrances to each zone.
“Having a good flow from one space to the next and seeing right the way through helps the house to feel bigger,” says Patrick Michell of Platform 5 Architects, “and there’s no wasted corridor space.”
Not only are the doors practical, but the stunning pale wood chevron design provides a feature in itself.
See more of this new-build home with a broken-plan layout
This beautiful riverside home has been designed with three separate areas, or bays, beneath a series of pitched roofs. However, when you enter the house it feels like one light, airy, connected space, thanks to the large sliding barn doors that open up the entrances to each zone.
“Having a good flow from one space to the next and seeing right the way through helps the house to feel bigger,” says Patrick Michell of Platform 5 Architects, “and there’s no wasted corridor space.”
Not only are the doors practical, but the stunning pale wood chevron design provides a feature in itself.
See more of this new-build home with a broken-plan layout
Ace your hallway storage
A bespoke piece of storage can be game-changing in a hallway. Take this smart design, for instance – the architects at Fraher Architects and joiners at Shape London have worked together to create a shoe and coat rack right opposite the front door.
It fits perfectly in the space and has an area for everything – a shoe storage bench at the bottom, a pegboard for coats and cabinets at the top for umbrellas and cycle helmets.
Take a tour of this radical reworking of a Victorian terrace
Need some expert help with your joinery project? Find carpenters and joiners in your area
A bespoke piece of storage can be game-changing in a hallway. Take this smart design, for instance – the architects at Fraher Architects and joiners at Shape London have worked together to create a shoe and coat rack right opposite the front door.
It fits perfectly in the space and has an area for everything – a shoe storage bench at the bottom, a pegboard for coats and cabinets at the top for umbrellas and cycle helmets.
Take a tour of this radical reworking of a Victorian terrace
Need some expert help with your joinery project? Find carpenters and joiners in your area
Focus on the details
In the same house, the joinery expertise can be seen throughout the space. The internal doors, for example, are clad in Douglas fir plywood, with inset handles. Inside the recess pulls is a layer of brass. Designer Lizzie Fraher says, “We love brass because it patinas when you touch it.”
In the same house, the joinery expertise can be seen throughout the space. The internal doors, for example, are clad in Douglas fir plywood, with inset handles. Inside the recess pulls is a layer of brass. Designer Lizzie Fraher says, “We love brass because it patinas when you touch it.”
Create an illusion
When it comes to joinery, sometimes the aim of the game is to combine modern practicality with vintage charm. That was the challenge for designers Jessica Gibbons and Kat Turner of Field Day Studio, who commissioned a local carpenter to fit the kitchen in this stunning Lake District cottage. “The clients wanted a freestanding feel, but in such a vast space, fitted is better in terms of function,” Jessica told us. To make the fitted oak units feel evolved and freestanding, they used a black wash on the oak surrounds, which makes the cabinets feel separate and gives them character.
Visit this beautifully renovated cottage in the Lake District
When it comes to joinery, sometimes the aim of the game is to combine modern practicality with vintage charm. That was the challenge for designers Jessica Gibbons and Kat Turner of Field Day Studio, who commissioned a local carpenter to fit the kitchen in this stunning Lake District cottage. “The clients wanted a freestanding feel, but in such a vast space, fitted is better in terms of function,” Jessica told us. To make the fitted oak units feel evolved and freestanding, they used a black wash on the oak surrounds, which makes the cabinets feel separate and gives them character.
Visit this beautifully renovated cottage in the Lake District
Reclaim and recycle
When it came to planning his own kitchen, interior designer Stephen Nash of ALL & NXTHING knew right from the start that he wanted to create a worktop from reclaimed parquet flooring. The result is stunning, but the process was painstaking. Stephen and his skilled joiner Gregos laboriously scraped bitumen off the bottom of each piece of wood. Then Gregos spent the best part of a week gluing every piece individually, then sealing it all with raw oil.
Peak around the rest of this Victorian home transformed by a double-height extension
Tell us…
Have you transformed your home with some clever carpentry? Share your photos and experiences in the Comments section.
When it came to planning his own kitchen, interior designer Stephen Nash of ALL & NXTHING knew right from the start that he wanted to create a worktop from reclaimed parquet flooring. The result is stunning, but the process was painstaking. Stephen and his skilled joiner Gregos laboriously scraped bitumen off the bottom of each piece of wood. Then Gregos spent the best part of a week gluing every piece individually, then sealing it all with raw oil.
Peak around the rest of this Victorian home transformed by a double-height extension
Tell us…
Have you transformed your home with some clever carpentry? Share your photos and experiences in the Comments section.
As much as we like to watch a TV series or film in the evening, many homeowners would prefer that their screens weren’t always on show. Olga Alexeeva of Black & Milk rose to the challenge of hiding the TV in this home by fitting it into a bespoke housing unit. The simple, yet attractive design features shelving above and below, with verticals “to make it more dynamic”.
The faux marble panel at the back ties in with a coffee table sitting opposite and hides cables and the internet connection.
Take a look at the rest of this flat that gained class and character