Hampstead London NW3Transitional Living Room, London
bespoke joinery
pocket door
wooden ladder
What Houzz contributors are saying:
Work in display spaceOur experts recommend having both concealed and open storage in your home. “When briefing a designer, make sure you mention any objects or collections you’d like to display from the outset,” Angus says. “A full-height bookshelf can be incorporated into a design very easily and can house a significant number of books or collectibles.”“If you want your space to look more designed,” Jane adds, “make sure you curate the visible objects and hide the rest away. You could select the display items based on colour, texture, shape or style to give a cohesive look.”Tell us…Are you planning storage as part of your renovation project? Did you find these tips useful? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Range up and overShelving can be built in so perfectly that it becomes an intrinsic part of the walls themselves. Take it around and over a doorway and it turns into an architectural framing device for what lies beyond. The designers of this space have gradually reduced the space between the shelves from the floor up to accommodate most book sizes. There’s not much wasted space here – every shelf earns its keep with maximum storage.
What if I don’t want to see my doors when they’re open?If you want to hide your doors away when you open up between your rooms, a popular trend is for ‘pocket doors’. These slide away discreetly into a counter frame within a stud wall, only to be seen when you want to alter the dynamic, function or intimacy of the room by closing them. They are top-hung, which means the floor is left free from obstruction, so there’s no perceivable change in the flooring, allowing the rooms to flow freely into one another. The key to the smooth operation of a pocket door is in the preparation and planning, especially if you’re installing it in an existing home, as you’ll need to think about what services and pipes might already be inside the wall cavity. It may be that there are easier ways of achieving this if it’s a more flexible space you’re after.
Where do you stand?So there you have both sides of this papery debate. Now it’s your turn to weigh in…Tell us… Which way do you store your books, and have any of these arguments changed your mind? Let us know in the Comments section.
Include more space for storageNow this is a room design that shows how to squeeze every last drop of potential out of a compact floor plan. The double pocket doors tuck right back into the wall to allow full access to the living room from the hallway beyond without impacting on the floor space. The tuck-away doors also clear the way for bespoke shelving up and over the doorframe.View more shelving ideas
What Houzz users are commenting on:
library round the doorway and the doors that go into the wall
Photos in Hampstead London NW3
