If you said, “Hey! I think we should remove THREE closets AND a whole wall of built-in bookshelves to gain 2 feet of space in a bedroom!” most people would think you were nuts.
Welcome to my world, Gentle Readers. Welcome.
In the case of the room below, though, I suggested that we do just that.
Let me explain.
This room is in the house in St. Michaels, which used to be a year-round house. John’s grandparents (the inhabitants) NEEDED closets.
Now, however it is a weekend house. No need for this many closets.
Or built-ins. There are plenty more in the house – half-empty, too. Just like these. And they’re considerably more attractive.
Behind the wall of shelves in this room is a core of 3 closet: 1 is accessible from this room, 1 from the dining area, and 1 – a small linen closet – from the hall.
So I said, “Hey! I think we should get rid THREE closets and a whole wall of built-in bookshelves and gain 2 feet of space in this bedroom!”
That’s where you came in.
And when WE walked in this week, the demolition had begun!
Isn’t it so fun to see what colors the room had been painted over the years? Pink once upon a time – probably originally, in the ’50s – then green somewhere along the way, then the inoffensive cream.
When this is done, we’ll gain 2 feet of valuable space AND a long, unbroken wall. We’ll put 2 bunk beds in here, precise location TBD. As for clothes, have no fear: we’ll “borrow” a closet from the master bedroom (i.e., punch a hole in the wall) and be able to fit a dresser next to it.
By the way, how sweet is that little scrap of wallpaper over the main door?
John said that for years he fell asleep staring at that paper. I half wanted to track it down and re-paper one of the walls in this room with it.
Luckily, sanity prevailed. There are only so many of my crazy ideas this family will tolerate.
Annie Elliott is an interior decorator and design blogger. You can read more about her adventures relating to the St. Michaels house here and here.
