We’re back this week with one more post about the main house at Project Lake Claire, and it’s a nice mix of adding style and solving problems. We’ve already shared Kid Stuff and Big Stuff, you can check those links for posts about those projects.
Up first was a simple upgrade for the under-the-stairs 1/2 bath (aka “Harry Potter bathroom”). These clients wanted to add something fun in this small space, so they picked a great purple hue and had us install a wall of reclaimed wood.
This was a great choice, because the mirror above the sink reflects the wood wall, but they didn’t have to cover every wall to make the room interesting. It’s a tiny space, so it’s challenging to photograph, and even more challenging to install wood planks in. (We weren’t able to remove the toilet for the wall install, so just picture me hugging the toilet. A lot.) Power baths like this are a great place to do something fun and funky because it’s relatively low commitment. This bathroom is directly adjacent to the dining room/library, so it was a perfect spot for an infusion of the reclaimed wood.
Another simple project was a custom wall cubby for the master bathroom. They wanted the space above the toilet to be slightly more functional, and not feel so empty, so we created a cubby for that wall to bring in some texture.
And now, let’s hop out of the bathrooms and head on over to the laundry room. This was one of the most involved projects because this room included a lot of little details. The water heater takes up the corner of the laundry room, and it just wasn’t something they wanted out and accessible for little kids running around. So, first order of business: make a hinged door to conceal the water heater but allow easy access for maintenance. Second up: a place to fold clothes. They had front loading machines, so we were able to create a full top across both the washer and dryer to make a flat surface (we had to do things a little differently to make a counter for another laundry room project). And thirdly, the wire wall rack had to go. They wanted better storage for laundry items, so we created a cubby/clothing rod to fill the wall space above the washer/dryer.
You can see it all here: two cubbies to store constantly-accessed items, a clothing rod for hanging up any necessary items, a full top shelf for storing more seasonal items, a solid wood countertop (with access hole for the washer plumbing) and the hot water heater-blocking door.
This was a fun room because we were able to help make this room SO MUCH more functional and useful for this family. That’s sort of the dream- beautiful things that solve problems.
One more post about the hidden office, and we’re all wrapped up with Project Lake Claire! (which is fitting, since we actually finished construction on this project several months ago…)
