Bottoms Up! Making Use of Low Spaces

When we think of organization, we typically view straight ahead, or even up.

Shelves, hooks, and household decorations tend to be at or above eye level. In fact, most people essentially ignore, and therefore “waste”, the bottom half of their entire home. Well, we say, “bottoms up!”

Creative storage storage solutions customized to the bottom half of walls, pantries, even stairways can actually double the amount of usable space available. This is particularly beneficial if you have a small home, tiny closets, or a shortage of storage areas. Here are some ways you can use the bottom ½ of your home’s layout wisely!

When designing your dream closet, it helps to measure your longest clothing items. Take note of where the bottom edge of your longest garments hang, and install an additional rod a couple of inches below to create more hanging space. Or install a shoe rack or built in hamper in this space instead. Having laundry hampers included with your closet system, is highly convenient. Integrated hamper systems not only make practical use of low spaces, they also provide an out of the way and out of sight place for dirty laundry.

For delicate clothing that cannot be hung, accessories or undergarments, a drawer system added on the lower ½ of the wall offers easy storage that is hidden; very similar to how a chest of drawers would function. But in this case, the drawers are flush with the wall and take up no additional space because they are tucked underneath shelving or hanging clothes.

Going to the very bottom of the home, there are lots of unfinished parts of the structure that are typically wasted. Here’s a cool idea we found at www.thefamilyhandyman.com. that makes use of forgotten space! These built in ceiling drawers create an endless amount of hide away storage by making use of floor joists in the basement.

Take note of the bottom section of your built-in decor. Functionality is often lost to decorative panels or embellishment. Rather than a simple corner bench with paneled front, this seating bench holds storage compartments underneath for extreme organization with style!

During this KC Custom Closet remodel, installing hidden compartments under a bench in this breakfast nook provided much needed storage for the home owner. (You can see more of our completed custom projects here.)

Consider this amazing child’s work space that was installed in the bottom ½ of an ordinary closet! We found this cool concept via the blog, Bigger Than The Three of Us. Any parent would agree that this is much nicer to look at, and much cleaner, than a closet floor lined with clothing, toys and miscellaneous game pieces!

Elegant staircases offer a unique opportunity to increase the home’s living space. Creating a cozy little reading nook is a great way to use the space under a staircase. Adding a bench with built in storage adds even more functionality.

Take a look around your home and pay attention to unused low spaces. Then let a member of our professional design team come out to show you some options for using that wasted space! There’s no obligation; just collaborative ideas.

KC Custom Closets is your partner in home functionality from top to bottom… literally!