0 In The Renovation Project

Design for the Hallway Built-Ins

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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted around here! Our house project (and us) took a two-month break after we completed the sunroom, but we’re finally making some progress again. We didn’t get as much done as we had hoped in January, but I’m hopeful that by the end of March this whole project will be finished. Well at least Phase I. Phase II is the kitchen, and that will wait until late spring/summer probably.

Today’s post is about a little area in our new hallway that I’m really excited about. It’s a 7′-7″ long wall on one side of the hall with some depth to it. I’ve been calling it my Feature Wall. It’s the wall with the outlet; here’s another shot of it from the other direction.

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Featuring what exactly? I’m not sure. Deciding on the wall’s purpose has been my challenge. Different ideas that I’ve had have included a bench with shelves above, coat hooks with a shoe rack, freestanding shelving units, and various types of built-ins.

I purposely placed the door openings towards one side of the hallway to leave space on the other side for this “feature.” I almost thought I was going to lose this area during demo last summer when we thought we lost a few inches, but we still have a good 13″ of space to work with (that’s the space left after the door casing/trim).

Model

Since we eliminated our built-ins that we had before, I ultimately decided I wanted to bring them back somehow, and 13″ is just enough space for bookshelves, which I desperately need.

Since the hall isn’t that wide, I felt like open shelves were the best solution over closed storage with doors. Something simple that can accommodate my books and some display. Here are some ideas that I liked:

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/5280720/Oceanfront-Cottage-beach-style-hall-portland-maine]

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/5715126/Capital-Hill-Penthouse-traditional-hall-seattle]

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/458479/The-Helenas-1-traditional-hall-los-angeles]

After deciding on doing basic open bookshelves, I drew a few different options at different heights.

built in options I like the look of the 52″ high built-ins, but after walking through the space I’ve decided that the 36′ high built-ins are the way to go. If the hallway was wider I’d go with the 52″, but I think it would feel a little tight with the dimensions I’m working with. The 36″ leaves a bit of elbow room, if you will. Plus it’s the least expensive to build, material-wise. And since 36″ is a standard height for countertops, this built-in can also function as a console for keys and mail perhaps. I also think we’ll drill a grommet on the top so that we can take advantage of the outlet and maybe I can style the top with a lamp and/or speakers. I’ve even thought about doing a wall covering in here. I love wallpaper in hallways, and this would be the perfect opportunity to add a little pattern. Eventually I might install one long floating wall shelf towards the top of the wall for additional storage.

Built-ins, even simple ones, really add charm to a home, so I think this hallway will end up being a favorite little nook in my home. Too bad there isn’t room for a little reading chair in here!

This weekend we’ll be painting the new bathroom, so it won’t be long before I’ll be sharing the big bathroom reveal!

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