Kitchen
Create a Well-Lit Reading Nook A daybed instantly can create a welcoming reading nook, but you’ll need some light. Depending on your room layout, place a task lamp on a bedside table or a swing-arm sconce on the wall as a space-saving solution in tight quarters. A sturdy floor lamp can cast a light on a daybed in the middle of the living room. Then hunker down with your favorite book.
Set a Daybed Against the Wall You can scout many different styles of daybeds with a back, but no matter the style you choose, you’ll want to back this bed against the wall as a grounding element. These classic daybeds, whether metal or wood, work best in a bedroom or guest space. Just add pillows and sheets and you’ll have a space to rest, read and watch a movie.
Set a Daybed Against the Wall You can scout many different styles of daybeds with a back, but no matter the style you choose, you’ll want to back this bed against the wall as a grounding element. These classic daybeds, whether metal or wood, work best in a bedroom or guest space. Just add pillows and sheets and you’ll have a space to rest, read and watch a movie.
Set a Daybed Against the Wall You can scout many different styles of daybeds with a back, but no matter the style you choose, you’ll want to back this bed against the wall as a grounding element. These classic daybeds, whether metal or wood, work best in a bedroom or guest space. Just add pillows and sheets and you’ll have a space to rest, read and watch a movie.
Set a Daybed Against the Wall You can scout many different styles of daybeds with a back, but no matter the style you choose, you’ll want to back this bed against the wall as a grounding element. These classic daybeds, whether metal or wood, work best in a bedroom or guest space. Just add pillows and sheets and you’ll have a space to rest, read and watch a movie.
Set a Daybed Against the Wall You can scout many different styles of daybeds with a back, but no matter the style you choose, you’ll want to back this bed against the wall as a grounding element. These classic daybeds, whether metal or wood, work best in a bedroom or guest space. Just add pillows and sheets and you’ll have a space to rest, read and watch a movie.
‘Float’ a Backless Daybed A backless daybed is the perfect option for a living room or home office that’s short on space. The daybed works like a bench to provide extra seating for hosting visitors, and it helps keep a space feeling open. “Float” a backless daybed in the middle of the room to preserve that open feeling, since you’ll be able to walk around the furniture.
Specialized narrow pullout cabinets. It’s inconvenient to have to reach for utensils jumbled in drawers or for oils buried deep in a pantry. These skinny units take advantage of the cabinetry’s depth and make items easy to locate. Cabinets: custom; hardware: Restoration Hardware; utensil containers (similar): Bain Marie pots
Cabinet-mounted spice racks. Also a favorite last year, these organizers allow easy access to your herbs and spices, yet keep them hidden and out of the sunlight. Another popular 2015 storage move seen in this photo is a tucked-away microwave. Designers report that homeowners are opting to put microwaves in pantries, specialty cabinets or drawers. Hardware: Longford; colorful storage jars: Orla Kiely
Pullout shelves large enough to stash small appliances. Cleared-off counters free up workspace and present a pleasing uncluttered look. But having to bend down and dig around messy lower cabinets makes storing appliances there not worth the hassle. Solutions like this are starting to overtake appliance garages, a favorite from last year. As Houzz contributor Sam Ferris pointed out, a system like this where heavy items can be accessible at a back-friendly height is good for an aging-in-place strategy. The chalkboard labels are an especially useful detail in this design. Chalkboard labels (similar): The Container Store
Cabinets that extend to the ceiling. You may not ever make it up there, and if so, trust me, the area between the tops of your upper cabinets and the ceiling is probably the dirtiest, dustiest spot in your home. Extending cabinets all the way to the ceiling is cleaner and offers extra storage space. These upper-uppers are usually an additional row atop the upper cabinets, which have more pleasing proportions than super tall upper cabinets would. They also provide an opportunity to put glass-fronted cabinets up top for displaying items and a lighter look. Island: Downsview in Downsview Blue, Astro Design Centre; island countertops: Caesarstone and solid walnut
Shenandoah Cabinetry SaveEmail Wine cabinets. Wineglass and bottle racks are great and handy space-savers, but they can leave you having to dust everything before a party. By organizing them behind cabinet doors, everything stays neat and clean. Wine cabinet: Mission collection with Stone finish, Shenandoah Cabinetry, Lowe’s; countertops: Lyra, Silestone
Note that barn doors aren’t just for walk-in pantries. In this room, twin doors add texture and a spot for chalkboards at one end of the kitchen. Baker’s racks are a clean commercial kitchen detail. Barn doors: custom, Etsy seller RusticLuxeBoutique; door hardware: Etsy seller NWArtisanHardware; wall color: Gray Owl, Benjamin Moore
Pantries with barn doors. These clever doors provide a charming architectural element and prevent swinging ones from intruding into the kitchen or a small pantry. In this example, the hefty door pull and pull plate match the scale of the track hardware, and the paint color contrasts nicely with the kitchen. Wall color: Silver Fox, Valspar; door hardware kit: Real Sliding Hardware; brass Wilshire pull and brass Knoxville pull plate: Emtek
Designated charging stations. Pricey personal electronics, the wires and plugs they need, and countertop workspace are a terrible mix. No one wants to splash a smartphone with water or get flour on an iPad. They also add clutter and hog outlets. Despite these problems, the kitchen often winds up being the spot where we want to charge our devices. In this busy family’s kitchen, interior designer Harmony Weihs incorporated a rolling cabinet with outlets integrated into the drawers for charging phones, tablets and laptops. The butcher block top adds an extra work surface, and the casters mean the family can move it to another room if they wish or take it with them if they move.
on counter
Pittsburgh Paints April Sky Jewett Farms + Co. SaveEmail Here’s how to use our featured color in a way that creates a warm and cozy vibe. With the soft gray-blue wall color paired with plenty of warm wood tones via the table and flooring, this space is anything but chilly. In fact, the wood gets a warm boost because of how it contrasts with the cooler wall color. Plus, there’s a hint of green in this color, which also warms it up a bit and keeps it from feeling rainy-day gloomy. This is a beautiful space, perfect for enjoying that morning cup of coffee or for casual dining.
Color of year
The pipes under a kitchen sink have always made it difficult to organize cleaning supplies. This drawer, with its U-shaped wire basket, is designed to fit around the piping, so you can easily access spray bottles, sponges and scrub brushes.
Instead of there being a traditional ladder to access the top bunks in this kids’ room, a cleverly designed stack of drawers acts as a staircase.
Forget drying delicates over a shower rod or the back of a chair. These skinny drawers are fitted with water-resistant racks that allow air to circulate, so your clothes will be ready to wear before you know it.
Even doggies appreciate their own dining area. Keep their bowls off the floor and out of the way with a pet-friendly drawer that slides out at mealtime.
Instead of wrestling the ironing board out of the closet whenever you need to touch up a shirt, get one of these nifty folding versions that fit into — guess what? — a drawer.
Tired of tying up your kitchen outlets charging phones, tablets and laptops? Install a power strip in the back of a drawer and let your electronics recharge sight unseen. Just make sure the drawer is shorter than normal to allow room for the power strip’s cord in the back.
Custom chairs in outdoor Ralph Lauren fabric draw attention, but the built-in bunk beds are the real showstopper here. I love how a central ladder leads to a small loft space that opens to the top bunks.
This room touches on most of the themes present in these top photos: adequate storage (check out those drawers under the steps!), built-in bunk beds and good design. With the track lighting, shimmery pillows and rich paint color, this space will stay relevant long after the kids have left home.
Kids area
Streamline Your Countertop Be judicious about what you keep on your countertop in plain sight. A good rule of thumb is to limit it to things you use daily that also look nice. For a minimalist look, select coordinated accessories on your vanity. Random accessories that don’t match the style and items you use less often can be tucked into a cabinet or drawer and still be easily accessible.
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