Uncover Hideaways, Hobby Space or Additional Storage by Creatively Transforming Your Home’s Unused Space

It’s started. You’ve lived in your home—the home you once thought so spacious you’d never be able to fill it—for several years now and are starting to feel claustrophobic owing to the “stuff” you’ve accumulated over the years. Maybe your kids leave their toys out, your teenager never hangs up his or her clothes or there is nowhere to put your craft or garden supplies.

In order to alleviate the clutter and make more room, consider spaces you previously overlooked such as under the stairs or in the attic for a play area or sewing room.  Many homes have hidden, unused space that is perfect for a loft or a child’s hideaway. But you’ve got to think creatively. 

If you want to create a whimsical play nook for kids, check out the space under the stairs.  Light colored walls and a Dutch door (a door divided horizontally so that the lower or upper part can be opened and shut separately) can make a huge difference. The Dutch door invites hours of imagination time, from playing ice cream shop to holding a puppet show.  Kids also delight in spaces that are too small for adults, and under the stairs quickly becomes a “kids only” zone. 

If you don’t have usable space under the stairs, consider reinventing a closet.  A simple platform design of birch plywood and wooden beams in an oversized closet enables a teen to sleep as if on a train berth, complete with display shelves and reading lights—all contained in the closet and off the floor.  By raising the bed off the floor a few feet, you create storage space.

If closet space is short and the furnace is located under the stairs, think vertical.  You easily can place lofts, a growing trend in housing today, above closets or doors. Lofts allow for quick construction techniques and interior design options that appeal to the vast majority of buyers because of their versatility and flexibility in transforming from a play area to study nook to TV room as a child grows.

Lofts can be built almost anywhere—above closets or simply by putting a bed on stilts.  The cheapest and easiest way to create a loft-like area is to pick the bed up off the floor. Jordan suggests placing a bed on top of bureaus or shelves and bolting them together for safety. This creates a play or study area underneath the bed that can be concealed with a curtain for privacy. 

Don’t forget that dusty attic. Look past the boxes at the room’s proportions and ceiling height.  Most attic ceilings are too low for practical adult purposes but make a great children’s playroom or reading nook. And attics typically have a knee wall—a short wall built to create useable space.

Before you get started with building a hideaway for your child or yourself, be sure there is proper ventilation, lighting, heating and cooling systems and electricity.  To bring natural light into dark space such as a closet, determine if you can install a large window or skylight. If this is impossible, paint the walls with a high-gloss pastel to reflect artificial light.

It’s also a good idea to consult a professional remodeler.  Bringing in a professional will not only ensure your new space will have the proper ventilation and cooling system, which are essential in the attic, but may also spark new ideas for renovating your space.

Next time you feel the need for more elbowroom to spread out, stash your kids’ treasures or take up a new hobby, look around for unique unused spaces.  If you creatively maximize every inch of space in your current home, you’ll give both yourself and your kids a special place to explore, play and relax.

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