Can you share a picture with a broader view of the areas surrounding the closet and bathroom.

Use a pedestal sink and open the nook into the bath as a linen closet.

I'd use a smaller countertop in the bathroom, because you don't have room to stand in front of that area by the toilet anyway. Then split the difference of the recessed area to use half for a bathroom linen closet and half for recessed shelves in your closet.

The one downside of opening it towards the bathroom is that the bottom 24" cannot be opened as all the plumbing goes through the lower part of the wall. Would it make sense to have a linen closet that starts at 24" height and goes higher....we could then add some sort of a full length door to it. Thanks!

What are the chances you can move your toilet to that spot? I personally think it will be lost space, so why not place the toilet there and make your bathroom larger?

Or is that a laundry machine in front? Push that back and creat more space for you at the front of the closet. You than have a space to store some cleaning stuff?

Definitely make it part of the laundry closet. Push the washer/dryer inside so you have space to put the laundry basket down when doing laundry. You can also hang vacuum cleaner / brooms on the side walls of the laundry closet if you don't have a broom closet elsewhere. Some other suggestions: (1) use a sliding door for the laundry closet to avoid congestions; (2) if possible, I would swap the location of the toilet and the sink in the bathroom, so you see the vanity instead of toilet.

If pushing the machine back requires re-plumbing, you might not want to go there.

A linen cupboard that starts 24" off the ground would be fine. Take the shelves all the way to the ceiling.

Thanks so much for the advice. We are so torn. Maybe we will talk to another closet person to see if we can somehow maximize the space without moving the wall/plumbing.

Do you have an upstairs? It is just about enough space to make into a laundry chute if the upstairs configuration could be matched up with it.

Ah I wish...sadly this is a NYC apartment :(

Well, you certainly don't want to waste a single inch in a NYC apt! I would see about finding a small fireproof safe to hide valuables, important papers, etc. Above it add a few wire shelves spaced to hold some baskets or other containers with lids for things you don't need to have out but want to protect and be able to get to when you want. For me that would be photographs, letters from the past, memorabilia like childhood toys, awards/plaques, part of a collection that is not out on display.

I think you need a differenent closet designer I see no reason to not use thet space with shelving to store stuff you don’t need often like luggage bulky winter clothing like ski wear I can see that being quite simple to do

Thanks so much for all your help. We are meeting 2 other closet designers this week hopefully and we will see what they say . The one we already spoke to said that they can't put a hanging rod unless there is a solid wall behind it. We had hoped to use the nook and the space in front of it.

This is what they suggested:

The downside of this design is that we aren't really gaining any storage with the nook (would have been the same amount if the closet had been straight across).

Hanging rods are supported at the ends, with intermediate supports only if necessary. In your case, intermediate supports could be at the outside corners of the nook if required. Again, your closet designer is incompetent. This is actually something you could do yourself with supplies from Home Depot.