Custom Craftsman Cabinetry Fit for a Guitar Collector
A musician turns his sitting room into a place to play, complete with Craftsman-style cubbies for instruments and more
Becky Harris
May 28, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Photos by Ashley Walden
Music Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A musician who collects guitars
Location: Atlanta
Designer: Jim Walker of Copper Sky Renovations
The Atlanta musician who lives here needed a place to store his guitars safely — and in a way that made them easy to grab and play. He decided to turn the sitting room in the front of his house into a music room and hired Copper Sky Renovations to help with the project because of the firm’s affinity for Craftsman-style houses.
Function. The best way to store guitars is in this upright position. The Copper Sky team designed the maple cabinets deep enough to house the instruments. Custom racks hold the guitars at the neck, just below the head stock. Doors keep them protected from dust and sunlight.
Cubbies above the rack hold smaller instruments and sheet music. Recessed lights provide a nice glow through the antique glass panels on the cabinet doors. And the millwork fits in seamlessly with the 1930s Craftsman bungalow’s architecture.
Note: This house has excellent insulation. If you are storing your guitars on an exterior wall like this, make sure it is very well-insulated to avoid any dramatic changes in temperature, which can be detrimental to guitars.
Music Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A musician who collects guitars
Location: Atlanta
Designer: Jim Walker of Copper Sky Renovations
The Atlanta musician who lives here needed a place to store his guitars safely — and in a way that made them easy to grab and play. He decided to turn the sitting room in the front of his house into a music room and hired Copper Sky Renovations to help with the project because of the firm’s affinity for Craftsman-style houses.
Function. The best way to store guitars is in this upright position. The Copper Sky team designed the maple cabinets deep enough to house the instruments. Custom racks hold the guitars at the neck, just below the head stock. Doors keep them protected from dust and sunlight.
Cubbies above the rack hold smaller instruments and sheet music. Recessed lights provide a nice glow through the antique glass panels on the cabinet doors. And the millwork fits in seamlessly with the 1930s Craftsman bungalow’s architecture.
Note: This house has excellent insulation. If you are storing your guitars on an exterior wall like this, make sure it is very well-insulated to avoid any dramatic changes in temperature, which can be detrimental to guitars.
Style notes. Open shelves over the cabinets house books and other favorite objects. Details like the hammered copper hardware, the glass inserts, the graceful curve at the base of the cabinet and the corbels where the shelves meet the ceiling continue the home’s original Craftsman style.
Panels of amber glass embedded with wire mesh provide a wonderful glow when the interior cabinet lights are on.
Panels of amber glass embedded with wire mesh provide a wonderful glow when the interior cabinet lights are on.
The rest of the room. You can catch a glimpse of the piano in the left corner, and there are two comfortable armchairs for listening. Turkish throw pillows and an Oriental rug provide pattern in warm neutrals that suit the Craftsman architecture.
Bench seat. A built-in bench between the cabinets finishes the pleasing wall composition and creates built-in covers for the owner’s amps. Fabric mesh in the bench base lets the sound through. The dark brown of the mesh ties in with the cabinet hardware.
Find warm, neutral Oriental rugs
Bench seat. A built-in bench between the cabinets finishes the pleasing wall composition and creates built-in covers for the owner’s amps. Fabric mesh in the bench base lets the sound through. The dark brown of the mesh ties in with the cabinet hardware.
Find warm, neutral Oriental rugs
Other millwork. The project did not end with the closet. “This is a Craftsman house, but it was kind of plain,” says Copper Sky owner Jim Walker. “The homeowner wanted us to amp up the Craftsman elements.” He added a coffered ceiling with crown molding details. Pendants in Arts and Crafts-era style provide beautiful accents.
Pendant light: Rejuvenation; see more Craftsman-style pendant lights
See more photos of this home renovation
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Pendant light: Rejuvenation; see more Craftsman-style pendant lights
See more photos of this home renovation
More
These Spaces Have the Music in Them
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I wonder where he sits to play guitar -- certainly not in those chairs with arms. Love the cabinets for guitar storage. Functional and attractive.
Looks like it's always been part of the house, just perfect ! All those details, I especially like the idea of glass inserts with interior-lit cabinets. As well as the fact that, for once, someone dared to paint the walls another color than white or grey. Matches the carpet color quite nicely. As for where he plays the guitar... well all guitar players have a stool somewhere. Beautiful room, just makes you want to sit down on that bench and listen to the music. The only thing I would have changed would be the color of the seat fabric + cushions on the seats. Instead of grey, I would have picked one of the colors of the carpet, for example blue-grey.
Very creative way to store the guitars. The only thing I would have done differently is maybe used glass front cabinets so they could be displayed (and also know which one was in which cabinet), guitars are beautiful.