This staircase leading to this home's back door was rebuilt to include under-stair storage. The stair fronts were left open, and the inside of the staircase was framed, allowing a continuation of flooring. The extra floor space in this staircase creates the perfect shoe storage and eliminating the chance of tripping over shoes. Project designed by Skokie renovation firm, Chi Renovation & Design. They serve the Chicagoland area, and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest.

Melanie Roy’s challenge in designing an extremely functional mud room to accommodate a busy family’s needs was to create a place for everything from crab nets and straw mats in metal buckets to beach towels, flip flops, balls and various summer paraphernalia in wire baskets. The challenge was that the room had no cubbies so boat cleats were used for hanging items up and out of the way and baskets and buckets for easy-access storage under a rough-hewn table. She created a beach theme by anchoring the space with a Stark rug with a wave design. Artists’ rendered surfboards are decorative but often accompany surfboards that are constantly in use. A window seat/bench is upholstered in a waterproof Duralee fabric, piped with jute, so you can sit on it even in a wet bathing suit. A painted blue rock coffee table is reflective of a bolder on the beach. Photo by Eric Striffler.

A long-term client was expecting her third child. Alas, this meant that baby number two was getting booted from the coveted nursery as his sister before him had. The most convenient room in the house for the son, was dad’s home office, and dad would be relocated into the garage carriage house. For the new bedroom, mom requested a bold, colorful space with a truck theme. The existing office had no door and was located at the end of a long dark hallway that had been painted black by the last homeowners. First order of business was to lighten the hall and create a wall space for functioning doors. The awkward architecture of the room with 3 alcove windows, slanted ceilings and built-in bookcases proved an inconvenient location for furniture placement. We opted to place the bed close the wall so the two-year-old wouldn’t fall out. The solid wood bed and nightstand were constructed in the US and painted in vibrant shades to match the bedding and roman shades. The amazing irregular wall stripes were inherited from the previous homeowner but were also black and proved too dark for a toddler. Both myself and the client loved them and decided to have them re-painted in a daring blue. The daring fabric used on the windows counter- balance the wall stripes. Window seats and a built-in toy storage were constructed to make use of the alcove windows. Now, the room is not only fun and bright, but functional.

The linear design includes generous drawers fitted with customized storage for grooming accessories. Kara Lashuay

Organized Living freedomRail Reveal series creates a dresser inside a closet and allows you to free up valuable living space in a bedroom. Look at more of the freedomRail Reveal series here: http://www.organizedliving.com/home/products/freedomrail/components/reveal

Small space living solutions are used throughout this contemporary 596 square foot townhome. Adjustable height table in the entry area serves as both a coffee table for socializing and as a dining table for eating. Curved banquette is upholstered in outdoor fabric for durability and maximizes space with hidden storage underneath the seat. Kitchen island has a retractable countertop for additional seating while the living area conceals a work desk and media center behind sliding shoji screens. Calming tones of sand and deep ocean blue fill the tiny bedroom downstairs. Glowing bedside sconces utilize wall-mounting and swing arms to conserve bedside space and maximize flexibility.

Nantucket Architectural Photography
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The basement of this two-family home has a separate entrance from the outside, so the space beneath the stairs could be put to use for storage. Custom doors hide a coat closet and pull-out shoe racks, keeping the entry open but tidy. The new railings are modern and clean. Paint: Ben Moore Cloud Cover 855. Cabinets and trim: Chantilly Lace OC-65. Floors: White oak with Rubio Monocoat natural oil finish. Cabinetry: custom.

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California Closets kids' reach-in closet in Classic White finish, with wire baskets, double and triple hang.
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Homeowner wanted a modern wet bar with hints of rusticity. These custom cabinets have metal mesh inserts in upper cabinets and painted brick backsplash. The wine storage area is recessed into the wall to allow more open floor space

Photos: Kolanowski Studio; Design: Pam Smallwood
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Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

This custom mudroom was designed for everyday coastal living in a luxury Figure Eight Island home. Full-height walnut cabinetry, ventilated mesh doors, open shoe storage and a built-in bench provide an organized drop zone for beach gear, shoes and personal items.