Room to Grow

The Person: Pilates teacher and studio owner desperately seeks space that accommodates staff, clients, children, and the occasional pet.

The Space: Vertical storage systems allow clients and instructors to organize their things, while simultaneously creating room for other tasks. A comfy bench and a hospitality area offer the perfect spots for breaks between classes. The soft blue palette inspires a feeling of tranquility.

"I juggle a family, a client base, and a staff of instructors. There's room for us all to feel comfortable here."

Good to Know

Many people work from home these days, either full- or part-time, and want work areas to be as inviting as the rest of the home. For your office, consider establishing a separation between work and living spaces, whether that means containing work-related items to a different room or a closet behind a curtain.

A custom-built bench with open cubbies boasts both seating and storage. You can find how-to instructions and a list of tools and materials for building this bench at LowesCreativeIdeas.com/Bench.

Zones Create Flow

Separating the room into zones helps create better traffic flow. Easy-to-clean jute rugs help define the spaces. At this end of the room, there's a place for the baby's crib and a small seating area. The floor pillow was made from drapery panels cut in half crosswise. Then, the two pieces were hemmed, wrapped around a foam insert, and secured with grommets and rope.
A desk fills the space at the opposite end of the room. For the desktop, grass-cloth wallpaper was attached to plywood using wallpaper paste. The board is attached to two stackable shelving units and topped with a sheet of acrylic. To create the bulletin boards, cork was mounted to fiberboard squares using spray adhesive and edged with duct tape. The boards are attached to the wall with self-fastening strips.

Instructions and Diagrams

0807 - Storage by Design - Brooklyn - 527x293.flv

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Room to Grow Video

Skillset: Intermediate

Rough Cost Estimate: $1,740*

Storage units $465
Hospitality center $440
Lighting $105
Paint $60
Desk project $140
Corkboard wall project $130
Bench project $120
Accessories $280

Rough Time Estimate: 1 week**

Storage Units

Shelving (ClosetMaid, maple; 9-cube organizer, #163256; 25-cube stackable shoe organizer, #103250; 30-inch vertical shelf stackers, #59969; 24-inch horizontal shelf stacker, #66417; cube door, #163273)
Wire baskets (ClosetMaid, #85799)
Small taper bins
Track shelving (#107717) with maple shelves

Hospitality Center

Compact refrigerator (Frigidaire, Silver Mist, #235882)
Countertop microwave (GE, stainless, #88833)
Coffeemaker (Cuisinart, #119479)

Lighting

Lamps (Portfolio, brushed nickel; floor, #168721; desk, #33105)

Paint

Walls (Valspar Ultra Premium, Blanched Pine 7005-15, satin)
Walls (Valspar Signature Colors, Waverly Home Classics, Sky WV32007, satin)

Desk Project

Vertical shelf stacker (30-inch, ClosetMaid, maple, #59969)
Grass-cloth wallpaper (#29148)
1 (48- x 96-inch) sheet of 15/32-inch plywood
1 (36- x 72-inch) sheet of acrylic (#11289)
Wallpaper paste (#52892)
1 package of 2d nails

Corkboard Wall Project

2 (48- x 96-inch) pieces of 1/2-inch fiberboard
Cork liner (#34744)
White duct tape
Spray adhesive
Self-fastening strips (#20026)
White spray paint

Bench Project

3 (24- x 48-inch) sheets of 3/4-inch birch plywood
3 (8-foot-long) pieces of 1/4- x 3/4-inch screen-bead moulding
6 (4-inch) rounded taper table legs (#842)
6 straight-top mounting plates (#838)
1 box (#18 x 3/4-inch) brads
1 box (#17 x 11/4-inch) brads
1 box (11/4-inch) Kreg pocket hole screws, coarse thread
Paintable wood filler
Wood glue (Titebond II, #41217)
Primer (Kilz, #45553)
Paint (Valspar Ultra Premium, Dark Kettle Black 4011-2, semi-gloss)

Accessories

Rugs (5- x 8-foot, jute with border, #206171)
Blinds (Ambria, Fruitwood, #21337)
Drapery panels used to make pillows (Aspen Twill; linen, #170152; khaki, #170153; black, #170170)
Fabric shower curtain used to make pillows (white waffle, #126548)
Grommets used for floor pillow (#45326)

*Does not include labor costs or applicable taxes, which vary by market, or the cost of tools.

**Does not include lead time for special-order materials. Availability varies by market. Available by special order in some stores.