4 Ways To Add Storage To Your Open Floor Plan When Building
If you are building your home, you have the advantage of being able to make changes to the floor plan and tailor a lot of the design to your personal taste. One of the most important parts of a home that some people can overlook is adding storage to a home, especially when working with an open floor plan. Without walls, it's harder to have built-in shelves or cabinets. When planning with your home builder, here are some storage ideas you can incorporate into your floor plan and finished design.
Entry Definition
When you have no walls, it's still up to you to find ways to distinguish a space. If you have an open entryway that flows directly to the living room, for example, you might have the builder install a set of cubbies or a bench that helps to distinguish the entryway. You can store shoes, keys, mail, and other items in the cubbies, or you could keep mittens and coats in the built-in bench.
Islands and Wrap Around Peninsulas
Kitchen islands are popular for prep spaces, and you add storage with cabinets below the counter. But you can add even more cabinetry and counter space by choosing a wraparound peninsula for your kitchen design. You keep the floor plan open, but with wraparound cabinetry on the bottom, you add another corner cabinet, which is much larger than standard square cabinets used for island spaces. The wrap around the peninsula also allows for more room definition without losing sightlines to other living spaces.
Built-in Entertainment Spaces
It's not uncommon for people who built their homes to have custom built entertainment cabinetry as part of the design. When designing the built-ins, don't think just about where the TV will mount and where the Blu-ray player will sit, but also think about whether or not you set in extra cabinets to hold things like games, books, movies, and gaming consoles. Add as many cabinets as will work for the space so you don't need to bring in additional furniture for storage purposes.
The Bonus Room
Many floor and house plans have optional bonus rooms that go above the garage. This room should not be optional for you because they can be quite large, allowing for an extra bedroom and even another bathroom. But you can still set aside some of the room for dedicated storage, especially if you don't want to fill up your garage with holiday decor and sports gear.