The Space: A compact, square, windowless entry space located adjacent to a multi-purpose room. This space initially housed the clients’ home office.
The Need: Cabinetry to house a dry bar, linens, bedding, clothes and other items requiring deep storage in order to make better use of this underutilized space which will serve as the entryway for a newly designed home office and library (see Rift Oak Home Office).
The Solution: The first thing one sees upon entering this entry space is a large built-in Rift Oak cabinet covering the entire wall. This multi-purpose cabinet contains pull-out shelves for deep storage, large drawers for linens and blankets, a full height closet with two clothes rods, and an internally lit dry bar for the occasional entertaining of guests in the adjacent library/guestroom. The new cabinet gives this small space “personality” and a purpose. Its details match that of the cabinetry and wood in the adjacent home office thereby providing an aesthetic cohesiveness to these newly redesigned areas. InHouse also consulted on the lighting design, electrical work and colors.
The Need: A piece of furniture for a high-end kitchen that was to serve as a side desk and a storage unit for recipe cards and general files. The Client did not want the piece to look like a desk but rather like, "a piece of furniture".
The Solution: An attractive, compact, sideboard with file drawers, divided drawers for file cards and general drawers for miscellaneous storage. A pullout"bread board" on top serves as an occasional desk surface. Stained maple, solids and veneers.
Photo: F2
Before
During
CONTEMPORARY MAHOGANY WALL UNIT
The Space: A recently constructed master bedroom with a large rectangular space off to the side that was left for the eventual construction of cabinetry.
The Need: To follow the clients’ original intent and fill in the available space with a cabinet which would house their sound and media components as well as offer room for books, general storage and display space.
The Solution: The obvious solution called for floor to ceiling cabinets to fill the small rectangular space but InHouse instead decided to “float” a cabinet and have it extend to the right beyond the available space in order to achieve needed balance for the new wall unit in the room. In reality, only a shallow part of the façade of the cabinet extends beyond the space so no additional demolition was required for installation. The unit protrudes several inches from the wall and has built-in lighting to accent some of the clients’ personal possession in a large display area. The inside of the cabinet houses the media equipment as well as several drawers for CDs, DVDs and misc. items. Since the space was originally built with a small access door in the rear to provide access to the back of any new cabinetry, wire management was easily handled. InHouse facilitated the electrical, framing and sheetrock work as well as the cabinetry design and installation. Mahogany solids and veneers.
The Space: A recently constructed multi-purpose room consisting of two dining areas (one formal and one informal), a large seating area and a new kitchen.
The Need: To design and build a contemporary sideboard that meets several purposes: general open and closed storage, a home for a new flat screen TV with room for various peripherals, CDs and DVDs, lit display for the clients’ pottery and space for serving food when entertaining.
The Solution: A long built-in cabinet with a solid mahogany base and two rectangular protruding volumes dramatically sheathed in Hot Mottled Makore wood. One horizontal volume houses all the entertainment equipment while a smaller vertical cabinet (not shown) displays the pottery. The play between the protruding volumes, their active veneer and the mahogany base (which provides additional storage) offers a welcome rhythm along the formerly bare wall of this rather wide new room. Electrical and wire management needs were addressed as well.
Photo: F4
Photo: F5
CONTEMPORARY MODULAR WALL UNIT
The Space: A bedroom in a loft containing a bed and makeshift desk area. The room lacked an organized closet and adequate storage for both clothes and files.
The Need: To organize the room to allow for a home office/bedroom with adequate space for a computer, general storage, clothes, files and numerous VCR tapes (the client is in the arts and has numerous footage of his work). The room was not large but had high ceilings. The client did not want the design to look like a library nor did he want large, heavy pieces built in but expressed an interest in a contemporary "high tech" look.
The Solution: InHouse designed a "floating" wall system suspended from iron brackets which span from wall to ceiling. The numerous storage units are of various sizes and depths to accommodate different uses and are placed so that there is a lot of open space between them. The idea was to create an interesting pattern of wall hung storage units; some with doors, some with metal backs, some shallow and some deep in order to create visual "rhythm" on the main wall. White washed Birch cabinetry with brushed steel aluminum accents on drawer and door fronts.
The Need: an attractive cabinet that would allow the Clients to display their glassware, serve drinks and food, and store kitchen items and linens. It was to serve as the focal point of the dining room.
The Solution: InHouse ripped out the entire closet and created a stunning cabinet/bar which was visually integrated with the wall to its left. The cabinet was designed to take advantage of the fact that it is located next to a hallway and could therefore be seen (and utilized) from the right side as well as from the front. Using two tone rift oak, both solids and veneers, a very linear design evolved with some strong horizontal elements repeated throughout the cabinet. Handmade wooden knobs on the lower drawers and cabinets provided additional drama and “movement”. The solution integrated lighting. The cabinetry, accessed from two directions, maximizes storage capacity and gives the adjacent hallway some “personality”. All lower cabinets had pull out shelves for easy accessibility of stored goods. A pebbled copper backsplash which surrounds the bar area was created to mimic copper accents which existed in other rooms of the home.
Photo: F7
Photo: F8
CONTEMPORARY "ZOOM-ROOM" WALL BED AND STORAGE UNIT OF AVODIRE AND WENGE
The Space: A small secondary space in a two room home office that was used for back-office administrative functions.
The Need: While not sacrificing the original utility of the space, the client wanted to turn it into an occasional guest room, showing off the “Zoom-Room” wall bed to its maximum advantage. The design solution had to provide ample storage space both for files, supplies as well as bedding for the new wall bed. The solution had to complement other recent improvements in the home and was to demonstrate the use of more exotic woods in custom cabinetry work.
The Solution: A compact and visually stunning wall of cabinetry in Avodire and Wenge which houses a queen size wall bed (activated by remote control), numerous file and storage drawers as well as a cabinet for bedding with a pullout nightstand for the occasional guest. An adjacent wall was outfitted with avodire veneer with a rift oak inlay, patterned to complement the book niches in the larger unit to its left. Lighting, electrical and color design services were provided as well.
Photo: Before
Photo: F9
Photo: F10
Photo: F11
DRAMATIC
"ZOOM-ROOM"
WALL BED AND STORAGE UNIT FOR SAN FRANCISCO
CONDO
The Space:
The den of a new luxury condo
with 11’-0” ceilings in downtown San
Francisco.
The Need: Open to the
living room, this tall, prominent space
required a dramatic statement to house
not only a wall bed for the occasional
guest but the client’s artwork as well.
The client wanted the cabinet to
incorporate display space for three
statues, a painting, bedside tables,
file cabinets and to maximize storage.
Photo: Before
The Solution:
Two bowed cabinets of
macassar ebony project from a main
cabinet of ebonized quartered unfigured
eucalyptus which houses the queen size
wall bed. The bowed cabinets contain
pull-out bedside tables, file cabinets,
space for general storage and a printer
on a pull-out shelf with one area
devoted to organizers for client
paperwork. The cabinet features niche
lights over the statues, uplight/cove
lighting on the top which reflects off
the ceiling, and directed lighting over
the painting. InHouse was responsible
for the fabrication and design of the
cabinetry and the electrical design.
Choice of cabinet wood, stain and
other furnishings by others.
Photo: F12 Under
Construction in Shop
Photo: F13 Construction in Shop,
Partially Stained
Photo:
F14
Nearing Completion
Photo:
F15 Finished Cabinet (furnishings
other than the wall bed
cabinet by others)
The Space: A room with insufficient closet and storage space.
The Need: A tall free standing cabinet to house supplies. The Client wanted the design to be somewhat sculptural considering the cabinet’s anticipated girth.
The Solution: A contemporary taupe-colored oak armoire which appears to be three boxes stacked vertically on a base but is actually a single unit with two doors and adjustable shelves inside. The door handles are actually recessed cubes sculpted out of each box.
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN
QUARTERED WALNUT HOME LIBRARY
The Space: A den in
a San Francisco suburban home with a painted
brick fire place on one wall and a pair of
French doors that face a rear yard on
another.
The Need: A
library/home office with a warm, traditional
design that provides ample space for the
clients’ books. Initially the task was to
create only a home office on one wall of the
room but the scope of services grew to
include reworking the fireplace wall as well
to give the entire room a unified, warm
appearance.
Before
Photo:
F17
Fireplace Wall After
Photo: F18 New Mantle
The Solution: The
fireplace wall was paneled in American
Quartered walnut. The two windows were
covered with flush walnut framed “hammered”
glass doors which were designed at the
client’s request to minimize the appearance
of the windows on this wall. A beautiful
custom walnut crown moulding replaced the
original crown while the painted brick
fireplace surround and hearth was sheathed
in marble and surrounded by a new walnut
mantle with a horizontal panel of karelian
burl. On either side of the new mantle
walnut bookshelves were designed to run the
length of the room. InHouse designed and
facilitated the installation of the
cabinetry and electrical work and provided
the color consultation for the room.
MULTI-PURPOSE
WALL UNIT IN NAPA VALLEY
The Space: A
large, prominently located wall
of a recently built “Great Room”
with a sloped ceiling.
The Need: A
multi-purpose wall unit to house: a
large fish tank with a hidden
secondary tank and supportive
aquarium equipment; a display space
for the clients’ china; and shelves
for the clients’ extensive
collection of books.
The Solution: Utilizing the
entire space, InHouse worked with
the clients to create a warm,
colorful, attractive and functional
statement for this important wall.
With strong horizontal elements
defining the overall look, the lower
part of the unit is largely devoted
to the large fish tank which was
placed at optimal viewing height.
The cabinetry above and below the
tank is designed to house the
secondary overflow tank, aquarium
equipment and lighting with
ventilation incorporated into the
design.
Before: Laying out the
Wall Unit
Photo: F19 Wall Unit During
Construction
The display area for the
china is highlighted/defined by a
painted orange accent wall with part
of the china housed behind sliding
glass doors. The unit has open
display shelves which abut a sliding
glass door to diffuse the bulk of
the cabinetry. The remaining wall
space is occupied by adjustable
bookshelves with a lighter framework
so that they provide a backdrop for
the more substantial cabinetry
below. The decision was made to
paint the unit so as not to compete
with another built-in cherry wall
unit across the room. InHouse
designed and facilitated the
installation of the cabinetry and
the related electrical work.
Photo: F20
Completed Wall Unit
MAHOGANY
ENTRY CABINET
The Space: The entrance
wall of a new home in Napa
Valley with an open plan entry,
kitchen and great room.
The Need: A
functional piece of "art furniture"
which makes a strong visual
statement due to its prominent
location by the entrance to the
home. This multi-purpose
cabinet had to accommodate space for
housing/charging the client's cell
phones and other electronic items;
storage for several games and
miscellaneous outdoor clothing.
The
Solution: InHouse designed
a multi-layered wall-hung mahogany
storage unit consisting of several
ganged containers (both cabinets and
drawers) of various sizes, depths
and textures to create a collage of
boxes. A mirror was placed a
the top left of the piece for both
functional and aesthetic value.
InHouse designed and facilitated the
installation of the cabinetry and
the related electrical work.
The Need: A sofa side table which needed to act both as a pedestal for a sculpture as well as a table for occasional use as a surface for food and drinks when the client is entertaining. The table would be primarily viewed from the left side when approaching and from the front when in the seating area of the room so it needed to look interesting from both angles. The room was not a big one so the design could not look overwhelming or too substantial
The Solution: A simple contemporary design consisting of a rectilinear cherry pedestal which is dramatically bisected by a 3/4" clear glass shelf on three sides. The specified height was intended to best display the piece of sculpture from various points in the room as well as to relate to the adjacent sofa arm. The glass shelf cantilevers into the room at an easily accessible height and acts as a small entertaining surface or a repository for a magazine or book. The most dramatic views of the table are from the front and left side per the Client’s wishes.
Photo: F22
Photo: F23
SMALL DINING SIDEBOARD The Space: The corner of a dining area in a small apartment.
The Need: A multi-use storage cabinet. The Client often uses an adjacent dining table as a desk. However, she needed a place to quickly store her papers if anyone dropped by. Additionally she needed several shallow pencil drawers for desk supplies as well as storage space for a wine rack and some of her dinnerware. The request was to design a piece to accommodate all of the above without overwhelming the corner of the dining area. The top of the piece was to be used as an occasional surface for entertaining but primarily as a display area for some of her pieces of art and a table lamp. The piece needed to complement the dining table which is cherry and contemporary in nature.
The Solution: A storage cabinet with two shallow drawers for desk supplies on top as well as sufficient space in the body of the cabinet for the wine and dishes behind doors with frosted glass panels. A "floating" glass top and tapered wooden legs further "lighten" this piece. The unit was built out of cherry veneers and solids and stained to match the dining room table.
The Space: A wall in a living room between a window and French doors.
The Need: A wall unit which was to house books, a piece of sculpture, numerous CDs and display the Client’s ceramic vase to its best advantage. The Client did not want the pieces to overwhelm the space and wanted a bit of a Mondrian look in the main storage piece with openings of different sizes. She was leaning towards an overall Asian aesthetic, though.
The Solution: A three piece two tone mahogany sectional which provides storage for books and CDs while highlighting the Client’s sculpture and pottery. Each piece could stand alone should the client move. Together, they form a rhythmic answer to the Client’s storage and display needs as they portray a horizontal and vertical design approach to the problem. The CDs are stored in internally divided drawers. The sculpture is housed in a lit niche which is adjustable in size should the client want to highlight another object. The pottery vase sits on a base cabinet which was specifically sized to complement the vase’s proportions.
Photo: F24
Photo: F25
PAINTED BUILT-IN SHELVING UNIT
The Space: A highly visible den in a new home right off the main entry.
The Need: A wall of shelves to create a library. The client wanted a more contemporary feel and felt the wall should definitely give the room some personality.
The Solution: The furniture which is to inhabit the space is mahogany. InHouse decided to make the built-in shelves recede by painting them. We knew that the books themselves would end up providing sufficient visual interest. The shelving unit’s personality derives from its unusual stepped cornice which is penetrated by the thick vertical elements which define the individual shelf compartments. Most shelves are adjustable for maximum flexibility.
The Space: A large second floor hallway in a Victorian home with 10’-0" ceilings. The space was between two windows, adjacent to the top of the stairs. Any piece of furniture would be viewed on three sides: from the front, adjacent rooms and the top of the stairs as one ascends into the hall.
The Need: The client wanted to give this space some personality. He wanted a place to display his books and store some miscellaneous items and was intrigued by the idea of a library in the hall.
The Solution: A built-in, over-scaled book and storage cabinet in walnut. The cabinet, which sits between the two windows, is designed to have adjustable open shelves on the sides as well as the front of the unit so it would "read" well from any angle. It is anchored by a large base which protrudes into the room in a bay-like manner, providing ample storage. Design elements playfully reflect upon traditional Victorian elements found elsewhere in the home.
