Maximising storage in landing spaces

Mrs Whyte and her husband first moved into their beautiful period barn in the market town of Rugeley in 1992. What attracted them to the then recently converted property was its character and old-world charm, with its beams, sloping ceilings and nooks and crannies.

However, although the couple loved the interesting character and features, over the years it had proved very difficult to organise the layout of furniture, particularly in the bedrooms. The only storage space in the master bedroom was an awkward corner that included a slope and a beam, which was curtained off with rails behind it, as no freestanding furniture could fit there.

The barn has two bedrooms situated at either end of the building, with a long, wide landing running between them. Similarly to the bedrooms, the landing also features a large beam that is set away from the wall, and a sloping ceiling. Tucked beneath the slope was a half-height fitted cabinet that, although adequate for storing bedding and linen, was not suitable for clothing. After 23 years of living with these frustrating storage problems, Mrs Whyte had had enough and called in Sharps!

Mrs Whyte’s designer realised that what the couple were really lacking was hanging space for clothes. To overcome this, he designed 6 full height double wardrobes, running the length of the previously under utilised landing space. The first 5 wardrobes incorporated hanging space for clothes with a handy shelf above. The 6th wardrobe incorporated floor to ceiling shelving, providing Mrs Whyte with a dedicated storage area for the bedding and linen that was previously stored here.

Style wise, Mr and Mrs Whyte’s designer suggested Sherbourne in cream as this matched the other freestanding furniture that they already had on the landing. The walnut handles matched this, too, and also complemented the beautiful beam creating an arch across the landing space. As for the master bedroom, the designer suggested recycling the old fitted cabinet from the landing and using it in the bedroom to create a craft area for Mrs Whyte – the couple arranged this themselves and were delighted with the outcome.