Dual Purpose Spaces

Think Dual Purpose when Designing Your Home

Over the past few years, we’ve definitely seen a shift in design mentality from single-purpose rooms to dual purpose rooms. It’s such a simple concept, but one that hugely improves the functionality of your home! Why have a laundry room AND a mudroom when you can combine the two? Why dedicate an entire room to guests who only visit a few times a year when you can add a Murphy Bed to a home office? As the preeminent leader in storage solutions in Coastal Maryland and Delaware, we offer tons of creative solutions to take advantage of one of the hottest trends in home design right now: dual-purpose rooms. See our top tips below to start making the most of every room in your home!

Laundry + Mudrooms

2022 06 30 0001 — Photo Credit: Joanna Gaines

Typically located off the garage or a side entrance, lots of people are opting for a combined laundry and mudroom rather than dedicating a separate space to each. If you think about it, it makes sense. Both rooms require similar materials—durable, water-resistant flooring and cabinet or cubby storage—and both serve as a dumping place (whether it be dirty clothes in the laundry room or jackets, shoes, backpacks, etc., in the mudroom). When combining the two rooms, most clients opt for a combination of cabinets, cubbies, lockers, hooks, and benches to accommodate all those dropped items and to store all your typical laundry room necessities.

Office + Guest Room

This one is a no-brainer. Home offices were once a neglected, sterile space used only sparingly, but they’re now a worthwhile addition thanks to the increase of people working from home part or full-time. As home offices become more coveted, it only makes sense to double up these spaces as guest rooms with the help of a Murphy Bed. The great thing about wall beds is they’re the ultimate space-saving solution. When not in use, they fold back and out of the way. Plus the lines we carry are so much more attractive than the Murphy Beds of past!

Wine Storage + Basements

Whether you’re looking to incorporate a wine wall, room, staircase or cellar into your home, the basement is the perfect location! Not only does it typically stay cooler temperature-wise, but who doesn’t love the idea of a basement bar?! If you want to up your game, incorporate a makeshift tasting room by adding barstools, a countertop and lighting. Your guests will not be disappointed!

Closet + Bathroom

There’s something so luxurious about a master bathroom that flows into a master closet. We love when clients choose to blend these spaces together for a smooth transition throughout the master suite. It gives you easy access to all the things you need while getting ready—clothes, shoes, accessories, hair products, makeup, and more! And it makes you feel like you have your own little apartment inside your house. Who wouldn’t love that?!

Are you planning a new home build or renovation? Let us help make the most of every room in your house! Contact us today to get started!

Design Trend: Murphy Beds

Wall beds, or Murphy Beds, are not a new trend. In fact, they’ve been around for over a century! But they’ve recently made a resurgence in home design and for good reason—they’re the ultimate space-saving solution. Here are the top reasons we think you should add one to your home!

They make a room multi-functional

We love a dual purpose room, and Murphy Beds are the perfect way to make a space serve double duty. Why dedicate an entire room to guests who you only host a few times a year when you can add a Murphy Bed to your office, craft room or sun porch that tucks away when not in use? The most popular room to incorporate a Murphy Bed into is the home office. With the rise of working from home post-Covid, home offices are getting much more use. As these spaces become more coveted, they’re taking precedence over dedicated guest rooms. Hence why adding a Murphy Bed to the space just makes plain sense!

They’re stylish

The recent re-popularity of Murphy Beds has brought with it an increased focus on style, resulting in products that are far more attractive than wall beds of the past! Many of the units include built-in shelving and storage, which is especially fitting for a home office setting. There are also several options for how they operate—pull down (cabinet) or pull out (drawer). Either way, these beds will make a stylish addition to any room in your house!

They help de-clutter

There’s nothing more satisfying than a well organized home! Having things put away gives tremendous peace of mind. So the idea of being able to tuck away a bed that’s not in use is extremely gratifying. One less bed to keep made and straight—until you need it that is!

If you’re re-evaluating how well your primary residence or second home functions, contact us today to learn more about our wall bed options!

New Year’s Resolution: An Organized Home

Now is the time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions! Here at BCD, we believe strongly in the connection between an organized home and an organized life. So if your New Year’s resolution involves tackling some overdue home organization projects, we’re here to help! Here are the most popular spaces our clients reimagine in January:

Closets

The first step to a more organized home is always the closets. While you can de-clutter without changing a thing in your closet, if you really want storage solutions that works for your wardrobe and your lifestyle, it’s time to ditch the builder-grade closet for a custom Behind Closed Doors system. From drawers and shelving to doors and rods, our custom closets reflect your individual needs and style. If you’re looking for something even more luxurious, check out our blog post on the top five upgrades to consider.

Pantry

After all that holiday cooking, baking, and entertaining, you might feel disappointed with your pantry storage—or lack thereof. Whether you’re looking to make an existing space function better or create a new one, we’re here to help. We offer an array of pantry designs that include varying height shelves to accommodate all sizes of items you need to store, pull out drawers and shelves for easy access to deeper items, racks to organize spices and oils, and cabinet dividers for large plates, baking pans and Tupperware.

Entryway/Mudroom

It’s the first thing you see when you enter the house, and the area that can attract the most clutter. So naturally, we love helping clients reimagine their entryways and mudrooms with custom lockers, cubbies, benches and wall systems. There’s nothing more satisfying than having a stylish and functional place for all the shoes, coats, bags, and dog leashes that get dumped upon entry.

Offices

Home offices were once a neglected, sterile space used only sparingly, but they’re now a worthwhile addition thanks to the increase of people working from home part or full-time. We love helping our clients create offices that suit their needs, and often times making them multi-functional as well with the addition of a Murphy Bed. The great thing about wall beds is they’re the ultimate space-saving solution. When not in use, they fold back and out of the way. Plus the lines we carry are so much more attractive than the Murphy Beds of past!

Let’s start 2023 off on the right foot! Contact us today to discuss your next home storage project.

Home Offices: Style Versus Function

The past few years of working from home culture have transformed how we look at home offices. Once a neglected, sterile space used only sparingly, home offices are now a worthwhile addition thanks to the increase of people working from home part or full-time. The trickiest part about designing a home office is trying to figure out how to marry style and function. You need the space to serve your work needs first and foremost, but you don’t want to return to the days of barren and bleak. Enter our experts at Behind Closed Doors Custom Closets & Cabinetry! Not only can we provide storage solutions for your home office, but we also can guide you through what items you should purchase for fun and which you should purchase for function!

For Looks: Lighting

Give in to style when picking out your office lighting—from desk lamps to ceiling lights to sconces and beyond. Figure out if you want a chandelier, flush mount, and/or sconces as the focal lighting first. Then add in lamps for the desk and side tables. Tip: use an attractive floor lamp to brighten a dark corner of the office.

For Function: Shelving

First things first, decide if open shelving or cabinets are going to work better for your working from home needs. While we love the look of custom built-ins with open shelves, they don’t lend themselves well to file folders, bulky printers and other office eyesores. So if you need that space to store them, you might want to put them behind closed doors. If you don’t have a ton of office eyesores, you can hide them behind cabinet doors on the bottom of a shelving system and still do open shelving on top styled better to your tastes!

For Looks: Desk

Since you’ll inevitably be installing built-in shelving or cabinets, your desk doesn’t have to function as your main storage area. So feel free to choose something solely for looks! Think of the desk as the pièce de résistance of the home office.

For Function: Desk Chair

While we fully support going all in for looks with the desk, the desk chair is another story. You’ll want to choose something that’s supportive and comfortable first and foremost. After all, it is something you’ll sit in for long periods of time. Think about whether the chair will promote good posture and avoid chairs that collapse your back or make it easy to hunch. Trust us, your back will thank you!

Learn more about our home office storage solutions on our Services page!

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