Storage from scratch

COURTESY PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Many of us have this beautiful space in our mind where we keep the plan of our ideal or dream house.
  • However, before getting to that point we have to make do with whatever the landlords put out there in the market.
  • The ideal solution for such a situation would be to have a local carpenter make you a multipurpose unit.

Many of us have this beautiful space in our mind where we keep the plan of our ideal or dream house. The location of the house, the size of the land on which it will be built, incredible size of the rooms, the decor. And for the ladies, one of the rooms is the master bedroom. It has got to be en suite, large walk-in closet whether you have the clothes to fit in it or not.

However, before getting to that point we have to make do with whatever the landlords put out there in the market. Sometime ago when I was house hunting, the broker took me to view a two-bedroom apartment. The bedrooms seemed reasonably spacious but the wardrobes were hang off the ground the same way kitchen cabinets are hung!
One had to step on a stool to access them. Why? I stood there in my interior design self, so shocked at this felony and wondering how any sane person would agree to such advice then it hit me.
Right under the hanging wardrobes was enough space for a bed, now if he had placed the wardrobes on the floor the bedroom was fit to contain only one bed. Now this was from a landlord who in his own way was concerned about the occupants, others cannot be bothered to give wardrobes, it’s up to the tenant.
This usually leaves them with the option of buying portable fabric wardrobes because living out of a suitcase is no fun at all. The challenge with these is that you can only use them to hang clothes.

The ideal solution for such a situation would be to have a local carpenter make you a multipurpose unit...a chest of five rows of drawers, standing at 1.3m tall and 1m wide. Here is a mental picture of the design; after the bottom two rows of drawers the next two up can be replaced with open shelving in which one can keep beddings, skirts, trousers and bags. On top of the chest can be used as a dressing table holding make-up boxes, jewellery, perfumes, lotions among others
Right above the chest, a rack on which to hang blouses and dresses. Because of its height, I suggest that a stick like the ones on brooms be acquired and a hook be inserted on one end making it easy to remove a hanger from the rail.

Quick fix
Tailor make your wardrobe as this will hold a lot more than a portable fabric designed wardrobe. A carpenter can hook you up with a great design.

Gloria Kawuma is an interior designer