When it comes to storage in old arts & craft style houses such as this one, it is almost minuscule. Storage was not an issue back in the 20′s and 30′s because people did not have as much “stuff”. What little clothes available were usually stored in the chifforobe. When it comes to selling a house, having a closet is a key feature to any room if you want to list it as a bedroom. In this old house, that my mother and I remodeled, there is a studio area that is 20′x20′ excluding the alcoves. Each of the three alcoves has a window strategically placed. That is a huge space! In order for this studio to be esthetically pleasing, we needed to materialize how to incorporate a closet that includes the slant from the roof. While walking up the stairs the alcove that faces the east need to be visible to allow a maximum amount of light. At the same time we could not jeopardize the area of the closet.

At first, we thought we could square it off the wall, but that would make the closet look out of place. After careful consideration, we came off the wall about two feet, then connected to the opposite wall with a sixty degree angle to mimic the shape of the alcove. Visually, this was the key to tie in the closet with the rest of the room. Now it appears as if the closet was already there. This is my first closet hat I have built, which includes a light and switch. I can now add this skill to my arsenal of tricks. Here is a progressive slideshow of the closet being built.
-david d’angelo