What would YOU do with this oddly-shaped space?

February 27, 2019 6:13 PM

We recently bought a condo. There’s an oddly-shaped (deep but low) storage cubby in the corner of the master bedroom. I have no idea what to use it for. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration.

Photos here.

Internal dimensions: 45” wide x 70” deep. 42” high at the entrance. 40” back from the entrance, the ceiling slopes to a height of 32” at the back. The inside of the door frame is 27” wide x 42” high.

When we moved in, I noticed a strong damp/stale/mildew smell in the cubby, which seems to have mostly (but not entirely) dissipated over the past 4 months, while the door has been closed. One side wall backs onto our bathroom, and the low sloped ceiling sits below external stairs to the unit above us. The other side wall is the building exterior. We're not sure yet if there’s an issue with damp (or how I would find out), or if the stale smell was just the result of being tightly packed with the previous owner’s belongings for a long time. Floor is unfinished concrete. It appears to be wired for electricity - there’s a lamp(?) in one of the upper corners, but I can’t find any way to turn it on.

We’re both agile enough to crawl into the space, but probably wouldn’t want to have to do this daily or even weekly. It’s too small for an adult reading nook. No kids in the house to benefit from a play space / reading nook.

We'll be fully redecorating the bedroom, and I'm open to removing the door and continuing the new hardwood flooring into the space, as long as the overall look is cohesive.

We're not exactly hurting for storage space elsewhere in the house. All the same, I’m leaning towards using it for storage rather than just leaving it empty - but for what?

What would YOU do with this space?

posted by gin and biscuits to Home & Garden (30 answers total)

I think I would try to find or make a rolling cart that fit snugly in there, so that you could easily access stored things and also keep things up off the ground/away from walls if you do have moisture issues. I don’t know that I would try to renovate it into the larger space of the bedroom.
posted by stellaluna at 6:17 PM on February 27, 2019 [22 favorites]

My parents renovated a room that had two of those and they made beautiful in-built shelves.

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/45248423_10161058305210646_209608594616745984_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=9c506f42f125c1cdab144ed1d4808589&oe=5CDFE2B8

here's an image.
posted by bbqturtle at 6:26 PM on February 27, 2019 [21 favorites]

That is what we called the Christmas closet, aka the hide 'n seek closet, when I was a kid. It held wrapping paper, ornaments, stockings, and presents the adults needed to hide until Christmas Eve.
posted by cocoagirl at 6:38 PM on February 27, 2019 [15 favorites]

I love bbqturtle's built-in chest of drawers. It may not make full use of the depth of the space, but is super-functional. And you'll be more likely to use it often.

If this were my space, I'd probably use it for seasonal items, stuff you only need annually, like christmas decorations, or it can hold off-season clothes and bedding. I certainly wouldn't want to crawl in there often.
posted by hydra77 at 6:46 PM on February 27, 2019

If you have a large CRT television, that would fit nicely.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 6:50 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Similar to the holiday items idea, my first thought is to use it to store emergency supplies. Bottled water, tarps, duct tape, canned food, flashlights etc. I'd also throw a sticky, battery operated touchlight in there in the event you lose power. Anything permeable can be put in a seal-tight bin. And then you know *exactly* where it all is and humidity/dampness shouldn't be an issue. There are plenty of example lists of supplies found online.
posted by Ufez Jones at 6:52 PM on February 27, 2019 [11 favorites]

You could grow weed in there. Or tomatoes or herbs or orchids, African violets, etc etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:05 PM on February 27, 2019 [6 favorites]

I'd put a safe there and make it hidden as much as possible. Or the roll out storage cart sort of thing. Depending on insulation and climate the space may be cold and damp and unprotected / insulated. Are the stairs above inside or out, climate controlled or not. If it were all internal to the house then the drawers would be nice, but if not... it might be a cold damp place that you should treat like a garage and mostly use for odd stuff storage.

This reminds me of my grandparent's place where they covered over the stairs from the basement up to make a bigger porch area. There's still a door, and a wedge of space that's out of weather, but it's more of a cellar for storing packaged things that a bit of damp or cold won't effect.
posted by zengargoyle at 7:08 PM on February 27, 2019 [3 favorites]

I would probably just use it for out of season clothes, linens, bedspreads, pillows, etc.
posted by katypickle at 7:09 PM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

O wow, that is so cool!

Also, not super usable.

Me? I'd tear out the sidings and current door and get something "stealthed" put in.

Perfect place for a fireproof safe for your documents.

Or for a suite of sex toys/ apparatii storage.

Indoor doghouse?
posted by porpoise at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2019 [6 favorites]

I'd turn that into a puppy nap nook (meaning, throw a dog bed in there)....which the cat would probably take over as her hidey hole.
posted by Fig at 7:37 PM on February 27, 2019 [5 favorites]

I'm on Team Drawers. A quick Google found drawer slides that go up to 60" deep. They aren't cheap, so I'd try to figure out the water-tightness issue first.
posted by slidell at 7:41 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Shoe storage! You may have alternative solutions for shoes, but I always end up having too many shoes and not enough space and as much as I love shoes, they're too unsightly (to me) to keep out with everything else. For hygiene purposes, I also don't like keeping them in a closet.

I'd use that space as seasonal shoe storage, so whatever I wasn't using in, say, the summer, would stay in there until I had a need for it. On a daily basis it may not be as practical, since you most likely wouldn't want to track shoes in and out of the bedroom.
posted by Everydayville at 7:56 PM on February 27, 2019

I’d put suitcases in there. Suitcases take up so much closet space.
posted by something something at 8:07 PM on February 27, 2019 [29 favorites]

Get storage bins to make getting stuff out a lot easier; they slide nicely.
posted by theora55 at 8:25 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

I would get rid of the carpet and pad, paint the floor with acrylic floor paint in a light color. I would store suitcases use bins with lids for rare use items, like your fold up Christmas tree and ornaments. I would also get a shelf unit, or rolling console to sit in front of the hole, something with locking wheels. Something with vent space underneath, to keep it aired out. Chances are if it has two outer walls it will be a cold sink in the winter.like this functionally not necessarily aesthetically
posted by Oyéah at 8:46 PM on February 27, 2019

If you're planning on wiring the house for Cat 6 cable, maybe that's the place for the patch panel?
posted by Calloused_Foot at 10:05 PM on February 27, 2019

Laundry hamper?
posted by trig at 11:47 PM on February 27, 2019 [3 favorites]

I would put a foldaway exercise machine in there. The kind with wheels on the front, roll-away solutions that are still very bulky. An elliptical or rower perhaps.
posted by J.R. Hartley at 12:24 AM on February 28, 2019

Remodel to conceal a safe, or repurpose for the family pet. I wouldn't put anything in there that could be damaged by moisture (shoes, gift wrap) since you have already noticed a potential problem.
It might need some removable insulation for all walls and floor that can be cleaned/replaced to make it more pet-friendly.
posted by TrishaU at 2:16 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

That's definitely a light fixture. The little screw sticking out at the edge of the gold/just before the white is one of probably three that hold the glass cover on. You don't need to get them all the way out, just loose enough to wiggle it off and try a new bulb to help with your hunt for the switch.

Which part of the bathroom is the one wall on? Maybe it'd make more sense to open that side. It'd be shallower that way, so more useable with shelves.
posted by teremala at 3:55 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

I would like to point out that all of these ideas are possible and also combineable if bbqturtle's drawers looked exactly the same but were n fact false-front doors into the space, or false-fronts where you pulled two of the "drawer" handles to pull out very long storage chests on wheels. (I would go for the chests option, just made of MDF and with MDF lids to keep dust out, and I would store all the holiday crap in them plus divets, sleeping bags, camping gear, etc.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:29 AM on February 28, 2019

While you’re figuring out what to do, I’d throw a DampRid bucket in there and see how much moisture collects.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:36 AM on February 28, 2019 [9 favorites]

Litter box (add small opening for cat to enter). Luggage storage. See TrishaU above.
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:24 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

If you end up using it for rarely-accessed storage, you definitely need to swap the door out for a secret swinging bookcase door.
posted by natabat at 7:55 AM on February 28, 2019 [4 favorites]

I have a bunch of those in my house. They are varying degrees of usefulness depending on their location. The most important two things with that space are going to be

- does it have an ONGOING moisture problem?
- can you get that light to work?

I'm not sure how much you might want to do in terms of reno but a space like that might actually be more useful as extra bathroom space than extra bedroom space (i.e. open up that other wall, close off the one in your room0. The things I do with mine which are mostly eave spaces broken up like that are

- party paper/holidaytime room - seriously SO many boxes and wrapping paper can just go away here, but doesn't make that much sense to have this in a bedroom
- decorative seasonal stuff, same
- plastic tubs of memorabilia etc that you would like to have somewhere slightly nicer than an attic or basement
- suitcases and other bulky and hard to store stuff (makes sense to be near a bedroom)
posted by jessamyn at 8:29 AM on February 28, 2019

I would love such a space for my rower.
posted by she's not there at 9:22 AM on February 28, 2019

I vote suitcases and all the toiletpaper you'll ever need. If you get the musty smell out for good, consider the linens for the master bed/bath as well.
posted by TwoStride at 1:26 PM on February 28, 2019

Is the bathroom side wall the "wet" wall, that is the wall the pipes run through? You might want to leave it accessible if you ever (when) you have plumbing problems.

As for the light fixture, the previous owners may have removed the switch and buried the switch box. Some electricians have equipment that can trace an unused circuit and find out where the hidden switch is.

This seems like a great spot for a secret storage room, with swing out shelving as a door.
posted by Marky at 10:26 PM on February 28, 2019

Movie theater for 2.
posted by at at 2:55 PM on March 1, 2019