The Master Closet

The master closet is one of the three main components making up the master suite which occupies the back 60% of livable space on the second floor. In the master bath post directly below this post you will see the floor plan showing the master bath and closet. The two rooms share an interior wall and are set conveniently to each other so that one can walk from the bathroom right into the dressing/closet area without parading around the bedroom au natural after a shower. The location was important of course but we also faced several smaller but key questions about the closet when we planned it, namely:

• how big should the closet be?
• what should it be constructed from?
• what kind of storage should it offer?

The first question is of course depends on how much room you can realistically allocate but also on how much storage space one needs while still allowing the closet to be usable and give freedom of movement. The third question is probably the most important but most overlooked by architects and builders. I know from experience that closet layout and design (arguably most the third most important feature in a house behind kitchen and baths) are neglected or ignored until very late in the design process by many architects and builders. The result tends to be the allocation of a token shelf and clothes rod or calling a "closet designer" into the process. The fact that firms actually design and install closets should be an indicator of how in depth and important a well designed closet can be but when they are called in too late they are forced to work with whatever arbitrary measurements and layout they have been left with.

We were determined to not neglect the closet. We made (as any architect or designer should) a list of requirements before we started building. How many shoes did we want out at once? How much hanging clothing space did we need? Shelves or drawers? Ah! Handbag storage. What about spaces for boxed items, be it shoes or scarves, etc. Who will use the closet and/or require more of the space and how should it be divided so that things don't get mixed together? We laid out of the closet space to give most functional room for walls to accommodate storage space but now we needed to figure out how much of each component would fill the meager 80 square feet of space.

MDF (medium density fiberboard) turned out to be the best material to construct the closet from. We wanted to avoid formica laminated particle board. Too size constrictive and pre-fab looking. Wood would have been nice but with built in depths from 24" to 14" we were way past dimensional lumber options and into serious custom cut lumber or veneered plywood. Plywood is a good option but can be subject to humidity issues as well as de-laminating and warping over time. MDF is a greener product, is solid and strong, very stable and finishes beautifully with an alkyd or latex finish. The first step was to rip cut the MDF into the 8' long pieces at the three required shelf depths: 24" along the wall shared with the bathroom, 18" along the back wall and 15" along the left wall facing wall.

Given the size of the room, early photos showed little. Here, somewhat into the process one can see the three walls from the entrance to the closet. The right is the bathroom wall with 24" deep built-in which will accommodate the 8' long hanging clothes rod. Straight ahead is the 18" deep section for shelves and sliding baskets. To the right is the 15" deep unit for shoes and shoe box storage. Once I had the MDF cut in widths required I could cut it to desired lengths to form partitions and shelves as required.

The photo above shows the 13-1/2" deep shoe shelves which I installed at an 8 degree angle sloping forward for better presentation of the shoes. At the base one can see the 1x6 poplar which makes up the base of the built-in.

Here, from a bit further back in the entrance, the shoe shelves are easier to see. Note the "height gauge" handbag on the shelf at the end. While well intentioned I now think it is advisable not to use one of your spouse's handbags during the construction process.

A view of the right wall (bathroom wall) showing the clothes rod space and the long storage shelf above it.

In the blinding glare of the 4" ceiling can lighting as of yet without their baffles is a good last view of the components of the built-in closet system. To the right is the deep cabinet with five four vertical dividers. At the back the shelf and basket wall not yet completed and on the left the shoe wall. Now it is down to installing the last shelves, "face framing" the front of the partitions (I nailed poplar to the cut edge of all exposed MDF partitions for a nice finished look), nosing for the shelves, installation of baskets and drawers, and lastly, priming and painting with Benjamin Moore alkyd (oil based) primer and White Dove Satin Impervo. The results:

Looking into the closet from the hall, the closet components are all in place. I have installed crown moulding and baseboard at top and bottom to complete the built-in aspect of the shelves. In addition the "eyeball" directional baffles are now in the ceiling cans giving directed and softer light.

In designing the closet we came to some realizations. One, drawers, or at least too many of them, are a bad move. Drawers tend to be too shallow or too deep. One is either unable to get enough into them and still close them or they are too deep and one is forever digging for things they cannot see or remember are there. Shelves and baskets seems the way to go. We elected to go with two divisions (each with four drawers) with hanging brown canvas "drawers", two divisions (each with four baskets) of sliding wire basket-drawers, and the center with shelves. The entire end is allocated to open shelves and sliding baskets.

The shoe shelves allow for 30 pairs of women's shoes on each side or 24 men's shoes on each side with two two shelves at the top of each compartment for boxed shoes.

The hanging rod gives plenty of space for the two of us to keep most of our hanging clothes. A cedar closet in the other room handles "out of season" and "special occasion" clothing. The photo below gives a better view of the basket and drawer spaces.

We are very happy to have the closet functioning now and believe we planned it quite well. I leave you with a final view looking out to the hall at the dressing mirror and the shoe shelves. Stay tuned for living room and library posts due soon!

Master Bathroom Reaches Completion!

As stated in the our previous post, the interior at the F&H Homestead is really coming along now. Things took a long time and with larger projects, such as getting entire rooms up to speed for painting and completion, there was little to show and it seemed at many points that only I was seeing the changes. That has all changed now as we streak toward completion and each room seems to go from a partially completed space to an actual room in a given day. It is quite exciting to watch and of course it is a pleasure to use each space as we add it to parts of the house thus far completed. It should be noted that the line between interior completion and interior design and layout can be quite fine and it is my commitment not to cross this line as this is the domain of the other half of F&H and will be left to her expertise.

Today it gives me great pleasure to present the master bathroom which, in conjunction with the master closet and bedroom, represent the master suite. This room was one of the last to be started and was one of the most involved as one might expect. Kitchens and bathrooms are important in resale and are where people spend a lot of time. Consequently they also tend to be an involved design and construction process.

Late last year I did a teaser post showing tiles for the master suite.

We selected a grey-white slightly marbled 3"x6" subway tile with non-buffered edges for decks and walls, and an off-white hexagon tile for the floor and the shower floor. Whereas a standard living space has typical appointments such as floors, trim and paint, a bathroom or kitchen is a complicated amalgamation of materials, colors, hardware, and lighting. We studied the concept of a slab of marble for the double vanity top and tub deck but something kept drawing us back to the individual subway tiles. Sure, there was more work when it came to installation but there is something intricate yet subtly decadent about the individual tiles. In the end we stuck with the same tiles for around the room.

The bathroom occupies the back left side of the house and is at the end of a short hallway from the master bedroom. The master closet is entered from the same hallway just before entering the bathroom. I discovered, sadly, that for many reasons, I took few early photos of the master bath before completion began in earnest. I think this may be because it was a small and difficult space to get good photos of when there was little in it. As one can see above, the bathroom is roughly 130 sq. ft. and is appointed with a double vanity (top left above tub--configuration and sizes not determined when this plan was in effect so the space is simply shown with a line) soaking tub, walk-in shower and a toilet in a sectioned off area at the end of the bathroom. Below you will see an early set of photos showing the tub already in place with the tiles going onto the deck. The photo is taken from the door area. Note the empty space on the right side of the half wall where the vanity will be.

Above the edge of the tub deck with the first tiles in place. Below the tiles cut to accommodate the tub filler and trim.


Once we had the tub in place and tiled things slowed down for a month or two while other things were completed around the house. In early December 09 things picked up again and moved forward. First came the tongue and groove wall paneling which I installed around the bathroom to just about 42" high.

The wood panels are capped with a small ledge and a piece of quarter round trim. The tub is out of site in the front left and the vanity cabinet can be seen with tile backer-board on top of it just behind the half wall which separates the tub from the vanity. A closer look also shows the hexagon tiles already in place on the floor.

A view towards the water closet at the end of the bathroom. The wood on the wall is already primed and ready for sanding. Next, the shower walls and vanity top!


Here the walls are being tiled with the same light grey subway tiles. Below, the deck of the vanity. Above, the floor in place over the mudded shower base and the tiles on the walls visible above. Last will be to set the tiles into place working down to the shower floor.

The threshold to the shower in place and the half wall next to it waiting for a marble cap. Next step is to grout and then start getting fixtures in place. We selected our appointments carefully and decided on Kohler for the tub and sinks, Toto for their 1.28 gallon low water Promenade toilet, and Grohe for all of our fixtures and trims. We really liked Kohler's Archer line for the tub and sinks and found their lines in keeping with the house. Grohe is a good German line of fixtures and are well made and reflect that in the price one pays. Lastly, we selected the Bistro line by Restoration Hardware for lights and other accessories. This was a bit of a hard choice to make because Restoration Hardware, once a small specialty retailer with well made US and European products, now makes most of their lights and fixtures in China. This is a disappointment. They still cost the same as when they were made in the US and Europe of course and in the case of water fixtures (taps, shower heads, etc) they are not what they once were as one might expect. However, lights and accessories are still decently made and it is hard not to love Restoration Hardware's style. We now jump forward from tiling to completion photos to show the above referenced appointments.

Here the Archer sinks are set into position for installation. The Restoration Hardware oval pivot Bistro mirrors can be seen already installed on the wall.

One of the three Restoration Hardware Bistro sconces in place flanking the mirrors. Next, the glass for the shower goes in.

For this intricate and exacting process I selected a small local group called Anderson Glassworks located in Warren CT. They have a good reputation and are reasonably priced. I could not have been more pleased with the quality of the 3/8" glass enclosure that they installed. It looks great and doesn't leak a drop. With the glass in place the bathroom is finally done. Behold!

Looking down the hall into the bathroom.

Entering the bathroom on a bright sunny but snowy day outside, the Restoration Hardware pivoting Bistro mirrors with the Bistro sconces flanking them. Directly below is the vanity with the sinks in place.

One of the two Grohe vanity cross handle taps in place on the Kohler Archer sink.

At the end of the bathroom is the Toto Promenade toilet. We are very pleased with this model. It uses only 1.28 gallons per flush and does its work without issue.

Looking from the shower and the door to the room towards the Kohler Archer tub and the Grohe fixtures including a hand-held shower head.

Directly above the tub filler is the Restoration Hardware Bistro Train Rack for towels and robes. It is a perfect solution for storage and convenient access to ones towel after a bath.

Looking back across the bathroom from the water closet at the vanity with the door and shower out of view to the right.

The shower enclosure from the vanities. The Grohe taps are from top to bottom: shower head, shower-to-handheld-diverter, temperature blend valve handle, and the diverter nub with hose to the handheld shower head on the right.

With the master bathroom complete it is off to the next project! The master closet. I can't wait so I have included a couple of teasers below....one of the project under construction and the second of the closet complete and operating. Please stay tuned over the weekend for the next update on the master closet and an update of the living room.

Interior Completion Posts Commence!

At long last we shall start covering the completion of the interior of the house. It has been a bit of a gap since we posted but since the last posts around the holidays we have been concentrating on the interior. Over the next few weeks we will be paying more close attention to the interior and as each room comes into order we will post on it.

The reality of architecture is that the interior appointments, details, and decor play a large role in the way one absorbs and responds to a space. Architecture schools today, at least a generous majority of them, focus too much on the ethereal and intangible aspects of design. As a theoretical and intellectual exercise, studying greater intent through conceptual design is a good idea but should be supporting study rather than primary focus. It should never take the place of learning the rudiments of basic usable, livable design.

By this I mean the nuts and bolts. Laying out living space that works. This is all but ignored these days by too many architecture schools. It seems strange and illogical that students would not be exposed to the basics of design but sadly it is true. The reality of the building world is that design is far more than the shape of the building. It is about time tested aesthetics, craftsmanship, style, and above all, livable spaces that people respond to on a visceral level. It is the blending of materials and proper deployment of lighting (both natural and artificial) as well as the use of colors and accents which make the shape and layout pop. Failure to follow through on interiors can detract heavily from a strong design idea. With this in mind I shall now start to address interior completions.

We started in the living room. This is actually one of the last rooms I am finishing. I took a great deal of time deciding how the mantel would look so I waited on this room. Plus, it has acted as a store room/cutting room until now. Here we are looking at the fireplace end of the room. I am in the middle of completing the mantel in this photo. Some drywall still remains to be primed, baseboard and crown need to go in as well. Lastly, the floor needs a final coat. I applied two coats of dark raw tung oil early on to protect the floors but in the mean time I have made no effort to protect or cover the floors, allowing drywall compound and saw dust to cover it and things to drop on it as I work. This has yielded a wonderful appearance around the house as the floors have the vintage patina I have been seeking.

The mantel will be the focal point of the living room. I wanted something simple but elegant. Something dignified but not overwhelming. As we used shaker panel doors around the house I felt this might work well on the mantel. However, after constructing the mantel of poplar with shaker panels we agreed that it was too "Frank Lloyd Wright-ish". To rectify this I simply put some low profile trim around the inside of the panels as can be seen above. This had an instant transformative effect and gave us exactly the look we wanted.

I selected a crown molding which was almost identical to the one we used around the house but for sake of scale I got the larger version of the crown molding. To the top I affixed a piece of 5/4" poplar with a bevelled edge similar to our window sills.

Jumping forward here (for the sake of time) here we see the mantel completed, the walls fully painted, the crown and baseboards in and the windows painted. The floor is swept and cleared and ready for finishing. I have left the baseboard unpainted as it will most likely get stain on it as I finish the floors. The baseboard will be the final touch to the room. The fireplace turned out just as I had hoped. It has an elegant appearance but does not look too grand. It is in keeping with the country colonial look we have some dutifully pursued in this project. I found the hammered brass fire tools and three part screen at a local antique dealer. They sit with the fireplace very well.

A view from the other angle, the three part door to the deck outside.

The next morning, the final coat of tung oil being applied. Mastering this takes some time, patience and experimentation. The mixture, tint, clean up and application are a matter of practice. I just about have it at this point. We lucked out, the heart pine gave us the exact look I wanted. I needed a new floor that would look like it has been down for 50 years. The heart pine was a stroke of pure luck. The only thing we did not get was the exact color we wanted. Heart pine is VERY dense wood with tight pores. The first coat I put on soaked in best but I did not have it tinted as dark as I wanted it. subsequent applications soak in less. The floor darkens as you apply more coats but not as much has we hoped. We wanted something a little lighter than what you see in the wet section of floor above. We ended up with lighter floors but at least the patina is there and frankly, it still looks great. Lesson learned on tinting and applying tung oil!

Last phase of floor finishing! This is a messy job but one gets better and better as time goes by. Once the finish is on the floor I let is set for about an hour. The mineral spirits in the mix allow the mixture to go on a bit more fluidly. Tung oil is pretty thick. The stain tint and the tung oil start to solidify on the floor once applied and the spirits evaporate.

Exercising caution, I started a fire in the fireplace before beginning (the mixture is flammable although not highly volatile) and found that the positive pressure created by the fire helped draw air into the room from the rest of the house and vented the evaporating spirits very well. After the mixture set I put on a special old pair of knee pads and don my latex gloves. Two rags in hand the clean up commence. I started at the far side of the room, walking carefully over the slippery finish. My right hand rag is wipe the mixture from the floor and the left rag buffs the wiped floor to take the residue off. This 250 sq. ft (23.22 sq. m) took about six rags to clean up.

With the floor fully wiped clean I now have a finished product. Tung oil comes from a nut and is a natural product. It nourishes the wood and leaves a weather resistant and soft finish. I prefer it to varnish because when it comes time to redo the floors, one lives a light hand sanding and then another coat of oil. Done. As for this floor, it needs about 24 hours to soak up and "dry" a bit. Then I will buff it with a soft cloth and it will be time to finish the baseboards and move in the furniture! The interior appointments will be detailed by the other half of F&H as it develops!