Here’s a design thread with opportunity for comments by Creekers. I’m going to spread my initial discussion over several posts so that I can place text near specific pictures, so read on.
A friend of a friend asked me to build “a mudroom sort of area” in a wide place in a hallway just inside a side door to her house. This door is the one closest to the detached garage, and is the primary entrance for the family. I was puzzled by her interest in a mudroom. We live in central California. We never have snow, and with less than 20” of rain per year we barely have mud. It turned out that she wanted a place for people to hang jackets, for the kids to drop their school packs, and for everybody to remove their shoes. They have gleaming Santos Mahogany floors, and encourage stocking feet in the house.
I suggested a hall tree plus some open hooks for jackets. She was receptive to this approach, but the discussion slowed a little when we started talking about what style the furniture should be. This is common. Many people don’t know how to describe what they like, and only know they like something when they see it. I looked around her home for clues about her taste, and didn’t get much help; the place is eclectic, with a wide range of styles. I tried my furniture design “Rorschach test” --- looking through furniture books with her to find pieces she likes. Again, she liked a wide range of styles. The result is that I’ve had to come up with a bunch of designs to see which one she likes. Fortunately, it will be a while before my schedule allows me to set saw to wood on her behalf, so I have time to think of many different designs.
I thought I’d post several of these designs to see if y’all have suggestions for improvements.
The first drawing records the design objectives. That is, it shows the critical issues in the design, but doesn’t address how they will be achieved. The red stairs to the right are made from that Santo Mahogany, the floor is light oak, and the walls are off-white sheetrock. The point of view for this drawing is actually someplace through the hall’s opposite wall.