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Built-in cabinets and cases solve storage and display problems

By Stacy Dow, McClatchy Newspapers 3:09 PM Thursday, April 2, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Built-ins are not only beautiful and functional, they personalize a home. Constructed to fit the odd nooks and crannies of a residence, they provide customized storage for the owners' interests.

The modern farmhouse of Franz and Annelies Leuthardt outside of Smithville, Mo., is a prime example. Various sizes of navy, cobalt and azure rectangles take up an entire wall of the top floor. Together the blue cabinets and drawers resemble the abstract work of Piet Mondrian.

"The cabinets are a work of art," says Annelies Leuthardt, who with her husband worked with Gastinger Walker Harden Architects of Kansas City, Mo., to build their dream house almost a dozen years ago. She has never grown tired of the boldness of the built-ins; they make her smile. "Blue is my favorite color."

It's difficult to tell the blocks of color are built-ins because the hardware is so discreet. If you closely examine them, you can kind of see tiny pulls. But inside, the artful cabinets hold the normal stuff of life: extra pillows, bed linens and fitness equipment.

Built-ins are a good idea for any home, experts say.

For starters, they're a strategic defense against clutter, says architect Sarah Susanka, author of the best-selling "The Not So Big House" books. She believes in the mantra of William Morris, one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts movement: "Do not keep anything in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Therefore, utilitarian things can be kept behind closed built-in cabinetry doors, and pretty things can be showcased in built-in display shelves.

Built-ins definitely saw their heyday in Arts and Crafts homes, many of them tiny bungalows. They made the most of every inch. Demand for built-in cabinetry has increased with the proliferation of lofts, which typically don't come with much storage space. And because of the new standard of flat-panel televisions, more homeowners are requesting built-in cabinetry to integrate the electronic components into the room.

"Built-ins eliminate the need for having lots of furniture in a house, which can make a room feel cramped," says Paul Gross, owner of Wildwood Construction in Blue Springs, Mo. "Everyone is trying to simplify and streamline their lives, and homes and built-ins help do that."

Gross and his son-in-law, Jason Patterson, have designed and constructed many built-ins, including the usual bookcases and drawers for DVDs. But they've worked on many special projects, including extra-long file cabinets that take advantage of unused attic space as well as special jewelry pullouts and drawers — the typical jewelry box just doesn't cut it for fashionable chunky, beaded necklaces.

"For clients to get the most out of their built-ins, you have to interview them," Patterson says. "And interview them again."

That means asking personal details. Take wine storage, an increasingly common built-in request: How many bottles of wine do you have? How many bottles of wine do you want to have? And even more delicate: Do you want to build a hidden safe for your valuables?

"Each project is a chance to make something unique," says Chad Alan Skelton of Overland Park, Kan., owner of CAS Woodworks, specializing in built-ins. "They can be a mix of painted and stained wood. They can be built with expensive bamboo or less expensive plywood."

For his son's nursery, Skelton designed built-ins featuring giant black-and-white cowboy images of Clint Eastwood and Gary Cooper. He also has created customized office space in kitchens and laundry rooms.

Built-ins start at about $400 per linear foot, roughly the same price as a high-quality piece of furniture. When Chris Hamer of O'Fallon, Mo., sits down with prospective clients, he asks how long they plan to live there.

"If they say they're going to move in a year and a half, I don't take on the project, because they're not going to enjoy it," says Hamer of Maes-Hamer Studio. "Obviously they can't take built-ins with them. They become part of the house."

Hamer, a sculptor, constructed dramatically illuminated built-ins for his own home. People liked them so much that they requested them for their own homes, and now that's what he primarily does for a living.

"I love that people tell me they're beautiful," Hamer says. "They tell me they're art."

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RESOURCES

CAS Woodworks, Kansas City, 913-484-3412, www.caswoodworks.com

Kansas City chapter of National Association of the Remodeling Industry, Merriam, Kan., 913-362-8833, www.remodelingkc.com

Maes-Hamer Studio, O'Fallon, Mo., 636-734-5779

National Association of the Remodeling Industry , www.nari.org

Wildwood Construction, Blue Springs, Mo., 816-228-6563

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A HOUSE OF BUILT-INS

John and Elisa McKay's home in Mission Hills, Kan., features built-ins that help maximize every nook and cranny in the Tudor Revival home. Paul Gross and Jason Patterson, owners of Wildwood Construction of Blue Springs, Mo., built the custom storage pieces.

SEATING

A window seat in a guest bedroom not only provides seating, it creates extra storage for pillows and bedding.

PANTRY

A set of built-in drawers helps keep napkin rings and table linens organized.

LAUNDRY

Dividers and cubbies keep detergent and other laundry supplies in reach but out of sight. Built-in pocket doors close the laundry off from the hallway.

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