Letting function lead
Spaces that serve you
Friday May 15
On the TV
A week-by-week commentary on Rock the Block Season 7
This week on Rock the Block, the teams tackled three spaces: the office, the laundry room, and the RV garage. These are function-heavy spaces. They need to work well, not just look good; much like a kitchen, and not a challenge all teams have shown they’re able to rise to well.
Details for each space:
→ The office: Off the courtyard, so not very private. Small. Featured a closet.
→ The laundry room: Generous in size, close location-wise to the garage and the primary suite.
→ The RV garage: Gargantuan, with 18-foot ceilings.
It’s a fun (challenging) conundrum to desire to keep a space flexible but still have to do something that adds value; how do you add something with some permanence (permanence = value with appraisal) without being too rigid?
Another challenge: how would these spaces to tie into the rest of the home? Some of the teams did this well, others seemed to think about that integration as more of an afterthought.
What the teams did:
Taniya and Drew
Office: They kept the closet and did built-ins the whole way around. It was beautiful, but a little tight.
Laundry: They added a dog wash, and included a mudroom, a drop zone and storage, along with a bench to sit on. I loved how they tucked the washer and dryer behind cabinetry and out of sight. The dog wash was a little large, but I personally think it could be used for boots, clothing etc., so it was fine that it was so big.
Garage: They opted for a kind of “upscale gym” feel, including a hot tub, and a sauna, and a sensory deprivation tank. The arial silks were a fun touch, but nobody really seemed to notice them. The space was a little overwhelming; slightly “overstuffed.”
Scott and Brooke
Office: Initially they planned to do a Murphy bed (I wish they’d stuck with it), but in the end went for built-in bunk beds after an overspend in a different area (which didn’t add value). The desk was too small and there wasn’t enough office storage.
Laundry: This was a good use of space, but nothing remarkable: counter space, bench, storage, mudroom. Nothing new or particularly winningly functional or creative.
Garage: Bonus points for creativity here, where they did a sports court. The pickleball wall was playful and well-executed, but not a great investment of time and not something valuable in appraisal. They did great in keeping it a flexible space, and the drop down screen was a very nice touch; however there was no room to sit comfortably to watch anything. It felt a little commercial.
Kim and Chelsea
Office: The ladies took the closet out; something that was great for the space but bad for the value. It was a pleasant space; not exciting though, and not really creative either.
Laundry: This was probably the most attractive laundry room, but had storage that didn’t function well. Like everyone else, they had a mudroom drop zone, and a freestanding sink (which I loved!) with a sink skirt (which I didn’t love—love sink skirts, hate this one).
Garage: “Turkish Bath House” wellness area with with sauna and cold plunge. Also a juice bar. They divided the space which I felt was risky.
Mina and Vernon
Office: In the office they had all shelves and no cabinets—not practical for an office. They kept it simple, arched the built-in shelves, bought a pretty light fixture; nothing really memorable (or astounding) here.
Laundry: I liked that they relocated the garage door, but they wasted the closet they created in lieu of the previous entry. This would have been such a cool place for a hidden appliance of some kind! The cabinetry was nice, the mud sink was nice. Nice, nice, nice. Again, not much to tell me this house is worth a few million dollars.
Garage: This is where these two went bananas. They turned the RV garage into a full income suite with a full kitchen, 3-piece bathroom suite, and lofted bedroom. And they still found space to include a gym. This was really the only space that didn’t have flexibility to still be used as an RV garage. The lofted bedroom was spacious, and beautiful, but ,the only way to access it was via a ladder, which wasn’t the most practical.
This episode revealed the answer to a question I’ve had for a long time, which is whether or not the teams know about the spaces ahead of time. They do. This means that they can be strategic about how they spend money and the design choices they make (including floor plan choices), but aside from Mina and Vernon’s big move with the income suite, and Kim and Chelsea’s move with the multi-gen space, the choices don’t always seem all that thought through.
When I’m working with a design client I am very aware of how spaces interact. A choice in one space no doubt affects other spaces in the home, and taking this into account before starting means you are better equipped to create spaces and a home that functions cohesively.
My Function-Heavy Spaces
Office
In the office I would have:
Kept the closet, but with a hidden, disguised or decorated closet door so it was less conspicuous (the perfect opportunity for a jib door!!!)
Chosen almost full height or full height built-ins with a combination of open and closed storage, opting for a design style that feels a little Spanish modernist in terms of cabinetry (see images below). Also, furniture that feels sculptural.
Ensured there was also a soft place to sit, not just a desk and desk chair—an armchair, lounger, loveseat etc. I’d likely have tried to have something integrated like a custom-built daybed or a Murphy bed.
Laundry Room
In the laundry room I would have:
Gone function-crazy: something like cabinets with integrated drawers to allow for easy separation of clean laundry (household, pets, kid 1, kid 2, etc.)
Installed hidden drying racks and clothing hooks that open out of overhead cupboards but can be tucked away.
Installed some very clever appliances, like a steam closet (aren’t they amazing?! Not an affiliate, have no fear) or a clothes drying cabinet (also incredible).
I’d love a deep sink-meets-dog-washing station-meets muddy shoe station.
A grated floor area for leaving wet or muddy shoes to dry.
A fold out ironing board and a sheet press (I knew a family with one of these and it was fun and easy to use).
Plenty of counter space for folding clothing, and under counter space for laundry baskets to go when out of use.
Good storage for coats, shoes, umbrellas etc.
Obviously integrated this space in terms of aesthetic choices: stone, flooring, plaster, skirts etc. Even as a workhorse the room would need to feel like part of the home.
The laundry room in a house like this should be nice, yes, but more than that it needs to power and support the household. Nobody splurged here, but honestly if I had a laundry room like the one described above, laundry would be easier and I’d be in heaven.
RV Garage
I’ll admit that this space threw me for a loop initially. It is just so large, and the conundrum I mentioned above—the need to add value while remaining flexible—is really tough, but I think where I landed was pretty good (let me know your thoughts).
In the RV garage, I would have:
Created a functional studio loft area with some key amenities (kitchenette, accessible plumbing for further use, and a full, small bathroom). RVs can be as short as 10 feet high, or about as high as 13, so there is room to have a loft and still park an RV if this is done correctly. Stairs or an elevator, obviously; no ladder. Love the idea of a full width glass wall (think old school factory style where you can see workers below), but with curtains so the space can be fully private if necessary.
Epoxied the floors so the space could be used as a gym or workshop or a garage (or all three!)
Rigged up a hose, an electric charger, lifts for bikes, canoes, surfboards, maybe even a car lift. I’d also have included good tool/hobby storage (camping gear, for example). This is a space that can be used for an RV, or a boat, or an electric car, or hobby mechanic work.
Maybe, at the back of the space, under the loft (unclear the depth of the space, hence the ‘maybe’) had a small whiskey room-cum-wine barrel room, that wouldn’t interfere with the use of the space as an RV garage, but could be a great place to retreat to at the end of a long day of tinkering or preparing for an upcoming RV trip.
Changed the exterior garage door to something more in-keeping with Spanish Colonial style than the typical overhead door.
I don’t always think luxury and convenience are the same thing, but when it comes to function-dedicated spaces, like laundry rooms or garages, convenience is definitely luxury. If you have the need and you have the money, make hard tasks easier!
Signing off for this week! If you’re looking for more, check out the blog, the podcast, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.
those spanish doooors I loooove