LIVING OUTDOORS

Make use of every space

Han and Neil Power knew exactly what they didn’t want when it came to finding a place to call home in Vancouver two years ago. They did not want a long commute to work, a yard to tend to or a roof they’d have to one day replace. Rather, they wanted a centrally located residence with room to grow — they’re now beaming parents to a ninemonth-old baby — but not a place so large that home maintenance would become a burden.

They found what they were looking for in a 900-square-foot condo in the heart of the city that’s walking distance to both of their workplaces.

The only drawback reflected what is typical of condominiums: a serious lack of storage space. To get around that, the couple turned to California Closets’ design consultant Emma Beaty for a complete overhaul, with custom installations in nearly every area of their place.

In the living room, there’s a sleek entertainment system surrounded by integrated cupboards and open shelving to display photos, books and mementos. Similar elegant storage is found in the master bedroom with pillow-level shelving on both sides for things like books or coffee mugs, plus outlets to charge cellphones; there’s even a concealed pull-out laundry basket.

The nursery has meticulously organized drawers to tuck away all of the objects a baby needs. An official storage room has a space-saving flip-out ironing board, a spot for luggage, pull-out shoe trays and a drying line for linens. The home office pulls out all the stops, with features like a customheight standing desk and a flip-down desk for her, a sit-stand desk for him, whiteboard cupboard doors to write on with erasable marker, a nook for a hidden safe and more.

Throughout the home, there are bespoke bursts of colour, like a Tiffany’s blue in the bedroom and flashes of pink in a walk-in closet’s meticulously divided drawers.

It’s all made a world of difference to the feel, comfort, efficiency and aesthetics of the family’s home.

“I like spaces that are organized and where everything has a place so things aren’t getting lost,” says Han Power. “With smaller homes, it’s hard to have enough space for your stuff, but living here, with our installations, our storage goes beyond the square footage of our home. We have the space of a house in the suburbs within our small footprint.

“We thought our home would look smaller with all of the shelving, but it actually looks bigger,” she adds. “I remember when we first got finished unpacking all of our stuff and thinking, ‘Do we live in a magazine?’ ”

To get a sense of just how detailed the collaborative design phase was, Beaty measured everything, right down to household items like a Sodastream and a sewing machine to ensure each could be easily accessed and stored without creating clutter.

“This is one of the most detailed jobs I’ve ever done, from a simple reach-in closet to a comprehensively planned storage room; from a tiny entryway with a nook, hooks for keys and slots for mail to a big home office with all the gadgets,” says Beaty. “It truly shows the complete scope of what California Closets can do. The home has the storage of an apartment that’s three times the size.

“It’s fresh and modern with very individual notes like those custom pops of colour,” she adds. “They plan

to stay there for a long time, so we were really able to get into the nuts and bolts of the design process together.”

To learn more or for a complementary design consultation, visit