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sappatoti -> RE: Major Renovation Issues! (11/19/2008 8:50:13 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jlf1961
I was referring to floor space... when you speak of volume it gets really messed up...
I have shelves on every bit of free wall space, much of the floor area is unusable due to the bed, and computer desk, chair, dresser and some fool put a closet in here that has little usable space after stacking totes 3 high and four across...
Then of course there is that pesky illumination device that was so thoughtlessly put on the ceiling....
I mean I have no room for a st andrew's cross, rack, suspension frame......
When I was in a college dorm, all those many years ago, I marveled at what a couple of guys down the hall did to increase their useable volume space within their tiny dorm room.
The furniture in the room was bolted to the floor, so there wasn't anything they could do about changing it out. So, they bought timbers, plywood, and stain and build a loft system over and around all of the immovable furniture. With the type of rough-hewn lumber and the darker wood stain, their whole room took on more of an 18th-century wooden ship feel as opposed to the stark white, hospital-looking rooms the rest of us had.
They left the center of the room open to the ceiling so they had full height for whatever reason they wanted or needed. As for the space above their desks and beds, through a unique arrangement of movable shelves, they were able to create an unlimited array of storage and display areas that were attractive and functional as well.
They removed the light fixture from the center of the room and instead used task lighting underneath and within the loft/shelf spaces. This not only gave them more room in the center but it also created unlimited possibilities for dramatic and unique lighting effects.
The whole loft was constructed as a free-standing unit and, through the creative use of bolts and other fasteners, were able to build something that could be taken down at the end of the year and reassembled the following year in their new room. The design was such that it was adaptable to fit in any other room despite that it not be the same shape or layout as the one they were originally in.
The upfront expense was considerable, given they were working with a college students' budgets, but there's no denying that everyone else in the dorm was extremely jealous of the popularity they had because of their unique room decor.
And while I didn't understand, at the time, why they had eye-bolts installed onto the side of the timbers facing the fully open center part of the room, I certainly do understand their plan now. ;-)
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