Organizing A Bathroom
When space is at a premium in an old bungalow, you have to think of creative solutions for storage and workspace issues.
We are still working on our plan for the bathroom and bedrooms. This is AS the work is unfolding.
There are many things you don't think about until you are standing right there... at that sink... (or the place where the sink will be again)...and you wonder:
-Where will the towels go?
-Where will I store my "girlie" things?
-How does the laundey chute get laundry in...but keep little kids out?
-Where does the shampoo go when you are IN the shower?
Stuff like that.
And then, you are negotiating the answers to these questions with your spouse because you BOTH have to use this room and you may not share the same vision of these details.
That said, I will step out on a limb and acknowledge--ON THE INTERNET--that Aaron is better at organizing things than I am. But I am better at "hiding them away."
When we were...ahem..."negotiating over" the placement of the laundry chute, I had this vision in my head of the old tilt-out flour drawers from Hoosier cabinets. Because you would have an opening in the wall for the chute, I thought we could tilt it a door and stuff things down.
I thought that such a part would be easier to find, but I am really struggling with this!
The concept is kind of like the picture above from Homestyles, but with the bottom cut out so things slide directly down the chute. The "Tilt-Out Feeder" was interesting...but that is not it either.
I checked the Van Dykes catalog, but no luck. I couldn't find that one part. Same with Kennedy Hardware. House of Antique Hardware? Natch.
I need to work on other ideas as well, but I am stuck on this!!! Maybe I was imaging this type of thing. Maybe it doesn't really exist...
Grrr.
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Comments
The "hopper" kind of door you're showing can't be that hard, and if you could build the 'chute, you can build the door. I have faith.
Posted by: Nathan | January 19, 2005 11:31 AM
nathan, you rock, thanks :) I was actually hoping to find the hardware that would create the sides of the tilt-out. The pieces that would attach to the door. Building drawers isn't very easy for me yet, and getting the sides right on a tilt-out seems kind of more advanced. I think I have seen old flour bins with tin sides on the inside? Someone else suggested a scissor hinge, but I think it would be easy for little fingers or clothes to be caught in this.
I'm still brainstorming this one.
Posted by: jm | January 19, 2005 1:00 PM
Perhaps you have already seen this but:
here.
On the bottom is a picture of a laundry chute door that is both easy to build and does not require hinges that may pinch little fingers.
If the chain looks like it will get in the way, you can make a stop block like in the picture you included.
Posted by: anna | January 19, 2005 1:35 PM
Bingo! Yes, that is exactly it. It's the whole part about needing a jigsaw to shape the sides that has me bummed out.
I've used a jigsaw before, but we don't own one and it's not in the budget for a few months at least. Plus, I'm not sure about the dimensions of the arc on the sides. Hmmmm.
But...if it has to wait, it can wait I suppose...
Posted by: jm | January 19, 2005 1:40 PM
How about, instead of wood sides to the door, you use canvas? The door would hinge at the bottom with regular hinges, and the canvas would be attached to the inside of the chute on either side, and to the door. Perhaps you could use a bit of elastic to keep the canvas from getting stuck in the door when you go to close it.
And you wouldn't need a jigsaw :)
Posted by: Nick Hodapp | January 19, 2005 2:43 PM
We used something like this, only curved, to make a toy oven door tilt out, but stay open and shut as necessary. I don't know if those would work once you put sides on, but they seem to not be finger-pinchers or my children would have found a way to injure themselves by now.
Posted by: Jordana | January 19, 2005 3:54 PM
jm:
We have the original built-in flour bins in our kitchen that seem to be the thing you're describing and look like the pictures in the article anna posted. I can take pics and measurements to give you an idea of dimensions, if you like. Pretty straighforward, actually, and not so sure you'd need the jigsaw, unless I'm missing something.
Also, instead of using a chain for a stop, the back of the bin is actually a little higher than the opening so it just hits against the top of the opening.
email me if you'd like the pics/measurements
Posted by: Brittney | January 19, 2005 7:28 PM
I think the TOH idea is the one. If you can't get a jigsaw (which really you should have, right next to your table saw) you could either use a coping saw or (I think this would be harder really) your sawzall.
Posted by: dac | January 20, 2005 8:25 AM
All of these ideas are GREAT!!! THank you SO MUCH everyone. Okay, I feel a little more confident in how this might work (a couple of ways)...
Posted by: jm | January 20, 2005 9:23 AM
Check out www.baerco.com They have an item called a tilting mechanism. They have every conceivable piece of hardware you can think of. Its the Baer Supply Company. Phone is 800-289-2237. My old catalog shows it as part number WY-4051.
Posted by: Lori | January 24, 2005 11:37 AM