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Where Does All Your Stuff Actually Go?
A plea for thicker walls, deeper reveals and storage that belongs to the architecture rather than leaning against it.
By
Sam Whitfield
Most new walls are about 150mm thick. Enough to hold up the roof, and not much else.
So furniture does the work the building won’t. Older houses did it the other way round, and their rooms feel calmer for it.
Thicker walls, cleaner rooms
A window seat in a deep reveal. Books beside the fireplace. A cupboard that’s part of the wall, not parked against it.
How deep is enough
Around 300mm holds books, a shallow pantry or a bench seat. Around 600mm takes a full hanging wardrobe.
Small homes gain the most
Sink a wardrobe into the corridor wall and a nine-square-metre bedroom becomes restful. Dead space by the entry becomes a full-height pantry.
Get the edges right
Flush doors painted to match the wall, shadow gaps instead of skirtings, handles routed into the door edge. That’s what makes storage read as architecture.
A wall that works harder
A deep reveal also shades the glass from summer sun and softens winter light. The wall becomes part of how the house performs.
