I was set on a huge master closet until I saw my friend's setup

For months I told my builder I wanted a walk-in closet bigger than our bedroom, like something from a magazine. I mean, I had the whole layout planned with islands and built-ins. Then my friend Sarah showed me her new house in Charlotte, and her closet is maybe 8 by 10 feet, but it's all custom drawers and pull-down rods. She said, 'I spent the extra square footage on a bigger laundry room instead.' It hit me right then. I was chasing a picture instead of thinking about how we actually live. We do laundry every single day, but we just grab clothes and go. So I called my architect yesterday and asked to shift 50 square feet from the closet plan to the utility room. Has anyone else made a big change like that after seeing a real, lived-in house?

3 comments

3 Comments

chen.casey2mo ago

That part about chasing a picture instead of how you live. See that all the time. People get the fancy coffee maker but use the microwave for tea. Or the formal dining room that just holds junk mail. Real life is messy and simple. Good call on the laundry room.

dakotawood2mo ago

But my fancy coffee maker sparks joy.

lauras831mo ago

Gently push back on the microwave tea thing. It makes sense for people who don't actually drink tea and just want hot water for a bag. But if you're doing proper loose leaf or something with real flavor, the microwave nukes the water weird and kills the taste. I've seen friends microwave water for their matcha and it comes out bitter every time. Getting a cheap electric kettle for $20 is way better than pretending the microwave works for everything.