Hi, I apologize as this is a bit off topic for the kitchen forum. However, who knows cabinetry design better than Kitchen design fans? We are a family heavy on storage as I am a Kindergarten teacher and probably own more than 50 banker boxes of kindergarten teaching supplies (no I'm not kidding). We also are a family of six, and as you know storage increases for each person. We are trying to integrate storage into our basement layout design, and wonder if you have any design suggestions to optimize storage. Also you will see a small kitchenette/bar that the teenagers will use to snack and entertain. We are limited as to where plumbing can go so this must stay where we show it, or move to the area marked rough-in for future kitchen. I don't want to break the bank on these built ins so I welcome any cost savings ideas you may have. I still want this room to look attractive so don't want too much open storage. Perhaps I would consider using some Ikea components, as long as they were sturdy enough. At the bottom of this post is a link for an inspiration photo of built-ins around basement windows (see third image on the link with the closed cupboards). I also don't want to cover up any of our basement windows. Here is the basement layout we showing the area for built-ins and the kitchenette. I apologize, but for some reason I can't upload a large version. However, if you click on the image you will be directed to my photobucket where you can zoom in. TIA! Carol This post was edited by OntarioMom on Mon, Feb 18, 13 at 21:53

chispa, Thanks for your comments. This is not the main TV area. There will be a man cave downstairs with a larger TV. We will put the TV in this great room on some sort of swivel arm so it can be angled towards the viewer. Not sure about speaker location as that is DH's job (and need) in our home too. He is talking about some ceiling speakers as well as some resting in the built-ins. Do you know what the correct spots are for speakers? Yes the depth of the deeper part of the built-ins is 16 inches. I will get DH to recheck that measurement and remind him about the space for plugs, etc. I appreciate the heads-up. bpahhome, Thanks for your help and kind words. The TV will go on a swivel/pullout arm of some sort. It would be great if the remote can work from most seats -- but that may not be possible. Too funny that you have those Danish plates too. I inherited a large collection of those blue plates plus hummel plates and figurines from my Mom. I am trying to find an attactive way to show them off in this new build. Your picture is lovely and a Tom Thomson to boot. Ours is an oil original, but not by such a famous painter. It was made by a Quebec painter some years ago and was also inherited from Mom. Carol Note the colour of the built-ins will be SW Alabaster and they will match the colour of the perimeter cabs in our kitchen. For those who are not familiar with SW Alabaster it is very, very close to BM White Dove (warm off white).

Thanks @my3dogs, I have been searching google, pinterest and houzz to get an idea on if it would look too much like a hole or not-- this is a good picture to illustrate what I was thinking. This doesn't look "bad" design wise to me. Thanks for the example! I'll check the other thread as well, I was reading through some last night but couldn't find my particular problem. @RoseDruckman, that cabinet is great! I've never used lamps plus before-- I'm going to take a look through the website now.

What do you plan to store in the drawers/cabinets? That will determine the best size. At 17 - 18" deep, cabinets will offer the most storage, and be great for things like board games; if you are storing a DVD collection, drawers sized for DVDs on their sides (titles facing up) would be best. If you go for doors, make sure you get extra shelves, so you can store things without stacking. Depending on what you may be displaying on the shelves, lighting and glass shelves may be in order. It's always better to approach a project like this from the standpoint of "I want these things to go here", rather than "I have a space - now what should I do with it?"