Gallery
Project Overview – Tailored Solutions for a Modern Family in San Diego
For her busy San Diego home, Carey needed to create dedicated, organized zones for both work and daily family life. The project was two-fold: first, to transform a room into a comprehensive and stylish home office, and second, to capture and convert the awkward, unused space under the staircase into a practical and charming entryway “drop-zone.” Our team was brought in to design and build a complete suite of custom cabinetry for both spaces, delivering beautifully crafted solutions tailored to the rhythms of modern living.
Our Custom Shelving & Storage & Built-in projects are all about creating smart, beautiful solutions that make your everyday life easier and more organized.
Features of the Custom Built-ins
1. The Custom Home Office:
- Service: Full design and fabrication of a wall-to-wall, L-shaped home office with integrated desk and storage.
- Style: Timeless and elegant Shaker-style doors and drawer fronts.
- Finish & Material: A calming, soft grey painted finish on solid Maple cabinets and doors.
- Countertop: A warm and expansive White Oak butcher block countertop, creating a continuous L-shaped desk surface perfect for multiple users.
- Details: Accented with chic brushed brass or gold hardware, a tall open bookshelf tower, and matching floating shelves above a beautiful botanical wallpaper.
2. The Under-Stairs Mudroom Nook:
- Service: Design and build of a custom bench and coat rack to perfectly fit an under-staircase alcove.
- Style: A clean, minimalist, and highly functional built-in bench.
- Finish & Material: A rich, deep teal painted finish on a durable Maple and plywood structure.
- Details: Topped with a matching White Oak seat that creates a cohesive design link to the home office. The unit features open cubbies for shoes and baskets and is paired with a wall-mounted coat rack with stylish brass hooks.
Design Challenges & Solutions – Customizing Every Corner
Challenge: The project required two very different solutions. The home office needed a comprehensive design that balanced massive amounts of storage with a spacious, open desk area. The mudroom nook, on the other hand, demanded a hyper-specific design to perfectly fit the awkward, slanted dimensions of the under-staircase space.
Solution: For the office, we designed a full wall of L-shaped built-ins, maximizing storage with a smart mix of drawers, cabinets, and open shelving, all unified by the beautiful oak countertop. For the mudroom nook, we took precise measurements of the slanted space to build a custom bench that fits like a glove, turning a previously wasted area into a hardworking organizational hub. By using the same White Oak for the countertops in both spaces, we created a subtle but powerful design thread that ties the two custom pieces together beautifully.
This project showcases our expertise in both Home Office design and clever use of space.
The Results – A Home That Works Smarter
The two custom-built features have added immense value and functionality to the home:
- A stunning and highly productive custom home office that offers a place for everything.
- A once-wasted, awkward nook transformed into a stylish and indispensable mudroom and drop-zone.
- A cohesive and sophisticated design language that flows through the home, thanks to shared materials and quality craftsmanship.
“I am absolutely in love with my new home office and the clever little bench under the stairs. The team took my ideas and created spaces that are far more functional and beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It’s changed how our family uses our home.” – Carey, San Diego
Customer Review
“The craftsmanship and attention to detail on our custom built-ins are just incredible. They designed a home office that perfectly fits our family’s needs, with so much beautiful storage and a huge wood desktop. The mudroom bench is the smartest use of space I’ve ever seen. It has completely changed how we stay organized. We highly recommend them!” – Homeowner
Questions You May Have
A custom-built-in is designed for your specific workflow and storage needs. It maximizes the space of your room, provides a much larger and more integrated work surface, and offers a high-end, architectural look that furniture cannot replicate.
This space is perfect for custom-built-ins. Popular solutions include a mudroom bench with cubbies (like this project), a mini-library with bookshelves, a discreet pet den, or even a small desk or bar area.
Yes, it’s a very sophisticated design technique. Using a consistent material, like the White Oak countertops here, creates a cohesive “design language” that makes a home feel thoughtfully planned and harmonious.
Sophisticated greys, deep blues and greens, and classic whites are all very popular. Pairing these painted finishes with the natural warmth of wood accents (like oak or walnut) is a hallmark of the modern Southern California style.