A Laundry Closet Entrance Combines Beauty & Function

A relatively short update to this post focuses on the lower-level laundry closet entrance and storage area. Many of you had questions after the post came out late Tuesday night. I’ll address those, share some information about sources, and more.

 

Part 2 Begins Here

 

This post culminates two other posts about my new lower-level entry. In reality, it’s a hidden laundry closet entrance!

If you missed the other posts or need a refresher from last week, they are linked below.

The first post’s primary concern was a color scheme and how I developed mine. In addition, I asked you all to help me choose a mural. I lost count after a while, but the overwhelming majority chose a gorgeous mural from Ananbo (India) with a very deep shade of teal wainscoting. There are three doors, which will all be teal, as well. Thank you so much!

 

The trim, including the panel moulding and hidden doors beneath the stairs, will be creamy white.

 

The second post was concerned with lighting, specifically ceiling lanterns. In that post, I asked which size lantern you think was the best one. If you missed those posts, please check them out first.

This marries all of the ideas to create a beautiful hidden laundry closet entrance, with a linen closet, plus another hidden closet under the stairs with a mini fridge. It’s going to be quite a glamorous “utility” room.

In addition, we will be going over some crucial ceiling light rules.

 

So, I’ve had a lot of fun in the last several days playing around with this.

 

Below is an overview of the lower-level laundry closet entrance.

 

In the post from November 1st about the mural and colors, I shared a view as if I was standing in the hall in front of the linen closet near the bottom of the image above.

 

(12 hours after publishing) For those worried about the laundry door swing,;] this is the most recent floor plan (below) I did a couple of days ago.

 

Although, perhaps the bedroom under the stairs door should swing towards the nightstand. My thinking was it was better to have it out of the way of the nightstand. I’m just glad it’s accessible now!

 

 

I am exceedingly lucky. In my part of Boston, it is very rare to have a ceiling height over seven feet (84″) for the lower level. Sometimes, you’ll find an eight-foot ceiling (96″). However, mine  9′-1″ (109″).

This height gives me 25″ or 26″ to work with for a bell jar lantern. For an eight-foot ceiling, there is only 12″-13″ to work with. That means if one wants a ceiling fixture, it has to be a flush mount or semi-flushmount.

*This is the Hudson Valley Lighting small bell jar semi-flushmount. We’ll be coming back to this in a sec. It’s 14.75″ from top to bottom.

 

Below is the horrible advice chart we looked at the other day.

 

 

Most of these, except for the ceilings that are 10 feet or higher, the fixture would hang too low.

An important point is this:

 

• The minimum height is 84″ between the bottom of the lantern, pendant, or chandelier and the floor, only if a person is walking underneath the hanging light.

However, the height can be lower if the hanging fixture is over a dining table, kitchen island bed, or coffee table. For the latter two, I wouldn’t have the fixture be a lot lower. It’s always best to hold the fixture up while the electrician is there to gauge how far down it will come. The exception is fixed-height hanging fixtures. Then, you’ll need to figure that out beforehand.

For dining tables, the most common height is 60″ above the floor or 30″ above the table. However, if you have a super high ceiling, it is good to raise that height by about three inches for every foot over nine feet.

Kitchen islands are usually 36″ high, and the bottom of a pendant or lantern is about 30″-36″ above the counter.

 

Okay, let’s get back to my downstairs entry.

 

We’ve already looked at the staircase railing design here. 

 

But, wait. I don’t think I ever shared the elevation for the stairs, looking at it as if there’s no wall where the electrical panel is.

 

These are in elevation view. That means, for non-designers, the elements as they are, in scale, but no perspective. In perspective, objects look larger in the foreground.

In addition, I’ve added the bell jar lanterns to scale, so we can see what the deal is.

 

Let’s begin with the large size in the chart for a nine-foot ceiling.

 

 

While the bell looks handsome, it will hang down to about 78″ or 6′ – 6″. We might be able to get rid of all the links to raise it a bit, but then, the lid will only be about two inches below the ceiling.

The horizontal line is 6′-3″. That’s how tall my son Cale is, or maybe 1/2″ less. However, he has friends who would hit their heads on these lanterns.

 

Laurel, is that you waxing the floor? lol

 

Uh-huh. :] Please also ignore the color of the hidden doors under the stairs. I did that for my contractor. Yes, the doors are different sizes. That’s to help them work as seamlessly as possible into the panel moulding. The left side will hold the mini fridge, and on the right side, I’d love some built-in storage. Or, maybe I’ll get something from the Container Store.

 

Now, most of you suggested the small-sized bell jar lantern.

 

One person said that 16″ should be enough.

That makes sense, but let’s see.

 

The small is only 7″ in diameter. That is very petite for a bell jar ceiling light.

 

 

Yes, these could hang a few inches lower, but they look pretty puny here.  That line represents my height of 5′-6″ if the cartoon me was standing up straight.

 

Now, let’s look at the medium bell jar.

 

This is the best size. They will hang down to about seven feet. Actually, they are an inch or so more narrow than this. The height is accurate.

Now, for those who said the small size would be best, no worries. I just made the same mistake when I ordered two semi-flushmount bell jars from Hudson Valley Lighting. *(The one pictured above) One is going near the upstairs bathroom, so it’ll be fine and out of sight. I should’ve drawn it out, but I didn’t.

 

Now, let’s take a look at some renderings I made. I saved the pretty pics for last.

 

The first one, I did without wainscoting. However, this big mural would be too much for the space. Also, this perspective is off, as the railing should appear closer to the far wall.

 

Okay, I fixed the stairs; these are the small bell jar lanterns.

 

So, here’s what we all need to pay careful attention to.

 

When manufacturers give the measurements, ideally, they should be very specific. Some are, and some aren’t.

Yet, the industry standard is that the width = the widest part, no matter how small. In this case, that includes the little hooks. For some of these fixtures, that could add three or more inches to the width! That can be extremely misleading!

As mentioned earlier, the height gets measured from the top connecting ring to the chain or rod to the very bottom point.

 

Laurel, not to change the subject, I see you used a different part of the mural. I miss the building.

 

It’s a formatting issue. It was either the building or the big palm tree to get it to fit. This way looks best to me. Plus, there is a bit of the building at the end.

 

Let’s look at the last rendering.

 

 

This is the medium bell jar lantern. The doors are eight feet tall. And, yes, this is a new deep teal color. It is not necessarily the one I’ll be using.

Please note this view of the entry does not exist because I’d have to tear the wall down. Imagine that!!!

It’s a little deeper than Narragansett Green below. Of course, I’ll get samples of a few colors to try out.

This is the only wall with wainscoting, and it’s a pretty low one at about 27″ or so. The stair wall with hidden doors will be paneled.

On the chest will be a table lamp with a mirror behind it.

 

Someone also asked if the linen closet on the right would be painted the deep teal.

 

Yes! They are identical twin closet doors, which, of course, clear the lanterns. ;]

 

Well, I don’t care what you say, lol; I love this!

I can’t wait to do laundry!!!

 

In closing, I know I promised you sources.

 

However, that will need to be for Thursday. That’s because I also want to share with you a cool trick I’ve discovered where you can see the perspective without using Picmonkey.  In addition, I’ll have another reno update for you. If you missed yesterday’s, please see the big news here.

 

*********************************************************

Part 2 Begins Here

 

Hi Everyone,

In this part 2, I will try to answer questions and address a few comments. In addition, I promised you sources as well as a trick I’ve discovered for getting the sizing correct without having any art background.

So, let’s begin there.

If you go to the site, Lumens, most fixtures can be put into a virtual room where you can see the scale. So, if your fixture is on that site, that’s perfect. However, what if your fixture isn’t on their site?

In that case, I would try to find one as close as possible.

So, let’s take the Hampton semi-flushmount from Hudson Valley Lighting.

 

The size on the left is the one I got, and too small for my hall. The one on the right, the medium size, would be perfect for my hall because I have an additional 13″ of ceiling height.

 

The closest lantern to the one I want is the Hampton Pendant lantern, which has the classic smoke bell jar lid.

 

This lid is set quite high, making it ill-advised to use with a nine-foot ceiling. (if walking underneath the fixture.) I don’t know, for sure, but it might be possible for a qualified pro to cut the stem down and rewire it to set the lid down lower.

Also, please bear in mind that the width includes the hooks. For this lantern, the hooks add about two additional inches.

 

Guys, some of you crack me up with your cleaning concerns.

 

Sure, everything needs maintenance. However, these light fixtures have historical significance from the 19th century. Like my prized sconces, they are Anglo-Indian and called Hundi or Smoke Bell Jar Lanterns. In the 19th c., before electrified fixtures, the lid helped keep the smoke inside the lantern.

Of course, those babies got dirty, and quite quickly, too. It’s part of their charm. I’m not saying they don’t need to be cleaned. However, a few swipes with a Swiffer regularly will keep the pieces looking presentable, if not pristinely clean. If you’re someone for whom one speck of dust makes you crazy, then these are probably not the right fixtures for you. But, please try not to spoil other people’s joy.

I have loved these ever since I was in utero. The heart wants what the heart wants. ‘Nuff said.

 

So, where do you get the bell jar lanterns with the Greek Key design, and who makes them?

 

Well, most, if not all, of the authentic ones come from India.

I tracked the manufacturer down to A. Sanoma. They are a to the trade source. At least, I think that they are. I discovered this because I first found them on Houzz, and Houzz listed the source.

They also might be sold at the Enchanted Home. However, I only found them through a search. 

 

The bell jars she’s currently showing on her site have very flimsy-looking hooks, and you have to provide your own canopy. That’s not a big deal. But, I don’t know if she still carries the A. Sanoma fixtures or not, as I said, they are not visible on the website. However, it is possible, the page is still being indexed on Google.

One important thing. The image they show is one of the two largest sizes. The size I need has only three bulbs.

 

This is what happened when I inquired about the bell jar lanterns.

 

I contacted A. Sanoma, and my “wholesale” price is the same as Tina’s (Enchanted Home) RETAIL price.

Yes, it is.

When I questioned the rep, she said that Tina’s prices were not up-to-date. Oh, I see. Well, now it makes sense. :/

Still, Tina also offers wholesale pricing off her “retail” prices. I inquired about that, filling in the form with Tax ID, etc, but didn’t hear back.

The rep at A. Sanoma told me that the true retail price is at least 2.5 times the price on Tina’s website.  (She told me this before we discussed the price for which Tina is selling the lanterns.) I guess that means Tina’s retail prices are indeed outdated and are from circa 1983.

 

This woman also tried to sell me a bridge. ;]  I think you get my drift.

 

In addition, there is no price list to the trade. One has to call for the price. Plus, the retail prices on Houzz are only about 30% higher than Tina’s prices, not 150%, as I was told the retail price should be.

If I could find another inexpensive source for the Greek Key bell jar lanterns, you better believe I’d get them there.

 

Aside from all of that, where else can you get bell jar lanterns?

 

One fantastic and reasonably priced source is Antique Lamp Supply

However, they don’t have the Greek Key pattern.

Of course, you can often find these on places like *eBay, Chairish, and 1stdibs. You can also find them being auctioned.

A wonderful trade source that carries them is Vaughan.

However, I believe these might be from A. Sanoma and privately labeled.

*Some are not electrified on eBay, but that could be retrofitted.

Other sources include a few styles on Wayfair. Here’s one of them without a lid.

 

Okay, now I will address some of your questions and comments.

 

I have not selected a paint color yet, but will be looking at a few possibilities. We’re a very long way off from that.

 

Another question was picking a color that’s not actually in the mural.

 

There are already numerous shades of green in the mural, and colors, if not quite teal, then just on the other side. These analogous green shades, from gold to teal, always look great together. If it looks good in the rendering, it will most likely look good in real life, too.

As for the sizing of the mural, the reason the formatting seems inconsistent because Ananbo will custom-make your mural in increments of 10 centimeters in height from 140 – 270.

However, all of the panels are only 100 cm wide. Therefore, depending on what height you get, the design will fall differently on the panels. In other words, a panel height of 270 cm takes far more panels to get the complete mural than a panel height of 140 cm.

 

And, finally, a few of you wanted to know what happened to the electrical panel.

 

Oh, it’s there.

In the case of my building, the power would get shut off at the mother panel near the street side of the building. Still, I think it’s a good idea to make a hidden panel obvious that it is the electrical panel.  Since only the front of the panel door can be covered, there will be a visible line where the door is.

There is also a little handle that is usually black.

But, I thought it would be fun to take it a step further, so I took the liberty of making a little artistic alteration to convey a source of electricity.

What do you think?
 

Oh, how I love that little storm cloud.

 

It’s a good reminder that life isn’t perfect, and there’s danger and dust all around us. But, for God’s sake, please get out of the water during a thunderstorm!

I do have a reno update, but it’s quite short. I had a meeting early this afternoon with my contractor, and he gave me a few tasks that need my immediate attention.

However, I have posted a few pics on the Renovation News page for you to see.

 

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