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A hallway is a hallway, until you make it a moment. Wedged between a kitchen and powder room in a Brooklyn brownstone, this one is only 30 square feet—traversed in two hurried steps by anyone who needs to wash their hands before dinner. “It was sort of a pantry before, but felt ill-considered and lacking a program of any kind,” recalls Aubrey Ament, who, with her partner at Glam Studio, William Glaser, reimagined the overlooked corridor as part of a Deco-meets-70s house renovation. “We kept it as a pantry but wanted to make it also function as a coffee/breakfast bar,” she says. Thus kicked off an incredibly thoughtful little revamp, with every square inch considered for storage, utility, and—critically—personality. “The yellow color drench, brass hardware, and graphic butcher block counters makes it feel separate from the other two spaces,” Ament explains, “giving it a bit of its own visual identity, glamour, and style.”
So much more than a mere passageway, it’s now a destination within the home. Here’s how the team built out custom, budget-friendly storage on both sides of the hallway, and even snuck some hazy sunlight into the windowless space.
Closed Ikea Cabinetry
The workhorse of the space is a wall of counter-depth IKEA Sektion cabinetry, designed to house all the owners’ less glamorous kitchenwares and provide extra counter space for prep work. Ament notes that “every cabinet has an outlet or two on the interior,” and they even drilled holes in the butcher block so appliance cords could plug in out of sight.
Cleaning supplies and dog food are tucked into a cabinet that’s tall enough for a broom and vacuum. Underneath the counter, the team added drawers for plastic-wares (baggies and food wraps, Tupperware, and kid-friendly cups and bowls) as well as a cabinet for appliances. Infrequently used items are hidden overhead: backup coffee supplies, a microwave, vases.
Custom Cardboard Storage
At just 12 inches deep and built on a very slight angle, the other side of the hallway required a different approach. But what would even fit there? The clients solved the riddle with an unusual request: cardboard storage. “Especially in the post-covid world of home-delivery groceries, we end up with not only cardboard but tons of paper bags that need a flat storage space,” Ament explains. “Our clients were very specific about that one and I now firmly believe all homes need it!“
Will was able to design a shallow cabinet with a sliding door for just that use, and topped it with a slab of ash end-grain butcher block that matches the counter on the other side. Open shelves above are stocked with everyday glasses, mugs, and dishes, as well as serveware up top. Another hole in the counter allows the toaster cord to snake down to a plug behind the bags and boxes.
Borrowed Sunlight
A final and critical decluttering touch: removing the swinging doors that led to the powder room and pantry cabinets. Now both walls of cabinetry are within arm’s reach, and an unobtrusive arched pocket door leads to the powder room. The light source? “There was a moment where we hoped we could afford a window in the pantry, but it wasn’t in the cards,” Ament recalls. So they did the next best thing and outfitted the pocket door with reeded glass, allowing sun to stream in from the powder room window without compromising privacy. (A pleated flush-mount overhead adds more light.) The shape of the door mirrors an arched window you can see outside.