Add a Room Without Adding On

Powder Room to Bar and Laundry

The Challenge: How do you add a laundry room to a modest 1930s cottage without losing crucial closet space?

The Solution:Style editor Heather Chadduck said goodbye to a cramped powder room and built a desperately needed laundry area there instead.

"At first I was hesitant to lose a bathroom," Heather says, "but it seemed like such a waste of space since it was right next door to a full bath." For an unexpected twist, Heather hung an off-the-shelf tablecloth on a slim metal curtain rod to mask the appliances when she's not using them. During parties, Heather uses the countertop as a bar area -- the most popular spot for mingling.