Do you have an old rickety wood ladder gathering dust in the garage? Or want to step it up and buy or build a new one for everyday use? How about adding a ladder for household decor storage? Ladders can solve so many home design problems other than their obvious role. Here are some great ideas to incorporative ladders in every room of the house.
Step Ladder
Step ladders are probably the most popular type of ladders. Their low height of only one or two rungs (the steps you stand on) make them light weight for easy transportation, handy for regular household tasks and their A-frame construction allows them to stand alone. Plus, their small enough to tuck away for easy storage. They don’t break the budget and can quickly substitute for furniture such as night or plant stands and side tables to store books on the first rung.
Library Ladder
As referred to its name, that’s where you’d typically find it. But library ladders have come a long way, interior design wise. Once known to be found solely in historical stately institutions or grand mansion offices this style of functional decor, now with easy, accessible, and reasonably affordable hardware kits, has branched out to kitchens, bedrooms, pantries, lofts, wine cellars, and even kid’s room. They are unique in design because they have wheels on the bottom rails and glide rollers on the top rails with a horizontal mounting rail installed up high either on a wall or flush to cabinetry or shelving allowing the ladder to slide left to right.
Attic Ladder
Also commonly known as a loft ladder, these retractable ladders are installed in the ceiling to access a room above, either an attic or loft space and are best used when a staircase is not an option due to floorplan constraints. These space saving ladders can be folded and stored away inside the ceiling cavity when not in use, allowing less square foot clutter. Materials are made from either wood, aluminum, or steel, can have handrails and non-slip treads for added safety and their styles can range from pull down cord utilitarian to electronical slide modern sleek. When choosing an attic ladder, consider its weight capacity, installation, and its compatibility with the type of attic or loft ceiling you have.
Decorative Leaning Ladder
These type of ladders are not meant to stand on or climbed up on and are mainly used to display and organize items or for lightweight storage. They lean up against the wall and can come in a wide variety of heights. Styles can accommodate many design choices from vintage to modern, or traditional to industrial, and can be positioned in multiple rooms throughout the house. For example:
- Bathrooms: towels and baskets with hooks to hang on the rungs for toiletries
- Family rooms: quilts, throw blankets, and magazines
- Closets: high heel shoes, scarves, belts, and necklaces
- Install a ladder horizontally above the kitchen island to hang pots and pans or in closet to hang clothes
Tall A-frame Ladder
DIYer’s get very creative with these ladders. Simple and quick storage ideas: a heightened plant stands or a free-standing library for those many books. Two 8ft wood ladders bookended apart with wood slab shelves positioned on matching height rungs creates a stylist statement and provides ample display for curated collections. Plants, framed photos, and family treasures can all be beautifully decorated and admired with this open storage idea. And wood A-frame ladders can also be painted or stained to blend perfectly with your interior color palette. Another clever DIY idea is instead of slab shelves, insert a thick long dowel between the ladders and use for clothes or extra garage storage organization.
Want to incorporate a ladder within your home design/décor? Stop on by at any of PARR Lumber’s locations for all the materials you need to build one. PARR Lumber is the supplier of choice.
And check out PARR Weekend Warriors, Redo with Q; How To Make a Ladder as Cohosts, Corey Valdez and Tony Cookston make a one-of-a-kind ladder, designed by Shannon Quimby. Not only is it functional, but when not in use, becomes an architectural piece of art.
Shannon Quimby is an internationally acknowledged salvage designer, television personality, DIY expert and photo stylist for Better Homes & Gardens. She’s an HGTV alumni and for the past 20 years NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX broadcasts have featured her work. Currently, you can see Shannon’s DIY’s and design ideas on “Create with Quimby” on CW KOIN News AM Extra
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