BEFORE:
So D and I wanted to design something to house the coats and shoes that were stored under the stairway when you walked in the front door. We realized Bea was lacking closet space and so we thought we would try to build a storage unit that matched the house and fit under the stairs. We wanted to declutter the wall with the purses and "hanging box of stuff" and give her somewhere she could hang up guests coats and have kids shoes out of the hall. The stairway was also open, which is nice for keeping things light, but meant that the kids dirt and toys would fall down through them and land downstiars on coats and shoes and hallway. Not exactly ideal.
This way wasnt really working because it was, not only, difficult on the eyes but it seemed like the shoes were always migrating to the kitchen, livingroom or just in the way of walking in the door. You cannot see that the white paint here has taken a serious beating by the boys fingers and shoes. We figured that also needed to be remedied.
This way wasnt really working because it was, not only, difficult on the eyes but it seemed like the shoes were always migrating to the kitchen, livingroom or just in the way of walking in the door. You cannot see that the white paint here has taken a serious beating by the boys fingers and shoes. We figured that also needed to be remedied.AFTER:
So, we painted teh walls the same cafe au lait colour that we did in the kitchen, so now the two rooms tie into each other. Not to mention it cleaned up the fingerprints. Actually, that only lasted a few days because they (the walls) were promptly redecorated by the children in no time. The paint here seems to be mostly flat paint. I dont think i've seen to many places with an eggshell or gloss so it meant that the walls were super absorbant to oil and dirt. So, the solution was to paint the walls with something called "elephant skin" which had a gloss finish to it. This way the dirt doesnt soak into the paint and Bea could wipe the walls down whenever she wanted them to look fresh again. Quite an improvement over REPAINTING the walls whenever she wanted them fresh again.
So, this is the closet D custom built to fit snuggly under the staircase. It has three doors on the front for coats, shoes, and *something*. :) We made an extra door on the end for hats, gloves, etc, = extra storage, and two coat hooks for backpacks.
I am so impressed by D's craftmanship becuase he really did a great job making this visually pleasing. He created it so that it fit right under the edge of the staircase (no seams) and followed the crazy curve of the stairs. It was semi awkward to create the doors so that they didnt look like a funhouse with their decreasing sizes. The hardware matches the kitchen cabinet hardware too. Everything is so sturdy and well made. He did a great job!
Inside the coat door. Extra room on the bottom for guests shoes.
A *special* drawer for each of the boys and one for mom & dad.
The drawers pull out. :)
The mini door. Storage for....???? :) 
The end storage and extra hooks.
Inside that cupboard.
D also finished the staircase so that no more toys could fall down and dirt wouldnt land on the coats and shoes. Now things look a little "cleaner" to the eye. He did an excellent job. 
Me with Markus and his son Kevin. Kevin was so excited on the way to the race that his stomach was aching. Ha Ha.
A little race inflicted damage ^ 
This Formula 3 car ^ had some front end damage and had to be trailored in to the post-race inspection (it is hanging from a crane here).
This car ^ was one of the two female DTM drivers (both had pink cars). She was forced wide on this corner and went through the grass into the wall (low speed so no injury). 
This is K. He was busy looking good while watching his Papa and Daniel do guy stuff.
S has had a horse all her life...so, this is a horse family. A welcoming sign for the English speakin' folks. :) 
Here is Miss J. :) She is sweet, loves horses too-just like her mommy, and, apparently, hoola-hooping. She spent so many hours practicing on this day AND every time I come over again I HAVE TO watch her show me her improvments!
So the funny thing is that K totally has the hip movements for hoola-hooping. He is a natural and can go forever. J has to really try a little harder. Shame for us girls that sometimes boys can move so much better! Here are S & K competing for longest hoola-hooping ability. 
I guess while I'm at it I will introduce you to the rest of the family. This is Rocky. 
And here is Piefke. Which, apparently, means "little one", or something, to German people. 
Now I took this picture to show my mom because I really thought that if you have birds, your house will always, inevitably, have bird poo smeared somewhere, feathers flying around, or, at least, the remaints of their nuggets they eat strewn on the floor below their cage. BUT(!), and I know this picture only represents one moment in time, these birds dont ever throw food on their floor and there is nooo birdy poo in their house anywhere! And, yes, they do get to fly around for about 2 hours a day. I was amazed. Thus my rediculous paragraph about this. :)
So, they have a very beautiful home, which S keeps very nicely, despite having the added difficulty of kids, toys and birds. They love bright colors, which is not unlike many German households actyally, and I always feel very light when I am there.
Unfortunately, they were asking a lot for the two nicer ones, 5,699€ for this one (about $8,100 USD) so I had to pass, otherwise I think I would have gotten this one today if it was more reasonably priced. It also had the brushed/swirled aluminum interior which I really liked, while most have a wood grain.
