Lowell Closet
Overview
A Lowell Closet is a multipurpose construction that includes two of the most essential animal-supportive elements for cats—a litter closet and a cat loft—as well as a wardrobe for humans in the same architectural footprint as a typical bedroom closet.
The term “Lowell” comes from the acronym “LWL” which describes the components of the closet from top to bottom: Loft, Wardrobe, Litter.
Lowell Closets come in two major configurations: Fixed and Convertible. Fixed Lowell Closets are easier to construct and best used in owner-occupied homes where the litter closet portion will always be used for cats. Convertible Lowell Closets are more difficult to build are are best used in rental properties or anywhere more flexibility is desired, as they have the ability to be converted into a non-cat mode in which the litter closet is removed and the wardrobe is expanded.
Benefits of a Lowell Closet
For cats
With the litter closet located near the cat loft while still being far enough away for proper separation, cats may feel an even stronger bond to the area. Other than that, cats receive the same benefits as other installations of these two features.
For people with cats
People with cats gain the logistical advantages that come with locating the cat loft and litter closet close to each other, which aids in whole-house design as well as creating smaller cat living areas, when needed. Other than that, people with cats generally receive the same benefits as other installations of these two features.
For people without cats
People without cats gain no additional advantages from a fixed Lowell Closet. However, a convertible Lowell Closet provides an enormous advantage, because it allows people to essentially get rid of the litter box enclosure and reclaim that space to use the entire closet as normal.
For rental property owners
Similarly, rental property owners gain no additional advantages from fixed Lowell Closets, but the added flexibility of convertible Lowell Closets increase the desirability of rental units with them significantly, since the litter closets can be effectively removed for those who will not use them, leaving little trace they were ever there and giving renters a normal, full-size closet to use.
How to Build a Lowell Closet
Fixed Lowell Closet
Building a fixed Lowell Closet is relatively simple, and requires building a litter closet into the lower portion of a closet that has a cat loft above it.
For best results, add a full horizontal partition between the wardrobe and litter closet at the framing stage, effectively building two closets, then finish all surfaces normally, as illustrated in these photos of the fixed Lowell Closets at Haven House. Any type of closet doors will work; however, it’s a good idea to add brushes to the bottoms of the doors to the litter closet to help the ventilation fan prevent air from escaping.
Convertible Lowell Closet
Building a convertible Lowell Closet is more difficult and will require more precise construction.
First, you will need to build a removeable horizontal divider that is structurally sound, nearly airtight, and still light enough to move. Please see the video about how we made the dividers for the closets in Cloud Nine Studios for details.
After the divider, you will need to build doors that work both with and without the divider in place. The best method for most installations is to use a set of four cabinet-style hinged panel doors that are divided vertically in the center and horizontally at the midpoint of the divider. With the divider installed, the doors operate independently and close against the divider face. With the divider removed, the two left doors and two right doors can be attached to each other to form large single panel doors that open as one piece.
Finally, although a standard rod and shelf system will work here, with this much expense already invested into an advanced, space-saving closet, in most cases it will make sense to add a closet organization system. In this case, the best systems to use are those based on the modular design developed by Dieter Rams in the 1960s in which the entire system is attached to the wall by one horizontal strip at the top, and the rest of the system hangs from it. Using a system with such a design will allow you to switch between a partial-height and full-height wardrobe system by changing just a few modular components.