Adding Cabinets to the Basement Project

Installing cabinets in the basement was always my phase two project -- I didn't think I could get them into the already-maxed budget. But I knew they were coming. So I had the electrician put the outlets on our cabinet wall at counter height and kept an eye on craigslist and the recon place in Evanston for good deals on used cabinets.

BUT we took one look at the Ivar cabinets (at $90 each) at Ikea and the lightbulb went off. These could be perfect! And a quick search through Pinterest confirmed that people are taking these cabinets and giving them a cool custom look!
Ivar Shelving System from IKEA
We've owned a few sets of these Ivar shelves (one set we brought home through the streets of Manhattan, which is a long but hilarious story) and I've painted the pine all kinds of colors, so I know they last and they're easy to work with.

Digging through all the pretty ideas on Pinterest, here's my current DREAM scenario ...

The Wall of Cabinet Inspiration
This bank of cabinets will be located on the wall opposite the bottom of the stairs. For me, it fulfills a huge need in this house which is additional kitchen storage ... the makers and larger serving pieces that I can't fit into the dining room storage. It's also going to be near the craft table, so we'll store art supplies and some games in it, too.

I also really adore the shelving on the wall above the cabinets from my inspiration image. I'd love to fan out beloved books and items we've picked up from our travels ... make it a fun display.

I had this all simmering on the back-burner, knowing we'd get to it sometime in 2017. BUT we're talking about picking up the cabinets this week so Mick, our contractor, can mount them to the wall.

It's so exciting we're getting to this part of the planning. With the walls and everything up, now it's time to plan for furniture and the pretty stuff.



Related Posts
Paint and tile is complete.
Check out the original floor plan
All the basement-tagged posts

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