The Kids' Closet Update

Leah: Before
This project wasn't even on my list ... not even on my radar.

Then, last week at work I was thinking about the kids' closets (both semi-walk-ins) and how there's all this unused space -- and I just hate when I'm not optimizing every bit of space in this house.

I thought, wouldn't it be great if I added a few more shelves and get better use of those closets?

Leah: After (Not All the Clothes)
And the idea was buzzing around my head like a gnat all day, so I stopped at Ace Hardware on the way home and picked up two 4-foot closet shelves before giving it a second thought.

I started with Leah, where I had envisioned the shelf going along the left wall (the wall I'm facing in the "before" picture). Then, I could stack boxes of toys and stuffed animals -- hiding all that clutter away.

Here's the problem with not planning ahead: I didn't measure the wall. I purchased the shelves before I was even back at the house! So, guess what, the shelf didn't fit. And only by mere centimeters. Doh!



So, New Plan! I attached it to the wall you see as you open the door (in both pictures, the door is on the left). But then, it made less sense for toys and more sense to hang skirts and short dresses. So, the closet looks more organized, that's for sure. But not my original plan.

Alice: After (Needs Sorting)
In Alice's room, I wanted the shelf to go along the wall directly across from the door to hide away clutter -- and again I was thwarted by not planning ahead. The shelf was too long by several inches.

New Plan! I put the shelf on the angled wall on the left -- making it more convient for toys. I even moved the stuffed animal hammock below it. The play clothes (princess dresses) even got their own (lower) space. And the school dresses are the first thing you see, which might help a short-attention-spanned 4-year-old to pick her outfits quicker. (A Mom can dream.)

So, a very quick project. And not a very well thought-out one. But for $40 total (cost of two 4-ft shelves), a good one. And, hey, when this house goes on the market, these closets now have "organization systems."

Viola!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Behold! Everard Blue!

Image
Here's the After picture of our master bedroom now that the walls are a dark and moody blue. Maybe the best part is I was at work while the painters were here, so I walked in and found -- as if by magic -- the room no longer minty green but a bold blue. That's pretty awesome. They also painted the trim an eye-popping white, which I just love against this blue. And the angle is a dark beige-y, tan color that I hope goes with the headboard. I spent the evening cleaning and re-hanging the drapes, and moving the furniture back into position. It will be a while before I dare hang anything in here. I'm too in love with the walls to put too many holes in them right now. So, just in case I'm looking for this information later: The walls are "Everard Blue" by Benjamin Moore . And the tray is "Curly Willow" by Behr . Now, does that furniture look too dark against the walls or is it just me? And wouldn't a lighter wood or white look fabulous agains
Keep reading »

Family Calendar Improvement

Image
 Made a quick improvement at the start of the school year that I'm pretty excited about.  And yes, I'm probably the only one excited about it, but here goes ...  Here's our "command central" in our kitchen. This is a good landing spot, and a central place to all look at the family calendar ... it's that huge wipe board in the middle of the photo. All our activities are supposed to be written on here and our electronic family calendar on Google.  (Brief aside: my family is the WORST at writing their plans down in either calendar and Dave still doesn't share his events on our Google Shared Family Calendar consistently, which makes me nuts. And they all ask me "what are we doing today?" instead of looking at the calendar, usually directly behind me. But, that's another post.) I went to so much trouble putting this little area together and that huge calendar with wobbly writing was really killing the sophisticated look of that space. PLUS, we don
Keep reading »

Basement Shiplap Project

Image
The guys left me all the unused shiplap from the bathroom and I've been trying to think about where to use it. I had so many ideas but not a lot of shiplap, so I eventually settled on this corner of our basement. It's where the exercise mats and treadmill live, right behind the sofa. And also where the Marvel-themed bathroom with shiplap is located. So it made sense. It took much of a rainy Sunday to cut and nail up the new boards ...    I even had enough to do on the "backsplash" of our little kitchenette in the basement I've been slowly building out.  Next up will be to patch all the nail holes and calk around the edges for a clean look. And then the best part ... picking out paint color. Since this is a "free" project, I'm hoping I can find a color in my paint cabinet.  I'll keep you posted. 
Keep reading »