What Ana Does

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 ...

Today's project was to add shoes storage to our laundry room. I don't know about you, but this family of four has a ton of shoes. A ton. So, I cleaned out the space by the door, scrubbed the (ugly) tile .... BEFORE: Space Not Well Used And installed an inexpensive chrome shelf. And because the wall was in such poor shape, I slapped a coat of sea blue paint that I rejected for Leah's room years ago. And even cut and added some of the floor tile from the old house -- to finish off the corner. AFTER: Shelf, Shoes and Re-usable Grocery Bags This is just the beginning of the plethora of shoes that will be going on this shelf. And I've got to install a hook or two, but this is how it looked tonight.  Brief Aside: I accidentally cracked the light switch plate while removing it. Oops! Add that to my Home Depot list.