The inside of my closets

No, this is not a post about organization. It is one about creating extra storage.

First, the den. Here it is in the original-ish state:

And then I framed in a couple closets to flank the fireplace:

Which I shared with you here. The dirty little secret was that these closets were absolutely.empty.  No shelves, no hooks, no closet rods. Not very useful closets, right?

Now:

I installed two upper shelves and closet rod, and in the case of the right-hand closet, a lower set of shelves. The carpet in this room does not extend to the nooks, so I had installed a laminate floor in the first part of closet creation. To hold the curtains to one side, I just used those cheapie picture hangers. ($2.99 for a pack of 5). Here's what they look like:



The band of fabric just hooks on.

Technically this is a den (it's right off the kitchen and opens to the backyard). However, we find it's useful as a guest room, because it's close to the powder room and on the opposite end of the house from our bedroom, which is nice for privacy. When the basement is finished (ha!) it will be closer to the guest shower than any other bedroom. Some of our relatives have trouble with stairs so a main floor guest area that is not part of the main living area is really appreciated.

Oh, and by the way, I cleaned the fireplace. Much better, no?

Price breakdown:

2 closet rods: $10
2 sets closet flanges: $5
boards for shelving ~~

• cleats: $6
• upper shelves: $15
• lower shelves: boards on hand + $5

paint, stain and caulk: free, already had
picture hooks: free, already had

Total for this project: $41

Pretty good for 6 solid wood shelves, no? The cost is approximately the same as for the cheapest wire shelving and it looks exactly like I want. Per The Sagulator each shelf can hold about 90 lbs of stuff without visibly deflecting. I figure that if this room ever turns into a hobby room or play room, those closet areas can be fitted with even more shelving without too much work - all without intruding on living space.


Running total for this room interior: $420 + $41 = $461
See more posts about the den here

Linking up to:

"Best DIY Projects of March" via beneathmyheart.net