Hello friends! On Wednesday I shared a tour of my office/studio space. If you missed that post, you can check it out HERE. Today we’re taking a closer look at the closet I transformed into a stylish work nook without sacrificing storage.
Since this room technically is a bedroom, it had a traditional closet, complete with sliding doors, a hideous (and off center) wire shelf and accompanying hanging storage. And it was a hot mess pretty much from day one! Exhibit A and B:
I made multiple attempts at getting this closet into tip top shape but alas, it wasn’t in the cards. I considered putting bifold doors, then thought maybe French doors would be nice but ultimately decided to just remove the sliding doors and relocate them to the attic. They leaned against the wall for quite sometime, but have now made their way up into the rafters, out of sight, out of mind… until they may need to be reinstalled at some point in the future. But until then…
After removing the doors, I took the wire shelf down too. The plan was to transform this once lackluster run of the mill closet into a stylish crafting nook. Step 1, paint! And because I didn’t get any pictures just showing the paint, here’s step 2 as well, rails!
Next, brackets!
Then, shelves!
I hung a paper lantern from a hook in the ceiling to add a warm glow overhead.
And then in went this IKEA table that used to be my computer desk. I swapped out the legs for the extendable version to raise the work surface up to [my] waist height. Don’t asking me about how it got INTO the nook, because that was a real adventure lol
There were several rounds of styling between the above and what it is today, but I’ll forgo showing all the in between… So, without further ado, here’s the end result! It’s amazing how the dark accent color makes this nook feel like a jewel. And not having doors makes an already sizable room feel so much bigger!
I added an assortment of bins and baskets and boxes to store everything from financial paperwork, papers I wrote in school, and design samples to faux foliage I may need some day lol, skeins of yarn, photos and camera gear. A wire basket below the bottom shelf holds my PC laptop for those times that my 9-5 work needs to get done at home. Two felt hanging pockets from IKEA flank both sides, on the left side, notebooks and markers.
The left side has a drafting board, just right for sketching or bullet journaling (when I get around to attempting it), and the right side is now set up to be jewelry making central! I spray painted a red multi drawer storage unit with copper spray paint. It’s all ready to be loaded with beads, clasps, and other jewelry supplies. And the felt wall pocket on this side holds jewelry making tools.
I still want to do some minor zhuzhing. I plan to add a round tray and a round basket to the table under the desk surface for corralling receipts and larger items I want to store out of sight, respectively. Just haven’t found anything that speaks to me yet. Probably something plain, white and simple. But otherwise I’m so pleased with the transformation!