Remember 2014’s first project? Yes, that hideous closet that I left untouched after completing the bedroom remodel…that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Well, it’s done. And I even had a day or two to spare. It might not be as lavish as other cloffices floating around the Pinterest world, but it’s functional, I think it’s pretty, and it’s a heck of a lot more productive than working from the couch.
The next big house project we are planning to tackle is the basement. Task number one of that job is getting all our stored stuff out of there. Which means, my craft supplies. Honestly, I was all too happy to go through my things and move them upstairs to a well-lit, cute space. It’s nice to have {almost} all of my go-to supplies in a location that isn’t shared with Panda’s litter box.
I sorted out all my string and ribbon and stored it in a basket. And I used a box left over from Christmas, covered in scrapbook paper, to organize all my writing/drawing/doodling supplies {chalk, charcoal, markers, crayons…} Buttons, which I rarely use but seem to have an abundance of, are stored in a vase that came with some flowers from the florist. And my stack of unused notebooks for list making are finally all together in a bin from Martha.
The basement is currently unfinished except for a few “walls” made of peg board. It’s all going to get torn out soon, so I salvaged a chunk, gave it a coat of spray paint, and made it into a vertical desk. I had a hard time finding pegboard hooks, so I’ll tell you where I finally bought them: Menard’s. Really any big-box hardware store should have them. Insist that they find them for you. At Menard’s I asked three employees before one knew what I was talking about. In the end they were by the closet stuff.
In days to come I’m sure I’ll have more things to pin up, but in the mean time I clipped up a few old photos that I came across while sorting through the desk. They make me happy.
I took the same can of paint that I used on the pegboard and sprayed the old, ugly-gray file cabinet as well. Much improved!
We had that silver utility light in the basement. I bought it once upon a time to use in dim photography settings. I haven’t used it in a long time and it’s perfect for the desk space. I love that it clamps onto the shelf so it doesn’t take up {precious} desk or floor space.
Eventually this closet will return to an actual clothing closet. With that in mind we installed all the shelving on a closet kit from Rubbermaid. The shelves are adjustable and you can buy additional accessories to add hanger rods or additional shelving. It was easy to install. Derek helped with this one, but I used a similar kit in the bedroom and put it in myself.
I’ve already been more productive the last few days since this has been finished. It’s really amazing how having a dedicated space that you actually enjoy coming to can change your attitude about work. This project also serves to show that with organization and creativity, even a small, overlooked space can be transformed into something useful.
Amy
PS…In case you missed it, here’s how I made that cute dry erase board. And going even further back…here’s how I made that wreath.
