Looking around our laundry room we had some disorganization, and we are now in the heart of the winter with coats and gloves and boots everywhere. We needed some help, so we created a custom built-in to fit our needs! Read on and see how we did it.
Here is the sad state of affairs before. There weren't enough hooks or any storage for our gloves and hats. That corner just got piled with coats and backpacks, and you couldn't find anything.
Cleared out the space, and it was actually pretty big with nine foot ceilings we could go high, and add the extra storage we needed.
First up we needed a bench to sit on. We went to our scrap wood pile and found these 1 x 2's, cut them to size, leveled the boards, and then screwed them into studs in the wall for a firm foundation.
Test fit! We purchased this 4' x 8' sheet of tongue and groove plywood, and we cut it to size using a circular saw and straight edge. We chose this heavy-duty material because we knew it would get heavy use as a place to sit to remove winter clothes or put on shoes etc. Cut some 2 x 12's to fit that are used as a support in the middle of the seat.
We do a little bit staining in the color of our choice in this case dark walnut.
Now we go vertical. We decided to use 2 x 12's for the wall space, it was the perfect depth for our cubbies. We cut them to a height of 5 feet, and then added the top shelf with another 2 x 12 to fit the length of the room. We secured it to the wall in studs along the top of the shelf.
These guys also get a coat of our dark walnut stain.
We are on to the distressing. Used our go to almond paint, beat the paint into our brush, and applied it lightly over the stain to give us a rustic look.
Now the fun stuff goes in. We found these boards at The Home Depot. We were inspired by a friend who was using these boards for an accent wall in her home, and thought they would go great with this project. Attached them to the wall using wood adhesive and brad nails.
Don't they look cool?? We also decided at this point that we wanted to make another shelf above our cubbies for extra storage.
We found these inexpensive pine boxes at IKEA, and painted them lightly with sage green paint. We added some decorations on the top, along with hooks for our coats and backpacks.
We even managed to add storage for our reusable bags, now they don't lay all over the floor.
Hope we've inspired you take on that organization project you've been wanting to do. A little idea can turn into a great completed organization project!
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