Fall One Room Challenge: Week 3 – Coat Closet
I can’t believe another week has already flown by! Thank goodness this week’s project for the One Room Challenge was fairly small and I managed to get it done in less than a day. Our entry coat closet. This closet had become the catch all for anything and everything that came through the front door that didn’t have an immediate purpose. Because of this, we couldn’t actually use it for storing the things we actually needed, like coats and shoes!
As you can see from the picture below, not only has this closet been a catch-all, but it’s just generally a mess.
I started with simply emptying out the closet so I could be sure to get accurate dimensions so I could plan a storage system that would work for our family. I really wish that we would’ve had the option to put custom closets in our house, but I’m sure whatever I would’ve picked out at the time I would’ve hated in a few months anyway. When it comes to storage solutions, I have always found that it’s best to wait before investing in anything major because you need to see how you naturally use a space. We’ve lived in this house for about 8 months now and I’ve learned that we need tons of shoe storage in this closet because everyone somehow comes in and immediately dumps their shoes right in the middle of the floor. We also really need individual bins for each family member to keep things, like purse, hats and mittens, and earbuds for the gym. And obviously we needed somewhere to actually hang our coats up. Clearly what we started with wasn’t going to work.
Before I started putting storage solutions back in the closet, I wanted to add a little something extra. Buffalo check! I am OBSESSED with buffalo check, but it’s not really something that I decorate my house with because I know as soon as I do I’m going to hate it. In case you didn’t know this about me, I change my mind on things really quickly. I actually love change. I’m not normal, I know. Anyway, Target has this awesome buffalo check wallpaper that I’ve been trying to find an excuse to buy, so an entryway closet was the PERFECT excuse! Since the sitting room that this little closet is technically a part of is so neutral in the overall color scheme, I thought this was the perfect little pop that guests would see when they hang up their jackets. Also, because the wallpaper is peel and stick, it was SUPER easy to put up!
The next thing I added is these shoe storage cubbies. I actually stole these from myself. I have been using 3 of them in my closet, but since I’m planning an overhaul of my closet sometime in the (hopefully) near future, I figured I could sacrifice these to save me a few bucks. I had planned on the two cubbies being side by side like a bench, but unfortunately I was like 1/8″ off in measuring, so I had to settle for putting them in a little different than I had planned, but it still worked out! In fact, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out because I can fit my giant totebag between the two cubbies! And to make a platform to place the vertical storage on, I used a piece of MDF I had at home and used my favorite trick – cover it with marble contact paper! 🙂
Next, I added an Ikea Kallax storage unit vertically to the closet. This allows me to place bins in the closet for each family member. The bins were also from Ikea and were only like $3 each! I love the combo of the beige polka-dot bins with the buffalo check wallpaper.
Finally, I added an inexpensive closet rod and attached one end to the kallax unit and the other directly to the wall with drywall anchors.
I am SOOO happy with how my little coat closet turned out! It’s the perfect mix of form and function. It’s so cute and is exactly what I had pictured to store all of our stuff that ends up on the entryway floor. I can’t help but smile every time I open it now! 🙂
