Those of you who follow my blog will recall that we have had to use creative solutions to maximize closet space in our 1926 semi. Apparently, back in the 20's, families could exist without nearly as much junk as we think we need now. I actually think there's a Thanksgiving lesson in there somewhere...
Anyway, you may remember that we raced against the clock to finish Rudy's nursery mere days before my scheduled c-section. Well, while we were thrilled with the finished product, the room wasn't entirely finished because her closet still looked a little like this:
Plenty of storage in the room allowed us to neglect this space and aside for a mini fridge, (which was actually a brilliant accessory to have in a nursery and stored formula and beer in the early days) for ten months we have sort of pretended it didn't exist.
Covered in 90's floral contact paper and filled with awkwardly spaced shelves, it was a bit of a disaster.
Corey's first step was to remove the old shelves as well as the hideous floral contact paper and patch the walls.
We then painted the interior a soft pink. We thought Rudy might like a little pop of colour. We then measured the space and installed some Ikea lighting with a little switch inside the door that Rudy will be able to reach in a few months.
We want this closet to encourage her independence, so not only can she reach the light switch but we have three rods for hangers and the lowest is really only going to be easy for her to reach on her own because it's low for an adult to bend.
From there, we installed a basic closet system and added some Ikea storage boxes to ensure that there's space for all of Rudy's toys and treasures. We had to offset the closet system from the wall to allow for drawers to open past the door frame. I think eventually, we'll come up with a creative idea for the space to the right: maybe hooks for scarves or necklaces or even a step stool.
And finally, we filled it with clothes. The best part is that there is still plenty of extra space! I was worried that this tiny closet would always pose a challenge and it was such an unexpected surprise to learn that some careful planning would give us room to spare!
I think my favorite part is the coat hooks we mounted to the door for shoe storage. This kid already has more shoes than I do! ;)
Sometimes living in a small house requires us to make adjustments. I'm thrilled to say that creativity can conquer many of our small space dilemmas!
