DIY Custom Built Organizer for our Ikea Pax Wardrobe

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen some of the updates we have completed on the Master Closet / Dressing Room. I’m not ready to show the final reveal as I am currently in the process of spray painting the Ikea Pax Wardrobe doors, but I should be done soon!

So we decided to add three Ikea PAX brown-black wardrobes to our closet rather than building a custom setup. We already have plenty of hanging space, but my hubby needed some additional drawers and shelves for things like shoes, socks, underwear and I wanted they’re cool jewelry organizer.

We chose to buy one of the 14” deep cabinets for his shoes, but the 24” deep one for all of the organizers we wanted that aren’t available in the more shallow cabinet. I love the insert and drawer options that are available for these wardrobes, but they are missing some options I’d love to see them add at some point. I thought I could find a simple drawer organizer that would work for us, but no one seemed to have just what I was looking for so I designed a simple, no fasten system for the drawer and we built it and painted it to match the cabinet.

This really easy and simple project that consist of: 1/2 birch plywood, 5mm Poplar plywood, some white birch veneer tape.

First we cut the 1/2” plywood to height and width and then I adhered (with an iron) the veneer tape to the top edge of the board. After the veneer had cooled we trimmed the veneer and sanded the edges. Then using our table saw we ran the boards through 3 times, moving the blade out a little each pass to cut about 1/4” notches on each board at the desired locations.

We then placed the boards in the front and back of the drawer and measured for the length of the dividers. We then cut the 5mm plywood to length and width and sanded all of the pieces with 220 grit paper.

I spray painted all of the pieces with Benjamin Moore Advance Satin black brown paint that I had custom matched to the Ikea black-brown color perfectly! I took one of the shelves from the wardrobe to my local Benjamin Moore Store and had them color match to it, it was a little bit of a process to get it just right, but they did a fabulous job! I had looked and looked online for a formula or a color someone else had found already, but there was nothing that truly matched it that I could find. I am a HUGE fan of Benjamin Moore paints and their stores, they seem to employ very knowledgeable “paint people” and if need be I can call ahead and have my paint mixed and ready for pickup when I get there… just all around great customer service! I use Bluegrass Paint & Decorating here in Louisville, but when I lived in Richmond I used Virginia Paint Company.

Here is a picture of the Ikea Black-Brown paint formula for those that may need it, created in Benjamin Moore Advance Satin paint Base 4.

The front and back slotted 1/2” plywood pieces are only held in place by the tension of the divider pieces which allows this system to be easily removed or changed around if necessary. Love me some organized drawers even if they’re not “mine”!!!

Hope you are all enjoying some nice Fall weather and as always thanks so much for stopping by…

Until next time!

November 11, 2016 3

A Total Closet Makeover!

WHEW! Brie’s closet is done! And I absolutely ADORE it!

If you remember this is what we started with, builder basic closet, original paint from 12 years ago, wire shelving… check out more detailed before information in my post here.

This is the beautiful AFTER! The color is Benjamin Moore Galt Blue #CW-560, it looks very Tiffany blue in most light.

I’m LOVING the way it is organized with the new closet panels from EasyCloset… and yes the clothes are color coded and sorted by type, it just makes it so much easier to find what you need!

She still how plenty of space left for more clothes, not necessary now but you never know!

I spray painted this organizer gold to coordinate with the whole color scheme she has going on.

My favorite part is this area is for her shoes and accessories!

I had this bookcase in storage so I just painted it white and added the grass cloth wallpaper to the back, a pretty easy update! It’s just perfect for her shoes and as you see I can add more shelves when/if she needs more space.

The picture rail was also in storage. I color matched the chrysanthemum on the vase to get the perfect coral color, it’s Benjamin Moore Claret Rose # 2008-20. I also added some cup hooks to the bottom to hang her necklaces and bracelets.

I added a picture of “the sisters”, this happens to be one of my favorites! My oldest daughter took them to a photographer and surprised me a couple of years ago with Mother’s Day photos! They were clearly having fun with the photo shoot!

These are yogurt jars that I just washed out and embellished, so easy and perfect for little earrings and rings!

The last thing I did was make this valance for the window. Maybe I should have lined it, but seriously it’s a closet… I think it adds a nice finishing touch!

I hope you like Brie’s closet makeover! We are finished painting her room but I am desperately trying to find bedding and a new bed for her… it is NOT going well! Anyway hope to share it with you soon! Brie is hanging with my mom until mid-July so I need to finish everything up by then, I’m hoping she LOVES it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time…

Linking to these parties!

From My Front Porch to Yours, French County Cottage, Redoux Interiors,Simple Details, Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, The Dedicated House, Elizabeth and Co., Savvy Southern Style, From My Front Porch To Yours

June 25, 2014 23

One Room At A Time

Sorry I have been so lax in posting… I won’t list the multitude of excuses I came up with, so I’ll just fill you in on my latest project. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be inside working on something, rather than outside in this 95 degree heat!

So even though I titled this post “One Room At A Time” this is technically not a room, it’s a closet. Now, it’s a good sized walk-in closet, but it is a closet. I happen to be quite a freak about closets. I like my closets VERY organized and I abhor wire shelving… it’s just not my “thing”… I may or may not need help for it This closet is Brie’s (she’s 12 going on 16 if you know what I mean), I gave her a few color options to choose from and she chose “Galt Blue”, it’s a Benjamin Moore color from their Williamsburg series, this color is NOT very accurate… it’s a blue green very pretty color.

We also decided to buy her new closet organizer from EasyCloset. We had used them in our last home’s pantry and just LOVED them. They are super easy to install (using a cleat),easy to assemble and removing them for painting is a snap. Yes, there are other products out there from the “big box” stores, but you always have to cut something or you have unused space leftover. These are custom made to fit YOUR wall perfectly so no cutting at all. I’m not a spokesperson for this product, but I totally could be I love it so much!

Below is the setup we decided would work best for her, 4 short hanging areas and a medium hanging area for dresses. I decided to separate the short hanging areas for winter / summer, I think that will help her find what she needs to wear easier.

Below is her walk-in closet before, it’s 9’4” x 5’6” and gets the morning sun so it is very bright in there. It has plenty of hanging space for her needs, but the shelves on the left are really useless to her… so out they come!

For those of you who have never removed wire shelving I must warn you, it’s a pain in the butt! First of all the installers ALWAYS anchor the shelves with a BAZILLION wall anchor screws, secondly removing those screws and nails cause HUGE holes in the walls which you will need to fill. I had 60 holes to fill in this room!!!

I use the spackling that goes on pink, but dries white, it’s just easier for me. My process is fill holes twice, “sand” down with wet sanding sponge, spackle again, sand with 220 sandpaper. I did use my orbital sander with the shop vac hooked up to it because I had so many holes to sand.

After I sanded I went over the new drywall spots with a quick coat of the paint. I do this because I have found it helps to pre-seal the areas before rolling, otherwise the patched areas suck in more paint than the surrounding areas and I can see the spots…

I decided that the baseboards and ceiling needed a fresh coat of paint as well. This closet had not been touched up in 12 years and it was looking a little dingy.

Everything is now painted and I am expecting delivery of the shelves today!

I was able to install Brie’s old chandelier in here too! I would have installed it in her room but she loves her ceiling fan, she uses it every night, so this was the next best place for it. Ok, so maybe it’s a little overkill for a closet, but I had it and it was just hanging in storage so why not?

I’m also working on this updating this bookcase to use for a shoe storage. EasyCloset does make shoe shelves, but they are very expensive and this was “free”… plus I like the idea of a pimped out bookshelf/shoe storage better don’t you?

Now I need to start working on emptying out her room and getting it ready for paint while I wait for the shelves to be delivered. I hope to share with you the finished closet Monday. Until then stay cool and enjoy your summer!

Until next time!

June 19, 2014 8

Finding Gray & Updating the Family Room

PLEASE tell me I am not alone in this…

Have you ever started a search for the perfect shade of paint and you get SO frustrated you either:

a: Want to cry

b: Cry

c: Chuck the paint out the window

d: All of the above

Well I almost cried, and honestly I felt like chucking the paint too… all because I was attempting to find the perfect shade of gray. It couldn’t be too cool, too light, too blue, too brown or too dark, sounds simple right? Umm… not for me! I had painted the girls rooms Pavillion Gray, a Farrow & Ball color, and knew I loved it so I decided to have the formula remixed here… that should work right? Same formula, same manufacturer, different state is all… well for some bloody reason it didn’t! Thank goodness I had only painted about a third of the wall when I noticed something was not quite right, the color was way too blue. So I waited for it to dry, literally watched it dry, and then I painted a square of the original paint onto the new paint. I was not crazy (although some may disagree), whew what a relief! The new mix was clearly blue gray and not at all what I wanted. I checked the formulas on both cans, they were identical so I called the hardware store to politely ask them if maybe their machine was not calibrated or were they out of a specific color . They informed me that it was not possible, the machine would warn them if there was a problem. So what do I do now? Freakin’ start over is what I did… I looked at this wall for days… (yes I started this process back in October)

I did break down and spend some dough on a few of the Benjamin Moore fan decks so I could see the colors in the light in our room, not the store light, it helps trust me. I ended up choosing a color from the Color Stories series. Now these colors are not for everyone, and I have had a “problem” in the past, you see they tend to morph into different shades throughout the day and while the color might be the perfect shade during the day it may look different at night. However, I chose the color Smoke & Mirrors, painted a large section of a wall and then watched it (not literally this time) for a day to make sure it was for me. Whew… finally a color!

Here’s where it gets dicey again…

I paint one whole wall with the quart I purchased and then I go to guy 2 more gallons. When the guy at the store is adding the colorant I hear him make a strange noise… “Is everything ok” I ask? Well apparently not, some of the colorant is not flowing correctly and my cans do not have the correct ratio in it. I stay calm (which for those of you who know me know that was a feat in itself) and I wait for him to correct the problem. Now of course I’m wondering if the stupid machine was broke yesterday too and the color I like on my wall is not the same shade that is in the new mix. Will I like the new color? Do I have to repaint that whole wall? How far off is it? So I bring the 2 gallons home (pray a little) and mix them together in a 5 gallon bucket, to ensure color consistency, and I start to paint… YAY! a break… all’s good.

This is what we started with… a nice big blank neutral canvas.

I painted the fireplace wall first, only because I knew what I wanted it to look like, then I started the search for the paint for the rest of the room. We removed the blinds, window toppers and fan, added some fabulous rug tiles from FLOR, curtains, rods and a new fan. Oh yeah, we also had to paint the ceiling in this room too… I don’t know why these people insisted on painting so many ceilings, it’s REALLY starting to piss me off!!

It’s so much fresher and brighter in here now. It’s a very comfortable room with lots of light and great views of the backyard.

I’m not a huge fan of the pillows I have on the sofa, but they’ll do until I can find the right fabric for new ones. I don’t know about you, but I suck at mixing fabrics… I have such a hard time I tend to put it off.

At first my Hubby didn’t like the fact that the TV was on this wall, but I love that we can watch the TV and enjoy the fireplace at the same time! Sometimes you have to pick one or the other to be the focal point of the room, so this layout is a great compromise.

At first I thought it might not be the PERFECT shade of gray, it can pull a tad too purple at nighttime, but I have lived with it a few months and really do love it… enough to also paint the Powder room and the Mudroom the same color.

I had this little area setup for my youngest daughter (who has just turned 12) to sit and eat, she can watch the TV in the mirror if she wants. We don’t allow the kids to eat on the furniture so this iron table from Arhaus has been great as a snack / drawing area. The stool is from World Market and is height adjustable.

I found this cute terrarium at a local antique store (although I’m sure it’s not an antique), but the violet pots I ordered off Esty. They’re handmade in the USA and I LOVE them! The clock I bought from Joss & Main. The console table is an antique store find, I stripped and stained the top to break up the blue a little.

I adore our ladder / shelving with it’s iron frame and wood shelves, they (I have 2) were a Craig’s List score a few years ago and I have found them very versatile. The vase is a standard vase from Pottery Barn, but I spent a couple of hours wrapping jute twine around it and gluing it on with hot glue… lots of burns on my fingers that day! It helps disguise the outlet and give a little height and texture to the area beside the fireplace.

The difference in the way the room feels to us is HUGE!

I hope you enjoy my Family Room tour. I’m happy it is done and we get to enjoy it now!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Until next time…

Linking up to these parties!

Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Domestically Speaking, The Dedicated House, Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, From My Front Porch To Yours, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Redoux Interiors

June 2, 2014 31

Installing Wood Planks on the Bathroom Walls

Updated girls bathroom with wood plank walls

YAY!!! We are finished with the installation of wood planks on the bathroom walls! We started it just before Christmas and I am so happy it is finally done! Check out the first part of this post HERE for more detailed instructions on HOW we did it, but for now just enjoy the After photos!

Here is the BEFORE of one of the vanity areas

The tub & toilet area… and yes I know it’s a lot of doors! I wish they had used some pocket doors in this space…

The other vanity area… see the brass knobs & hinges on all of the doors too? Those I replaced a couple of months ago.

Here is the AFTER of Brie’s (the youngest) vanity. Her bedroom will be painted blue so the blue around her frame will coordinate with that when it gets painted… sometime next century maybe

The mirror frame is painted Anderson Blue and is a Benjamin Moore color, I will write a how to post on the mirror framing next.

Other than replacing all of the brass doorknobs and vanity light shades, I reused all of the existing fixtures. I’ll replace the vanity knobs after I paint it… maybe…

This is a close up of the detail on the wall planks. It starts with horizontal pine planks, then a small chair rail, then vertical tongue and groove bead board, then crown molding… so worth it I think! The paint color is Sherwin Williams Velvet White, it is the same color used on all of the trim throughout the house.

This is Sierra’s side, the purple is “Elderberry Wine” by Benjamin Moore and is the same color as an accent wall in her bedroom (I will share that makeover with you soon).

We also changed out the globes on the light fixture in this room as well.

This is the tub & toilet area of the bathroom. The shower curtain I sewed for them a few years ago and since the colors still work it’s staying, plus I really love it.

I also replaced the original “boob” light for this more traditional looking light, it’s very big and I almost didn’t have enough clearance for the door to close… I completely adore it! I found it on line at Lamps Plus if you’re interested.

I also reinstalled their “spa” basket and added a framed print that we had in storage. I also reused the toilet paper holder we already had instead of reinstalling the roll holder on the wall. The girls prefer the stand holder because it holds extra rolls and is easy to change the rolls… I’m all about making it easier for them whenever I can!

The soaps are lavender and make the bathroom smell wonderful!

I think the Before and After shot really shows the HUGE improvement!

I hope you enjoyed this “little” bathroom makeover. While the installation part of the planks and trim were by no means hard, the amount of caulking, hole filling and painting was pretty time consuming. I think I’m going to take a little painting break!

I love the results of the bathroom makeover and I hope to never have to paint this area again!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Until next time…

Linking to these posts:
Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Elizabeth and co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, From my Front Porch to Yours, Remodelaholic

January 20, 2014 40

The Powder Room is Finished

Even though I say it’s finished, I’m still thinking about my stenciling and maybe putting up some crown molding… so lets just called it finished for now ok?

This is what we started with…

BEFORE

Pretty boring right? Everything was your basic builders grade and not really something I was digging.

So I started with painting the room, I had a good amount of leftover paint from the Family room so I used it in here as well. The color is Smoke & Mirrors, it’s part of the Color Stories series by Benjamin Moore, it changes color significantly based on the light. The color is basically a gray but can shift for a brown gray to a purple gray, kind of cool right?

I stenciled one of the walls (still deciding if I like the one wall stenciled or not) with “Forest Floor Damask” by Royal Design Studios. I love the stencil, it’s the focal wall I’m still deciding on…

I painted the vanity with “Smoke Signal” by American Paint Company, it’s a clay and chalk based paint. I just cleaned the vanity with Formula 409, then painted it with 2 coats of the paint… super easy… no priming necessary!

After it dried I distressed and sealed the vanity with wax. I also filled in one of the holes on the doors and installed new glass knobs instead of pulls.

My SAH replaced the sink, faucet and top with a beautiful marble, pump style faucet and Kohler under mount sink. I replaced the light fixture and mirror, you know the “easy” things to replace…

I’m the caulker around here so I caulked all of the seams on the marble and touched up the paint around the backsplashes. I LOVE everything about this new vanity & sink! We chose to install a smaller sink than what was there previously so there was more marble visible… who needs a big sink in the powder room anyway?

I’m enjoying the change and pretty happy to have checked this project off of the list!

I am still working on the girls bathrooms and will be able to show you those updates soon!

Thanks as always for stopping by…

Until next time!

Linking to these parties:

Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, From My Front Porch To Yours, The Dedicated House

, Redoux Interiors, French Country Cottage, Miss Mustard Seed, Remodelaholic

January 15, 2014 37

Relaxing in the Sunroom

I hope everyone who got snow enjoyed a little snow day! I know we did here, we got about 5 inches of powdery snow so I took the opportunity to get some pictures of the Sunroom to share with you.

This Sunroom is hands down one of my favorite rooms in our new home here in Kentucky. One of the reasons I like it so much is because of the view, it feels like you are in a tree house!

BEFORE (picture taken this past August)

The Sunroom leads out to the deck and has a cased opening over the kitchen sink (seen to the right).

This is the view from the room looking back through the kitchen eating area into the Family room. All the floors had JUST been refinished prior to us buying the house… so thankful for that because they really are pretty!

In addition to the green paint there were also some not very well covered up ceiling stains from a roof leak which has now been repaired. The first thing we did was apply a primer to the ceiling stains and paint the ceiling.

Also during this time we had all of the windows on the back of the house replaced, something like 25 windows! We would have liked to have replaced all of them, but the investment was quite substantial for just the back windows and they had the most issues. The back windows get hit with the afternoon sun and a lot of the seals on the original windows were broken, which allowed moisture in between the panes and gave them a foggy, dirty appearance. They did NOT look good…

In addition to the broken seals the original builder grade windows were just not very efficient. Particularly in the Sunroom which was hot in the summer and cool in the winter, not a good combination for our favorite room to have.

We chose a vertical style window in order to have an uninterrupted view and we could replace 2 windows with one unit, a HUGE savings in addition to being gorgeous!

The Sunroom is back in business just in time for Christmas!!

The paint color is Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray (HC-170), it is a light gray / blue color.

I did choose to reinstall the original blinds, I really like the texture they bring to the room. I will replace them at some point, but for now they work perfectly. With our new windows I don’t have to close the blinds in the afternoon to keep the room from over heating… the only time I have to close them is to keep the sun out of my eyes!

This is such a cozy spot!

I have two of these vintage stands I bought off of Craig’s List a couple of years ago, they are very versatile and adore them!

This is another favorite piece of mine, I got it at auction, it has adjustable height iron legs and at one time had a hinged top to it. I added the marble piece to the center and now use it as a small side table, but I think it may have been a piano stool… if you have an idea of what it was originally please let me know!

The rug I purchased from Joss & Main, it’s thick, soft and just the perfect shade! I also bought the poufs from there too, they are indoor / outdoor so they can also be used for extra seating on the deck if need be.

I found a great use for the extra Christmas balls we decided not to use on the tree this year…

This is my favorite spot to relax, I get to look out into the tree tops! The vintage frames I originally had in my office with picture of past projects, but I changed out the photos for nature shots I took on vacations. I love looking at them and remembering the trips, easy instant art!