A Discreet Shoe Cabinet

before:

 after:

I must admit I love it when I walk into a space and see obvious solutions to problems. This client lives in a one bedroom and wanted me to help her get her closets in better order (as the rest of her space was pretty good when I arrived). The first thing I suggested was my favorite, the high gloss white Besta cabinet (which at the moment isn't on the Ikea website...) to get her shoes out of her tight bedroom closet. 

It fills the space seamlessly and holds all her shoes and a few evening handbags. She's very happy that it fits perfectly under her existing shelves as am I.

The Making of a Bachelor Pad

Wanted to give you guys a peak of an apartment I'm not only organizing but designing as well. Coming into this space with only the sofa and a bed/bed frame we're slowing piecing the rest together. We're very happy with the rug we scored for a steal from the apartmenttherapy.com classifieds. Perfectly worn in faded, I love the contrast against the Ikea Besta high gloss white cabinets. More to come, stay tuned!!

Chic Sophisticated Yet Fun Playroom

This client's new apartment has this room just off the living space which they've designated the playroom. Their goal was to create a fun and inspiring space for their 2 kids to play but to also keep it clean, organized, and as stylish and chic as the rest of their space. 

The chest of drawers, baskets, and toys are all from their previous apartment. We installed floating shelves for displaying toys and small picture ledges in lieu of a bookcase. The 2 smaller picture ledges are for a few beautiful and delicate books. She's shopping for a floor lamp to sit in the corner, just right of the chest of drawers, otherwise the room is just about perfect...

What I Did Today

before:

progress:

after:

 

After helping her with her apt (sorry, no pics) this client asked me to take a look at her showroom. While I loved just about everything she did, the front door lacked something. It wasn't bad, but you can see it from every angle of the space so I felt it needed a bit more punch. I suggested painting the door and framing it with pictures.

We settled on Farrow & Ball's Pink Ground, the perfect subtle pink. If you don't know Farrow & Ball they're a small company out of England who make superior paint and wall coverings. And since they only have 132 colors as opposed to the 10,000+ colors offered by other brands, it makes picking the perfect color easy.

We bought a ton of simple white frames and she picked some of her favorite images from books and magazines. My art installer and I pieced it all together, image by image... It took most of the afternoon but was worth it. . . 

Pax Closet New and Improved

before:

 after:

A client inherited this Pax wardrobe from the previous tenant which I thought would be great for her husband's wardrobe. Since he's tall I removed the top shelf and installed the hanging bar as far up as it could go, with casual clothes to the left and work clothes to the right. A hook on the door holds his tie rack. It's on the right so it doesn't push against the suit jackets when the door is closed. Two additional drawers hold the rest of his casual clothes. His shoes are in the hall closet. 

The key here is separating out the casual vs work clothes and within those categories, grouping like things together; all shorts together, all work-out together (middle drawer), t-shirts, etc.

UPDATE: Yes nessabirdie, it wasn't so bad to begin with but now everything is much more accessible. This unit is 24"D which makes the shelves (as you can see in the before pic) double deep. The pieces in the back of the top shelf are hard to get without having to move everything in the front. And he didn't want to sit on the floor to get his things on the bottom. The inexpensive drawers make it easy to reach everything and keep it neat and categorized. A picture doesn't show how it is to actually use something and all the details that bother someone like how his ties annoyed him hanging on the bar; it took up too much room and it was hard to see them. Thanks for commenting!

Musician's Studio After

I liked the basic layout of the space; the large bookshelf and the way she kept her cellos strapped to the back wall but she needed more storage and specifically more closed storage to balance all the open shelves. 


The long low cabinets are perfect for smaller things like cds, stationary, pedals, etc and takes up minimal floor space. She may mount it to the wall, but she'll decide at a later point. Side note, ignore the black shelf leaning against the back wall, it's going to be installed below the existing wall shelves...


I especially love the images of cellists she's been collecting. They really help finish the room. I'll show you the other side of the room and tell you about the new secretary in the next post...

Reader's Questions: Inner Dimensions of Alex Drawer Unit

Jennifer asked about the interior dimensions of the Alex drawer unit. The overall dimensions are 26 3/8"W x 18 7/8"D x 26"H. The interior of drawers are approximately 23 1/2"W x 16 1/2"D x 2 1/2"D though the bottom 3 drawers are deeper. Hope this helps!!

Another Favorite Ikea Piece: Alex

crayons, markers, paints:

clay and art case:

puzzles and beads:

books: 

This 6-drawer unit on casters is available in a few different sizes. This one, short and wide is perfect for kids crafts and books. 


Right now it's in this client's open living/dining area so the books are no longer under their coffee table and the crafts aren't piled up on the window sil. We may decide to move it to the kids' room (which I'll show you soon) but wanted to try it out here first since the dining table is used for crafts. 


The kids were so cute when they came home and saw what we did! They thought everything was new (which nothing was) and couldn't wait to dig in...

My Favorite Ikea Piece: Besta

I helped this client get settled into her new apartment including figuring out the layout and specifying what if any new storage she needed. You've already seen what I did with her clothes closets and entry. 


For the open living/dining area these long low cabinets fit perfectly along the back wall to hide kid's toys, books, etc. High gloss white doors give it a modern feel. She already had the other furniture shown but these are progress shots. Since I've been there I know she's purchased a new sofa and rug. 

Dresser In The Entry

If you have the room, using a dresser in an entry is a great way to maximize easy access storage. The lower drawers hold kids' shoes, the middle hold totes and backpacks, the top holds smaller things like wallet, keys, sunglasses, gum, tissue packs, etc.

This dresser from Ikea looks great. Love the contrast of the high gloss white drawers and wood frame. And yes the plant has since been repotted in the red vessel!

Blog Love: Manhattan Nest

(image courtesy of manhattan nest)

I just had to show you what Daniel over at Manhattan Nest did to his bathroom. Any bathroom can be fabulous. And just about every bathroom I encounter needs a bigger medicine cabinet. Especially love the art. Click here for the full post and to more more pics.

Hidden Potential in a Tiny Kitchen Corner

(click image for larger view)

This corner of a client's tiny kitchen had huge storage potential. After taking measurements I made my suggestions (I hand draw everything, I'm not so keen on computer sketches).

The basic idea was to put a tall skinny cabinet in the corner then add shelves (attached to the corner unit) in front of the window for prep surface with room below for recycling + garbage. The window is never opened but suggested the shelves be on a hinge so they can be lifted for access to the window in case of emergency.

They ended up going with a modified version of option #1, just adding the tall open shelf unit. They figured they'd start with the shelf unit and add to it later if needed.

More Favorite (Inexpensive) Wall Hooks

iron nails

simple white hooks

bridle hook

blecka hook

overdoor hook

If you don't have the need or desire for anything fancy, here are some of my favorite inexpensive wall hooks.

Iron Nails

2"L

$12 set of 4

these get hammered directly into your wall. while they cannot hold too much weight (depending on what kind of wall you have) they're pretty cool. i love how they look in my bathroom.

White Utility Hook

2 1/2"W x 2"H x 1 1/16"D

$3.99 +

this style hook can be found in almost any hardware store.

Bridle Hook

also comes in red

5 1/2"L x 4"W x 3 1/2"D

$6.00

curved top is perfect for coats with a hook underneath for bags, umbrella, etc.

Blecka Hooks

(nickel plated option)

1 1/2" or 2 3/4"H

$4.99

these come in small and large sizes. i have them in my coat closet

Hook-Over Overdoor Hook

1"W x 4"H

flips over to fit 2 sized doors

$1.99

this style hook can be found in almost any hardware store. I have them on my front door.

After 4 Days of Intense Unpacking... Bedroom

The white cubbies were used for books in her previous home but she wants this new space to be clean, uncluttered, and sophisticated and since most of the books are paperbacks, I'm suggesting a closed cabinet for them. For now, the cubbies fit perfectly in the bedroom showcasing her 95+ pairs of shoes.

I have reasons behind everything I do and my main goal when transforming a space is to get it completed in the least amount of steps. It's important to plan things so you're not moving things around more than necessary. The books are not immediately important and can stay packed until we get the cabinets to put them in, plus they're easier to deal with packed.

I set the shoes up this way for several reasons:

- they were carefully packed and took up a lot of room in the moving boxes

- I do not know how she dresses everyday so I didn't know which ones she'll want right away

- the entire collection is visible making it easier to categorize them once the new storage piece comes; everyday shoes, special occasion, off-season, archive, etc

- since we don't have anywhere else to put them (i'll be suggesting a closed cabinet for them), they're safe and out of the way until we get the new cabinet

I know she's motivated to get the space 'done' as soon as possible so she shouldn't be living this way for too long. Will keep you posted on the progress....

UPDATE: For more pics and details, check out my Flickr.

Reader's Questions: Shoe Storage In An Open Living Space

the trouble spot:

storage bench:

besta cabinet (image courtesy of maukuja.blogspot.com)

Tara asks: "The hallway just off my entry has become a pile of shoes, they're not making it to the bedroom, they're living in the hall. Any suggestions for a narrow, attractive shoe shelves that are 48"W x 7 1/2"D? Thanks!"

Most shoe shelves are just not that attractive, especially if you really have to stare at them from the living room. How about a storage bench? The shoes can go inside, use an open bin within the bench to keep things separated. And it gives you a spot to sit while putting the shoes on and off:

Mariolla Faux Leather Storage Bench

48"W x 20"D x 18"H

$179.99

comes in chocolate brown, red, and white

overstock.com has a decent selection.

OR

How about a closed cabinet? At nearly 8" deep it's great for women's and kid's shoes.

besta wall shelf unit

47 1/4"W x 7 7/8"D x 25 1/4"H

$60.00

+

besta tofta high-gloss white door

23 5/8"W x 25 1/4"H

2 @ $50.00