As we discussed in Finding Storage Solutions ~ Part 1, I never have enough storage, so I have trained myself to see potential storage where the is none.
In our Eastern Shore home, we went all out to include as much storage as possible. There was none when we bought it, except under the stairs and a poorly designed laundry room with some shelves.
Now, I have so much storage space that I do not use all of it.
Where to begin!
This wasn’t a difficult decision for me. Unlike our city home that had no kitchen, here the kitchen had recently had an update. Although we would add more storage later, what I really needed immediately was to have a place to hang my clothes.
Our Bedroom
Here we had the perfect spot. People have lived in this house for 125 years. Why had no one built any closets before?
All we needed to do was to close off a door to another bedroom. Both bedrooms had doors from the hall, so this door was not needed and took up valuable space in both rooms.
Someone apparently had a little closet here but someone decided that it should be removed. Oh well, less for us to rip out.
The biggest change from our previous home is that we used beadboard to create the walls and doors. This home was built using lots of beadboard, so we wanted to honor that. We were fortunate enough to get a truckload at an affordable price at a salvage warehouse. If you can’t find old beadboard, look for new beadboard or even use tongue and groove or 3/4’” boards.
The storage above is great for out of season clothes and bedding. The double closet has plenty of room for all of my clothes and the closet to the right has shelves for baskets of scarves, purses, belts, etc.
Our Guest Room
Once again, no closet, but the perfect place to build one with a window seat between them.
Viola!! A cozy place to curl up with a book. The bonus is that it overlooks my back yard with cottage gardens.
We have maxed out the storage space by putting in a window seat that has a lift up lid, 2 old dresser drawers, storage below for shoes, closet above the drawers and at the top, more storage.
Don’t be afraid to dream big. Don’t leave any available space unused. I am not suggesting making a room so cramped that it is unusable. Planning is crucial before you begin. Make sure that you can open doors, get around the furniture and that it works in the room visually.
The Study
As you can see, we had major improvements to contend with. Here, the sill plate had rotted from water intrusion from a non-functioning gutter. This was only one of many that we replaced.
Dudley needed room for his books and drawers to house his extensive collection of family history. He is the genealogist in the family. It is a blessing and a curse.
Dudley used this file cabinet for his family history, but it didn’t work in this room.
So, he incorporated it into the design by cutting it in half, and it became part of the bookcase wall. Stunning!
We found an old toy chest that worked perfectly as a window seat to add more storage and a place to sit. Add some dramatic paint and what an incredible change. Well, it was a pretty low bar from have no flooring in half the room.
Our Dining Room
Our dining room was dark and dreary. Not a place that you wanted to hang out. Only one window that only got light as the sun was setting.
So, we removed the wall between the bright kitchen and the dining room. I wanted this area to feel more like a lounge than a formal space. We do not do formal dinners. Actually, we don’t do formal anything!
Back in time, before there was Pinterest, there were magazines. I used to tear out ideas that I loved with the hope that I might one day be able to use it.
Over the years I have thrown most of them away, but there are about 20 that have moved 11 times with me…just in case.
And, finally! My favorite save of all times became a reality!!
We started by laying out our version of the magazine picture so that it worked in our space and provided the storage that we needed. I wanted a place for books, an apothecary for herbs, storage for seldom used kitchen appliances and a pantry. No small order for a small space.
We did the layout with painter’s tape. This is the best way to make sure that your idea will fit into the space. It is much easier to make adjustments with tape than once you start building it.
It created a cozy spot, flooded with light, which is open to the kitchen making it great for entertaining.
And the ample wrap around bench seating stores all the kitchen items that you don’t want to have taking up space in your kitchen and it seats 5 people when the table is pulled out with 3 leaves added. Add some chairs and it now seats 10.
And, if you think that the pantry on the right is too small to be useful…
Think again. It holds all of my baking needs, snacks, and wine. What a great combination!
You don’t need a big space to get incredible storage. You just need to consider all possibilities before you get started. You don’t want to get to the end of a lengthy project only to find that you could have planned better.
Laundry Room off Kitchen
Although the location of this room is adjacent to the kitchen, it was marginally useful. So we moved the door to allow the washer and dryer to stack without interfering with the door or the window. Then Dudley ripped out all of the shelves and started over.
This was an amazing change, but then we scored a truckload of late 1800’s trim at our favorite salvage warehouse and did this…
We just wanted to add a little Victorian charm.
And, Lastly, Our Mudroom
If you have been following A Fulfilled Journey, you may have already seen our mudroom makeover. It is by far our most popular Pinterest post.
The space was so tight that it seemed that every option was impossible. That is when inspiration happens. When you have considered all normal solutions, you only have one choice. Challenge traditional thinking! It might be uncomfortable at first, but it will change your life. You will see solutions you never thought of before.
Take the salvaged trim for instance. When we first saw it, we thought, “how can we use these to make gifts for Christmas, so we bought all sorts of salvaged material and Dudley made these lovely shelves with coat hooks for his family.
Here are 3 examples.
We had one shelf left over that we hung on the wall by the backdoor. Then inspiration struck. We also had lots of salvaged trim left so what can we do with it.
We laid it out in the yard.
Then made some adjustments.
And now a mudroom that is very functional and beautiful at the same time. The hooks hold our coats, market bags, hat and scarves. The cabinet hides my purses, garden supplies and seeds. And Dudley took old wine crates and cut them in half due to the limited space for shelves and now they hold winter gear. Add a mirror for a last-minute check and what more could you ask of a tiny mudroom.
For more information about this project, just click here.
Once you get started you will see opportunity everywhere.
I hope that you have been inspired to start looking for storage ideas in your home.
