Closet makeover with kitchen cabinet storage
April 11, 2014
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Well I’m SO excited to share this with you, finally! As you know, I’ve been working on our master closet for a couple months now. The first step was purging – and while I was working on that I was contacted by the folks at Sherwin-Williams about their National Painting Week campaign. I was totally up for it, but then they told me my color was purple.
Purple wasn’t going to happen in this house – I’m the only girl here (if you don’t count one of the cats). So I was about to decline, but then I thought about it a bit more…and thought maybe I could paint our closet purple. Hmmm...
I initially think of a little girl’s room when I think of that color (my Dad painted my walls a lovely lilac when I was a kid), but the more I thought about it the more I realized it could go quite sophisticated.
So I was on a mission to make purple work. My biggest criteria when picking out the color was that it didn’t scream GIRL. This is my husband’s closet too. So I tried to go with a gray purple instead of a pinky purple, if that makes any sense.
I’m not sure if I’ve shown you this before photo yet – let me assure you that this was after I had cleaned up. Imagine this, but ten times worse, and oh yeah…you couldn’t see the floor:
The first step was to tear out the baseboards and install the cabinets for the new storage system. I shared that update with you here. Yes, I used kitchen cabinets for this project. Just call me the crazy cabinet lady – all I can do is agree with you.
I went with those for a few reasons – they were cheap (at least cheaper than a regular closet system), they were already built (so no assembly required) and they were deep – 24 inches to be exact. But the biggest reason was that they had drawers and doors I could close.
I decided on my colors and the plan started to come together:
I went with Spatial White on the cabinets and Exclusive Plum on the walls. The plum color is actually the Sherwin-Williams color of the year – I’m on trend and didn’t even know it. :)
I went with the ProClassic paint for the cabinets because I’ve had such good luck with it:
I did a semi-gloss finish and it covered great as always. One coat of primer and two coats of Spatial White later and they were done:
The finish is great – I didn’t even use a brush to paint the cabinet doors this time. Just rolled it into the crevices and the paint leveled out wonderfully. I added simple $2 handles to each cabinet when it was dry.
So for the walls I wanted to go with something that would be very forgiving. Over the years I’ve moved the wire shelves all over the place in there so there were a TON of holes. We stopped counting at 100, seriously. And they were the big honkin’ ones from the closet system anchors too.
The Cashmere paint is supposed to cover well and hide imperfections on the wall:
My husband was out of town (funny how that always happens) so my sister came over and we knocked the closet out in a few hours:
That’s me in my post-Zumba glory, don’t be jealous.
I’ve done this enough now that I’m pretty good at cutting in on the ceiling and around trim, but cutting in horizontally on the baseboards is still tricky. (I have to contort myself just so.) So it was helpful that I removed the base:
After a few more small projects that I’ll go over soon, the room finally came together. I absolutely, positively LOVE it:
I can't even believe it’s the same room. I cannot express to you how much better it functions.
My mess up when measuring for the cabinets actually worked out quite well. Now that middle section is a great little vanity area:
I raised that middle cabinet off the ground to match the other ones so I ended up with a stool height countertop. That cabinet holds off season shoes and my heels that I rarely wear – so I don’t mind that I’ll have to move the chair to get to them since it will be so infrequent.
How fun is this?:
The plum color is SO beautiful! I'm so excited I got purple now. :) It definitely changes in different light. The vanity area wall looks a little lighter than the other walls.
Here’s one side of the closet ready for paint – see all the holes?:
Let me tell you how fun THAT was, filling all of those!
Here it is again with the paint AND the new light:
The new light fixture makes a HUGE difference in here. It's hard to tell in the before pic, but the old fixture just lit up three areas in the room, not the whole room overall.
It’s actually so bright I had to put it on a dimmer:
On dark winter mornings it will be nice to have soft light in here. I have another plan for even more light in here, stay tuned for that. :)
I’m so thrilled with this space but the to do list is not done. I still need to build the shelves on each side above the drawers --they’ll give us even more storage. I’m making the tall units even more storage-friendly with some more shelves and pull out drawers. And I hope to replace the wire shelving for our clothes someday too.
But for now, we’re enjoying a space that functions a MILLION times better than it used to, and it’s pretty. When this room was a dysfunctional mess I used to dread walking into it every morning. It’s amazing what it does for your day when the closet it organized and stays that way:
You can see the necklace organizer that hangs on the wall to the right here. I made that after I took these pics. :)
My husband has thanked me no less than ten times for working on this room -- it really has made a big difference for us. Here's another reminder of the before:
And the same space afterwards, with a some plum paint and storage:
It has truly changed our days, I can’t believe the difference some organization makes! I SO love how it turned out. Kitchen cabinets -- I heart you. I’ll share more details and additional progress soon!
Purple wasn’t going to happen in this house – I’m the only girl here (if you don’t count one of the cats). So I was about to decline, but then I thought about it a bit more…and thought maybe I could paint our closet purple. Hmmm...
I initially think of a little girl’s room when I think of that color (my Dad painted my walls a lovely lilac when I was a kid), but the more I thought about it the more I realized it could go quite sophisticated.
So I was on a mission to make purple work. My biggest criteria when picking out the color was that it didn’t scream GIRL. This is my husband’s closet too. So I tried to go with a gray purple instead of a pinky purple, if that makes any sense.
I’m not sure if I’ve shown you this before photo yet – let me assure you that this was after I had cleaned up. Imagine this, but ten times worse, and oh yeah…you couldn’t see the floor:
The first step was to tear out the baseboards and install the cabinets for the new storage system. I shared that update with you here. Yes, I used kitchen cabinets for this project. Just call me the crazy cabinet lady – all I can do is agree with you.
I went with those for a few reasons – they were cheap (at least cheaper than a regular closet system), they were already built (so no assembly required) and they were deep – 24 inches to be exact. But the biggest reason was that they had drawers and doors I could close.
I decided on my colors and the plan started to come together:
I went with Spatial White on the cabinets and Exclusive Plum on the walls. The plum color is actually the Sherwin-Williams color of the year – I’m on trend and didn’t even know it. :)
I went with the ProClassic paint for the cabinets because I’ve had such good luck with it:
I did a semi-gloss finish and it covered great as always. One coat of primer and two coats of Spatial White later and they were done:
The finish is great – I didn’t even use a brush to paint the cabinet doors this time. Just rolled it into the crevices and the paint leveled out wonderfully. I added simple $2 handles to each cabinet when it was dry.
So for the walls I wanted to go with something that would be very forgiving. Over the years I’ve moved the wire shelves all over the place in there so there were a TON of holes. We stopped counting at 100, seriously. And they were the big honkin’ ones from the closet system anchors too.
The Cashmere paint is supposed to cover well and hide imperfections on the wall:
My husband was out of town (funny how that always happens) so my sister came over and we knocked the closet out in a few hours:
That’s me in my post-Zumba glory, don’t be jealous.
I’ve done this enough now that I’m pretty good at cutting in on the ceiling and around trim, but cutting in horizontally on the baseboards is still tricky. (I have to contort myself just so.) So it was helpful that I removed the base:
After a few more small projects that I’ll go over soon, the room finally came together. I absolutely, positively LOVE it:
I can't even believe it’s the same room. I cannot express to you how much better it functions.
My mess up when measuring for the cabinets actually worked out quite well. Now that middle section is a great little vanity area:
I raised that middle cabinet off the ground to match the other ones so I ended up with a stool height countertop. That cabinet holds off season shoes and my heels that I rarely wear – so I don’t mind that I’ll have to move the chair to get to them since it will be so infrequent.
How fun is this?:
The plum color is SO beautiful! I'm so excited I got purple now. :) It definitely changes in different light. The vanity area wall looks a little lighter than the other walls.
Here’s one side of the closet ready for paint – see all the holes?:
Let me tell you how fun THAT was, filling all of those!
Here it is again with the paint AND the new light:
The new light fixture makes a HUGE difference in here. It's hard to tell in the before pic, but the old fixture just lit up three areas in the room, not the whole room overall.
It’s actually so bright I had to put it on a dimmer:
On dark winter mornings it will be nice to have soft light in here. I have another plan for even more light in here, stay tuned for that. :)
I’m so thrilled with this space but the to do list is not done. I still need to build the shelves on each side above the drawers --they’ll give us even more storage. I’m making the tall units even more storage-friendly with some more shelves and pull out drawers. And I hope to replace the wire shelving for our clothes someday too.
But for now, we’re enjoying a space that functions a MILLION times better than it used to, and it’s pretty. When this room was a dysfunctional mess I used to dread walking into it every morning. It’s amazing what it does for your day when the closet it organized and stays that way:
You can see the necklace organizer that hangs on the wall to the right here. I made that after I took these pics. :)
My husband has thanked me no less than ten times for working on this room -- it really has made a big difference for us. Here's another reminder of the before:
And the same space afterwards, with a some plum paint and storage:
It has truly changed our days, I can’t believe the difference some organization makes! I SO love how it turned out. Kitchen cabinets -- I heart you. I’ll share more details and additional progress soon!
Sarah, this looks fantastic! It's truly amazing how much of a difference it makes to have an organized master closet, isn't it? It feels like losing 10 pounds, and is such a relief (if that makes any sense). Well done!
ReplyDeleteI seriously can't believe how much better our days start off now! Thank you Jenny!
DeleteIt looks amazing! I love the colors you used and that light fixture is great for that space. I only wish I had a walk in master closet that I could make as beautiful. Enjoy your organized space!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful and the color is perfect! You did a fabulous job and nailed it as usual.
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks really nice;)
ReplyDeleteGreat wall color, pretty cabinets and chair!
It looks wonderful, Sarah! You must have chosen the very best of the purples from SW! I'm a fellow SW fan, but haven't used their Cashmere paint--thanks for the word about that.
ReplyDeleteYou may be a crazy cabinet lady, but honestly? You've put them to better use than anyone else I've ever seen! Way to go, girl! You make me want to clean out my closet!
This looks fantatstic. I have to admit when you talked about using the kitchen cabinets, I was not seeing your vision. But the end result is awesome. And I love Sherwin Williams paint, definitely worth the extra money in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWow you were fast. You totally rocked those cabinets ;) The color is great too!
ReplyDeleteYES!!!! AMAZING! Love the color choice!
ReplyDeleteYou have such great taste and great ideas. I love seeing your projects and progress. This looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT WORK! It looks fabulous and such a treat to walk into every day. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWow - it looks wonderful! Where did you buy the chandelier?
ReplyDeleteThank you Emily! I got that from Lowe's -- I believe I linked to it in this post: http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/02/storage-in-closet.html
DeleteIT LOOKS AMAZING! I love the color!
ReplyDeleteThe purple matches the background (wallpaper?) of your blog...in case you didn't realize it...:)
ReplyDeleteturned out awesome!
Ha! I actually noticed that last night! ;)
DeleteIt is a dreamy space! I would love a little vanity area in my closet. You did a fantastic job as always :).
ReplyDeleteThat is a huge closet! Looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhen you describe your choice of purple I thought of that commercial where the lady says "I'm looking for a purple (voice goes up) that's more like a purple (voice goes down), you know what I mean?"
It looks beautiful, I love the moody purple color! What a great place to get ready in. It's funny how treating a closet like a room can make such a difference on how you feel when you walk into it every single day!
ReplyDeleteI want to come play dress up in that gorgeous space!!! oh my wow!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great redo! The muted purple really works and I love the chandelier! Now if only I had a walk-in closet!
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the before and after is crazy ridiculous (in a good way)! What a beautiful closet! Glad your husband likes it. Isn't it funny how when husbands are at work or traveling that a finished project just happens to magically appear. ;)
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you did a happy dance in there, when you were all done. lol :D
WOW! It looks awesome, Sarah! Love how the kitchen cabinetry worked out. Totally inspiring!
ReplyDelete- Tasha @ Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body {www.designertrapped.com}
Wow wow wow. I want and need this! I would probably live in your closet.....
ReplyDeleteOMG that is amazing!!!! It looks so great and completely different from the old verson!!! Good job!
ReplyDeleteAaaahhh! looks absolutely fabulous Sarah!!!!!! Great job and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a transformation. I need to do this.
ReplyDeleteYour closet looks amazing! I'm not a huge fan of purple, but I love the color you chose, it really looks stunning. I read your blog all of the time, it is very inspiring and I've tackled many DIY projects in my house as a result - thank you for sharing all of your ideas & projects!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing! You did an awesome job!
ReplyDeletewow! This looks amazing, great job! I'm envious of the space you have.
ReplyDeleteSeriously SO amazing!!
ReplyDeleteLove the wall color!!! Is there a reason you didn't put the tall cabinets against the walls with the shorter cabinets in the middle? Looks backwards to me.
ReplyDeleteIncredible job!!! And I'm so glad that you got purple, too! I would've thought the same thing that you did, but the dusty almost gray-ish tone of this is gorgeous. (Love what anonymous said about that commercial, LOL. Forgot about that! Best paint commercial EVER.)
ReplyDeleteWhere are you going to put all of you and your husband's clothes?
ReplyDeleteThis plum color is beautiful! You're making me want to find a room to paint just to use it and purple is usually not my thing... great job!
ReplyDeleteWow! At first glance, I thought the AFTER photo was an office/retreat reveal! I'd hideaway in my closet all day if It looked like this! Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteLOVE ! So beautiful! Would the Pro Classic work on kitchen cabinets? I so want white cabinets in the kitchen but have no budget for having them professionally sprayed.
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! I love the paint color and all that storage. Great job!
ReplyDeleteOh Sarah ... I absolutely love that closet!!! The color shade looks equally feminine and masculine to me, great choice! I saw some cabinets on the road side the other day and SO wanted to head back and get them all (there were 6 or 7 there) ... couldn't stop at the time and they are gone (not surprised) I have a rather large unfinished room in our massive basement that is crying for storage like this. A girl can dream, thanks for the SO MANY encouraging projects ;-)
ReplyDeleteElegant, organized, and so sooooothing! Love it! I would put a recliner in there and never come out! LOL! Just one thing though? Where did you hang your clothes?? I wouldn't want to ruin the closet with putting clothes in it!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI would also add a rod from cabinet to cabinet in the center section to hold necklaces and on the sides for scarves/belts. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out this paint color! I've been thinking about a grey/purple color for my room...but too lazy to actually search for colors.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! You are truly an inspiration and give me so much courage to brave a DIY myself...
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing. I would love mine to look like this. I love the purple paint. Did you get the cabinets at a big box store, please? Nothing looks better and makes your life easier than great organization. You rock girl !!!! You impress the heck out of me with all your talent. I think you could build a house with no problem at all. Can't wait to see it completely finished.
ReplyDeleteTake care
It looks awesome! I know I keep telling you this, but we ARE sisters connected by some weird (but good) energy, since I keep seeing us work on similar projects at about the same time. I just painted my main hallway this week and used Sherwin Williams Manor House, which is a very close but slightly darker cousin to your Exclusive Plum. I'll show it on my 4/22 post. I hope you are loving your cabinets and your new baseboard. Hope to see you again at Haven this year.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Seriously, so pretty. Inspriring!
ReplyDeleteNo way! That is so different and pretty. Well done.
ReplyDeleteWow, your closet looks wonderful! Your "before" is my "now." :P I'm glad I am at least finally in style with my love of purple!
ReplyDeleteWow, you totally made it work! Looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a transformation. Nice job! You want to come over to my house? My closet still looks like your beginning photo!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Great job, and I can well imagine how it just makes your day sweeter. Thanks for the reveal.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the hanging clothes?
ReplyDeleteYour closet looks fantastic. The only thing missing is a selfie of you AND your sister together! ;) Glo.
ReplyDeleteShut the heck up. Wow. That is all.
ReplyDeleteGreat light fixture! It's amazing how a unique fixture can dress up a space.
ReplyDeleteSarah! You have done a fantastic job. This is what we called creativity. I loved the way you changed that messy room into beautifully designed and decorated room. The fixtures used are of great style. Thank you for sharing some really awesome creativity of yours.
ReplyDeleteI have to convince my fiance that we can do this! Your blog is my addiction, lol.
ReplyDeleteOh boy..do we need to do something like this. Really incredible. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe kitchen cabinets are pure genius! What a great closet!
ReplyDeleteLove your new closet! What did you use for the counters? I think I'm going to tackle mine soon. Thanks for the inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteThey are just basic, thin wood that I had cut to size and stained. I added a bit of trim on the front to hide the rough edge. I hope to replace them with something a little thicker eventually.
DeleteThanks for this post! I have been dealing with a tiny closet for the longest time and have finally decided to install a walk-in closet. I am so excited!
ReplyDelete