Closet Upgrades 2

Condo living makes for unique ways to creatively maximize storage space. I usually found that my extra items that I like to have on hand, never had a decent accessible space to dedicate to them. My “extras” refer to items such as crafts, linens, luggage and tools. Other items that sometimes come into consideration, if you don’t have a storage locker or need them to be a bit more accessible may include sporting gear and seasonal items.

I decided to convert two of my closets that I felt weren’t maximizing their use. The one closet originally had two wire shelves with adjoining hanging bars at 3’ and 7’ heights. The second closet had one shelf at 6’. These shelves are the common installed product with new builds. You can still see the placement of the shelves in the pictures. I was considering removing the shelves, but decided to keep them and add more shelving and drawer units.

To get started, I first looked at what space I had, what I needed to store and how I though I would best be able to access my items. At one point I was considering adding a table that I could sit at to do work or even ironing . Eventually I realized that my preference would be to work at our living room table and stick with my current ironing board arrangement, therefore, I made many of my supplies more portable.

The stackable Ikea Salma box with lids from the craft closet were purchased from Ikea. They hold a variety of supplies from paints, to ribbon to paper, photos and cards. I used an old plastic bin as a holder for my wrapping paper, and the Antonius drawer units are great for tissue, bows, gift bags and décor. The other drawer unit to the right of the closet holds boxes, candles, candle holders, and note books. The extra shelving and the Antonius frame and drawer unit on the left side were purchased from Ikea.

The second closet I kept with a similar concept. I kept the original shelf and added other Antonius shelving to give me more places to stack and hide things. On the bottom I kept my household paints, tools, and hardware bins. The shelves mainly hold my extra linen, pillows and towels, while the top shelf stores our luggage bags. I also keep my ironing board and iron in here. The iron will eventually be installed properly with the Rationell Variera iron holder from Ikea on one of the inside walls. The iron fits nicely between the shelves and the closet doors.

Both these closets may not be the pretties looking, but they are functional and can easily be adjusted or changed if I ever wanted to re-arrange the space or put it back to the original design for rental or selling purposes.