Bedroom update

If you can remember way back when, we were going to have carpet installed in the part of our bedroom that did not have original wood flooring (the part that was back porch, dining nook, and old stairwell).  This is what it looked like:

And our closet looked like this:

It's amazing what a little carpet can do!

It's a very light color, but it is so pretty and comfy.  It was a pretty big splurge for us, but we went with the highest quality carpet we could and I'm so glad we did (I think Mark is, too...deep down).  Soon after the carpet was installed we moved in, but our closet still needed its built-ins and shelves, so that was our next project...after installing our doors!

We bought MDF to make the shelves in the linen closet and the clothes closet.  The linen closet was pretty easy:

The clothes closet took a little more thought.  We wanted enough drawers for our folded clothes (since we didn't want to have a dresser taking up space in our room), but also space for some shoes and Mark's heavy work jeans and sweatshirts.  We ended up with this layout: 6 big drawers (we left room to add one more on each side, which I think we will eventually do) and one big shelf for Mark's big, bulky work clothes (this shelf isn't in this picture).

(see the pretty carpet!)

The drawers are Ikea's Komplement baskets (roughly 30 x 23 x 6). They are pretty inexpensive and are decent quality...and they hold a LOT of stuff because they are big. I don't think it would be a good idea to put tons of Carhartt jeans in them, which is why I decided on a shelf.

After Mark built the basic structure, caulked it, and made sure it fit in the closet, we took it out and painted it white (same paint as the window seat) with a paint sprayer. We also installed and painted in the same way the big shelf above the clothes pole.  (Our closet is 6 1/2' wide (inside dimension).)

Once it was painted, we installed it, then Mark began putting together the hardware to install the baskets. 

Soon after, we starting filling it up! (Cliff is wondering why all this "stuff" is taking up his play space.)

(A shoes basket will be under Mark's heavy work clothes shelf.)

I plan to get nice plastic bins and put our shorts, swimming suits, sweaters, etc. up on that shelf way up there - the things you don't need out all year long.  Mark is excited about our new closet - for the first time in our marriage, he gets to hang his clothes up!  

Don't think that just because we've moved into our bedroom and our clothes are in our closet that all is done. Far from it, actually!  We have to finish the base trim, paint the bedroom door and closet doors, add transition pieces to where the carpet and wood floor come together, decide on what style of molding to do around the windows and door, touch up paint from installing the shelves in our closets...the list really never ends!  But, like I always say, we're one step closer - in this case three (carpet, doors, closet)!