Okay, here it is my sad excuse for a linen closet. This is a section of my house I have never shown before on the blog and now you know why! There is nothing pretty about it.
When we moved into our home five years ago we spent all of our money fixing up the kitchen, plastering walls and refinishing the floor. By the time it came to purchasing furniture we were pretty much tapped out. At the time, all we could afford was this measly 18 inch wide cabinet from Ikea. From the beginning, it has never been enough storage space. Remember, we’re living in narrow Victorian home with a grand total of three closets in the whole house (one of which is downstairs!). Over time I’ve tried to dress up the other side of the leaning closet to some effect but as you can see it eventually just becomes a dumping ground for more stuff.
To make matters worse, this is essentially the first sight you see when you round the corner at the top of the stairs. Psychologically it’s draining. For five years, it has been an eyesore and I’ve finally had enough!
The good news is that we actually have quite a bit of space in this little corner of our house. It’s just shy of five feet long and about two feet deep. I’m thinking the best solution would be to find a piece of furniture to fill the space. The task is finding something that uses the space efficiently, gives us ample storage and looks good. It also can’t break the bank.
I love the look of this vintage seafoam green cabinet but I think it would have to be twice as tall. Although I really love the idea of having another tabletop to decorate! Practically it could be somewhere I fold laundry but somehow I doubt that would happen.
This vintage bread rack also looks great and if I was just storing towels it is something I would consider. Unfortunately, I have sheets, blankets, pillowcases, pillows, duvets, throws and baby blankets to store so I think I need something with some closed storage space.
Something like this is probably more practical. Look at all those linens she has stored away in there! Not sure if I could work with all glass doors though. For one thing, it means your linens always have to look neat and tidy. Colour coordinated also helps!
Hmm…this might be tougher than I thought but I’m determined to find something…wish me luck! And send me your suggestions, ideas thoughts! How do you deal with all your linens?
Image credits: 1-2 – Emma Reddington 3 – Fashion Happy 4 – Kelly McGuill Interior Design. Photo Eric Roth 5. Liv Sandvik Jakobsen - Livs Lyst
10 Comments
I spotted this piece this morning on our local classifieds facebook page right before I read your post.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151520460558156&set=o.7889912375&type=1&theater
28 1/2″ L, 13″ W, 48″H
Never know!
I feel your pain! Our linens live in two dressers in the guestroom. Not ideal, especially if you need some towels and your in-laws are fast asleep. But it works. I am hoping this beauty http://pinterest.com/pin/29554941276993621/ comes to Ikea Canada this year. If so I will grab one for my bathroom to store all the pretty towels and linens, then the bedlinens can hang out in the guestroom all they like.
Why not do both? Closed storage on the bottom, and some kind of shallow open storage on the top? I have a piece at home that is actually a closed cabinet on the bottom, and the top of a bookshelf has been mounted on top, and all painted identically. You would never know the two weren’t made together! Plus I really like your idea of having a folding surface.
Otherwise, it might be worth it to get a quote for some built-in shelving. It’s a perfect spot and you could go right to the ceiling to maximize space. I really love what these guys did in their master bedroom: http://roncesrenodiary.blogspot.ca/2012/02/back-with-another-ikea-hack.html
@Jenny – Thanks I’ll take a look!
@Christine – Thanks for the link! It looks great but I’m afraid neither my husband or I are that talented! I suppose we could get someone else to make it for us. I do like your idea though of something closed on the bottom and open on top. Sounds just like what I am looking for.
Good luck…organizing your linens really does bring inner peace.
How about a vintage hutch? There always seems to be a lot to choose from on Craigslist and at estate and garage sales. They’re usually very affordable and a lot of them have the mix of open/closed storage capacity. We recently sold one – 1930s oak. It took a long time to find a buyer. It finally sold for $225 US.
We recently bought an old ice box from an antique store at 1698 Queen Street that is partially painted in that wonderful green colour of the first possibility image.
I love that piece you show and your blog.
My linen closet is eleven inches wide, so I think the house was designed by a man. We have just two towels per person, plus guest towels, one change of linen per bed. Then I cheat with a very large metal chest which should be called the land of no return! I tell myself it keeps me disciplined, old towels, sheets and blankets go to the local animal shelter.
I needed a cupboard that was very shallow (16″ deep shelves) and went a modified custom route with Artefacts in St. Jacobs. They sell fabulous salvaged materials and have a beautiful showroom, and in addition they do custom woodwork. For my cabinet Margaret turned a pair of sidelights into doors so that I have both closed and visible storage and kept the depth shallow so that I’d have room to open the doors in my tight space.
Going to their shop is a great day trip and they do serve the Toronto market. To see the range of their work click on “custom” and scroll down to “cupboards” http://www.artefacts.ca/
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[...] challenge this month is to get organized. As you know two of the areas I’m focusing on are my linen closet and my office but I’m also going through all my chest of drawers, storage baskets and bedroom [...]