Goodbye, Bedroom! (Making Room For My New Closet And Laundry Room)
Y’all, it has been an exhausting last few days, but my mom and I got everything done that needed to be done in order for the work to start on the guest bedroom that will soon be turned into my closet and laundry room. I did take off on Thursday, and we had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving Day. But on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it was pedal to the metal trying to get everything done by last night.
The first order of business was to turn our breakfast room into our temporary bedroom. We’ve done this before back in 2019 and 2020, and we’re doing it again. I had to empty the room not only of the furniture (just the chairs, really), but also these stacks and stacks of hardwood flooring that will be used in our bedroom suite.
I got all of those boxes moved and stacked against the furthest wall in the area where the new flooring will be installed (I’m running out of room to put things), and then my mom helped me bring all of the unboxed pieces in and stack those neatly on top. My thought was that by the time I reach this wall during the flooring installation, I won’t have much to move out of the way (depending on how accurately I did my calculations) in order to finish up the last few rows.
Next, I needed to empty out my closets. I had nowhere to hang my clothes, so I looked at several freestanding options that you can buy and assemble. Unfortunately, the ones that were big enough for what I needed either looked pretty flimsy or were about $200 or more. So I decided to build my own. It’s not fancy, but it did the trick. It took me about an hour to build from start to finish. The construction is very basic, and it cost about $80 using two metal hanging bars and a few pieces of lumber from Lowe’s.
Once that was constructed, I moved it into the sunroom close to the washer and dryer, and then moved all of my clothes in here and hung them up.
Then I needed a place for my shoes. There was no room in the sunroom for those, so I brought them all into my studio and lined them up against the long cabinet. Maybe I can find a better solution, but this was the best I could do in a pinch.
I had to laugh because several commenters have said on past posts that it’s going to be very inconvenient for me to use a separate bedroom as my closet because I’ll have to go from our bathroom, into the hallway, and into the new closet which is technically a separate bedroom. But after living temporarily like this, with my clothes in the laundry room, my shoes in my studio, and my jewelry in the bathroom, and literally having to go from one end of the house clear to the other just to put an outfit together and get ready to go somewhere, it will be a very welcome change, and will feel so convenient, having everything organized in that one location relatively close to the bathroom and bedroom.
Anyway, after the closets were emptied out, my mom and I started removing everything else from the room, from things that Matt and I use daily (which had to be organized in the breakfast room) to the furniture that I probably won’t keep (which we moved to my workshop until I have time to take pictures and list on Marketplace).
And then it was time for the closets to come out. And let me tell you, when I built these closets, I built them to last. I clearly never intended for them to be taken apart because I thought I was never going to get these things out. But I finally got them apart, and we hauled all the pieces out of the room and into my workshop where I now have a nice stack of materials that I can repurpose into another building project.
I loved those closets, and they served us (or me) very well. But it completely changed the look of the room getting them out of there.
Anyway, we worked our tails off, and we got it done. I think we finished up at about 7:30 last night.
So, goodbye, bedroom. It was nice while it lasted.
So let’s take one last look back at this bedroom. It was a fun project to put together, and it was a comfy bedroom for us for the last four years.
While it was nice, and it served us well, it was pretty small for our liking (the closets made the usable floor space smaller), and there wasn’t nearly enough closet space. It was a nice bedroom, but we’re on to bigger and better things now.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I loved that bedroom! But am excited to see the next chapter.
Love seeing all of your clothes out in one place and visible, also the shoes. It will make putting together a closet easier. Just being able to see what you have and how much short hanging vs long hanging and how many shoes and the size of the cubbys for sandals v/s boots etc.
S.Felix
Yes!
You are the hardest working woman I know. You mom is a great asset also. Matt should know what a great wife he has.
Kristi, you have too many shoes! You could pare down to the most worn shoes to 5 pair and that would be plenty. Same with the clothes! I have done that myself. It is painful to do, but once it is done, it feels so good.
I know you are ready to get those floors done. I look forward to seeing the pictures as you move forward. I am so glad I stumbled across your blog.
Too many shoes?! I don’t even comprehend those words. 😀
I’m with you on this one! No such thing as too many when it comes to books and shoes!!
All I can say is thank goodness you have so many shoes. Makes me feel … better? Normal? Less imelda-ish?
I hired an organizer once (I am quite the organizer but got stuck and couldn’t break through without help). She said the average US woman has about 30 pairs of shoes. This was in 2008, so not sure about now. I have at least 60-70, including boots. Apparently minimalists need 5 pairs but I need 5 of a kind, in each color, if they’re really perfect shoes!
So it isn’t just us, honey, oh no it is not!
Yay, Mary! Glad to see a kindred spirit chime in on loving shoes. I have 100+ (quit counting at 100) shoes and boots. Please don’t worry about being Imelda Jr. – if you can afford it, have the space to store them, and it brings you joy – GO FOR IT! Sadly, I don’t get to wear my beloved shoes very often as I now work entirely remotely. But I still love them and wear a different pair each time I have the opportunity to leave home! I wouldn’t dream of paring down. (pun intended) 😀
I’ve got around 250 outfits and around 50 shoes, so I completely relate. 😀 It makes me happy!
Suggestion:
SpaceAid Shoe Organizer for Closet, 2 Pack Foldable Shoe Storage Containers Baskets Boxes Bins w/Adjustable Dividers, Fits 16-32 Pairs, Black
I bought similar shoe organizers couple years ago and was amazed! They stack on top of each other or under shelves.
These are from Amazon (Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale) but was not able to enter the link. The ones i bought had handles on each side so easy carrying.
Your comment about people wondering about the wisdom of the placement of your closet made me think of an article I just saw which showed where people park in a mall parking lot and how far they walk to get to a store. Then it showed where people park in a downtown situation and how far they walk to the store. The distance may be the same but people perceive it as being far longer in downtown. I think the same may be true for your situation.
This clothes rack is just what I need. We’re doing a basement reno, and . . . blah, blah. blah! But if you have a minute for a quick tutorial, that would make my December!!
When one of the occupants of a room is in a wheelchair, every little bit of extra space is welcome. I’m looking forward to seeing all the changes you’ll be making. Onward and Upward!
You ladies amaze me! I put 30in by 12in of tile for my stove back splash and I’m ready for a nap! Awesome work!
I will miss that blue and gold stenciled wall, it’s one of my favorite projects you’ve done (along with the Pantry tiles!). But, looking forward to your closet and bedroom progress.
And, had to laugh at your shoes… I only have 3 pairs!
I’m exhausted thinking about all the work you put in! I love the clothes rack you built -I’ve been looking for an option for my out of season clothes since I have very small closets. I may try to build something similar. My sister told me that I have too many clothes and should pare them down to 5-10 outfits – I laughed so hard at her and said that would never happen! I look forward to seeing the progress on the new spaces in your home!
If you are storing out of season clothes on a rack, if you sew, you should make a cover for the rack of clothes. You could use sheets found at resale stores and just sew a couple of them together so the clothes don’t get dusty or faded from light (even artificial lighting!)
Losing the navy wall with the gold flowers makes me so sad! Even sadder than losing the gym stripes. Glad you got all that work done so things can progress with the contractor today. Good luck!!
You could buy some hanging shoe organizers and make a similar rack like you did for your clothes, only hang the organizers on the bar/bars. Maybe even add them to the sides of your clothing rack! I am so amazed at how hard you and your Mom work! I sit here with a wheelchair and walker in front of me, after taking a fall and messing up my knee. It’s hard to be in this state after being an active person all my life. And to see what you two have done over a few days is incredible!