My Most Boring Project Is Finished! (Studio Storage Closet)
I can’t even express how much I hated working on this project. 😀 But I’m so glad to have it finished! I wanted to cut corners so badly. I tried to get away with not installing door casing on the backside of the doorway, and not painting the backside of the door, and not framing out the vent in the wall. But in the end, my mind wouldn’t let me get away with that.
So let me remind you what this closet looked like before…
And now, after some paint, trim, and a piece of plywood to hide the HVAC unit, it looks like this…
In a perfect world, I’d have built-in shelves in here that utilize every spare inch of space. But since this isn’t a perfect situation, and I have to be able to easily move the shelves out of the way if the HVAC unit needs service, I had to stick with these shelving units on casters.
I was able to fit two of them in here. I’m not exactly sure yet what I’ll be storing in here. I still need to organize the whole studio, and for now, I think I’ll have more than enough storage space. So this might be space I’ll grow into as I begin to actually use the studio.
Since I didn’t want to have a plain green wall, I decided to hang one of my acrylic art prints here to add a little bit of color and interest to an otherwise very boring space. I love opening the closet door and seeing that colorful print.
I had initially planned to add some shelves to the area to the right, but since I haven’t even filled the shelves I have, I decided to hold off on that for now.
It was a pain having to work around this mass of air ducts, so I did the best I could. It’s still not pretty, but at least I no longer have to look at the ugly side of an HVAC unit. Adding this piece of plywood here, and notching out the area for the ducts, made a big eyesore a bit more tolerable.
And now, you have to go into the closet and peek around the plywood to see the ugly HVAC unit.
I had planned to leave it as it was when I showed you my progress last week. It looked like this…
But that’s another thing my brain wouldn’t let me leave alone. I ended up covering the plywood box with a nicer piece of sanded plywood, adding some trim, and painting it to match.
I also ended up doing the door casing the same as the other doors.
I didn’t do this because I just couldn’t help myself. I actually planned to do a much simpler trim on the closet side of the door, but as it turned out, I didn’t have the lumber on hand to do a simpler trim. I did happen to have what I needed to do this style in my scrap pile, though, so I went with it. It’s not the highest quality lumber. It had gotten rained on and was warped, so I put it through the planer a couple of times to make it look better. It’s fine for the inside of a storage closet, but I wouldn’t have used it in a prominent place in the house.
And then I did a quick and easy frame around the wall vent.
I really wanted to just leave it undone, but that’s just not me. I’m okay with imperfection and not using the highest quality materials inside a closet, but as it turns out, I’m not okay with leaving projects completely undone in a closet. Here’s what it looked like before…
And here it is now. I used lumber from my scrap pile for this, too. I wanted things to look finished in here, but I wanted to spend as little money as possible.
This is the area where I had originally planned to put up some shelves, but I changed my mind since I have more than enough shelves for now. And I may find that I need hooks to hang things instead of needing more shelves, so this is a great area for that. But for now, I don’t need any additional storage.
Anyway, this was so boring to work on, and I really had a hard time keeping myself motivated to finish it. But now that it’s finished, I’m so glad that I have this clean, organized space to use! This is one of those projects that’s been hanging over my head for far too long. It feels good to finally have it finished.
Side note: I finally got a new laptop computer and I’ve spent the last two days getting the new one set up, transferring all of my files, and installing my programs. After months and months of using a laptop with a keyboard that wouldn’t work normally (the W, L, K, O, and 2/@ keys would only work intermittently, and sometimes not at all), I finally have a new laptop with a keyboard that actually works. So hopefully that means that my posts from now on will contain about 99% fewer typos than what they’ve had over the last few months. 😀
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.
Darn, that looks fantastic! I love this project. I am all for a dramatic B&A and you delivered here!!
Our a/c unit is behind a louvered door which allows ventilation for the unit. And because you have a rack on wheels, you could still add the door so you don’t have to look at the unit.
I honestly thought you’d leave a lot of it unfinshed. I remember people commenting about the unfinished baseboards every time you posted a pic of your living room which seemed like years! 😉 I’m proud of you for seeing it through. Good job
This looks fabulous! Although, I wish I understood your phrase “I don’t need any additional storage” better… 😉 Congratulations!
*****
Yes, you might appreciate hooks for extension cords, a paint shirt, gardening hat, odd large tools I hang like levels, squares, rulers/straight edges, etc. Or perhaps some vertical slot storage system for things like uncut framing wood, misc. long art or DIY supplies.
That has got to be one of the prettiest storage closets I have ever seen! I’m so happy for you that it is completed. One thing, though, could you put a louvered door on the side of the h/v unit?
I could, but I probably won’t. If it ever needs to be worked on, I think a door would just make that process harder.
Honestly, by using the rolling carts you can do what a lot of stores do for inventory and just roll out what you need as you grow into the space. I would not put shelves or anything on that alcove, hooks are the way to go. Prettiest storage closet I have ever seen.
This looks wonderful. We all have those projects we dread and put off. Thank you for being real and consistently showing us real life and not just curated content (like some others do).
It is inspirational and makes me feel like I can do things too.
So glad you were “away” from the blog for boring reasons!! When there wasn’t a post Monday or Tuesday I was afraid you’d come back with a post of health issues for you or Matt. And glad you have the weight of the closet off your shoulders! On to more fun projects! Or at least less motivation-sapping projects. 🙂
Looks great! It seems there’s nothing you can’t make look good, Kristi! You amaze me!
Oh I am so glad for you that it is done. As usual your “chore” turned out beautifully even for an HVAC eye-sore. You never cease to amaze me, now onward to another lovely project. Have a beautiful blessed day.
It might have been a boring job but the closet is no longer boring. It looks great.
You can do hard things! You just proved that “feeling” a certain way doesn’t have to end up with nothing done.
So oddball overkill idea for later. Make some DIY french cleats. Paint the rail parts attached to the wall a fun color stripe. And what you hang on the cleat can be rough or nice. You place multiple stripes now and create panels over time to suit your needs. Continue with some strategic french cleats in the workshop. Make panels that fit the gym/closet. So you can swap as you decorate/need. Now honestly choosing an appropriate sizes for it all may lead to stress but you can adjust that pretty easy as well.
That’s the prettiest HVAC closet I’ve ever seen!
It sure is the nicest storage closet I have ever seen. Now that whole area outside of the closet is very
inviting.
Kristi, my goodness this ‘last thing on the boring list’ is so beautiful. I love the way you made the plywood box look like it is a piece of built in furniture the AC unit sits on. I love the whole entire closet you have taken from eyesore to showcase beauty. If you still have the address of the man who created the mess in the first place, maybe you should send him before and after photos and ask him if learns anything from looking at the photos.
I’m glad you got yourself a new laptop. With all the use you give a computer this is a good thing you have done for yourself.
Our HVAC is in the wall in my craft room. The contractor put a door on the location where it is, so I don’t have to look at the HVAC. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s better than looking at the HVAC and what’s around it!! LOL!!
You could put a 16″ Closetmaid type shelf fixed on the walls above the rolling shelves. Out of the way but useful and not interfering with the HVAC. Or use wood if you don’t like the supports for those shelves. Giving you a place for seldom used items like Christmas decorations.
The one thing I insisted on in all my closets was a LED puck light. Not on the ceiling but in the wall above the doorway. No blocked light due to stuffed shelves. Also, no chance of fire with incandescent bulbs.
Once again, beautifully done. You never disappoint. I appreciate the attention to detail you give to each project, no matter how boring and mundane it may be.
It’s always nice to have that kind of project Done!!!
Glad you are back. The closet looks wonderful…I wondered how you were going to ignore the little ugly unfinished parts. Now you don’t have to! And, it’s DONE, you have a bit more storage for stuff you don’t want sitting out, and it is really a nice looking place to go in. Now on to getting your studio organized. I have been just on my desk this morning…it IS a disaster…taking hours just to organize into piles…now to deal with the PILES!
Well done!
I will admit I got worried when I did not see a post earlier. I am happy to see why! Wonderful job yet again! I am also happy to hear you replaced your laptop. Working tools are important! Great job once again!
Sheila F.
Well worth the time and effort, I’d say! Love the green!
Love that print!
This is so satisfying – even though it’s only a storage closet, no reason why you can’t be happy every time you see/use it. Worth the effort now that it’s a pleasure to use!
Kristi – Looks great — I’m wondering why all the trays? Are they for your jewelry-making?
I buy trays when I find them at a steep discount because they make fun resin projects. I haven’t done one in a while, so I have quite a few on hand.
I see – craft supplies!
May I ask what color green the paint is? I’ve been looking for a pretty rich green and haven’t had any luck. This green is beautiful.
It’s a custom color, but here are the details: https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/green-paint-details-scaled.jpg
Your storage closet looks fantastic!
A couple of years ago, I gave our linen closet much the same treatment, because the clutter annoyed me every time I opened the door. Now, the wallpapered interior, gloss-finished shelving, perfectly folded towels and matching pull-out bins make me smile even when I’m simply replacing the toilet paper roll!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ve earned it!!
I’m always happy when I get done with a job I didn’t want to do! Looks great, and I like the artwork!
(please say a prayer for me. I broke my shoulder in a fall, and am having surgery on 8/19)
Looks so good, especially with those practical shelves and most of all the art piece. Exactly what I would do also. I have a house full of it. Just can’t get enough of seeing decorative art even in unlikely places.
Your closet looks great. I knew you would be happy when it was all finished nicely.
So what is next?
Finishing the studio — trim, painting doors, some electrical, and reupholstering my desk chair.
I love how you transform your space so that it’s not just functional but beautiful as well. All of those details look fantastic. Well done, as always!!!
I know it was a pain but it looks great and you’ll be glad you did it!
Hi Kristi! Can you share your new laptop information for us? Soon I will be in need of a new one, and I know you have done your research! It could save me some time and anxiety!