Paint and Plans

Work continues on the guest room closet which, as I mentioned earlier, is really more a tool/utility/ storage closet than it is a true clothes closet.  We have made accommodations for guests, but the majority of the closet will be used to protect our tools and belongings from turning to mildew or to rust.

Rick practically crawls into the close to paint the upper
storage area a fresh coat of white paint.

Rick painted the upper area of the closet, almost having to crawl inside to get to the corners and backs of the front walls.  He painted the frame of the closet on Wednesday morning; then we took a trip to The Container Store in Tampa to see if we could plan the interior.  We originally had invited Steve and Chris to come with us the next time that we went to the store, but we knew that a closet planning trip could be a long, drawn-out affair, and we did not want to have them wait for hours while we planned the closet interior. We promise, though, that when we know we have a shorter trip planned, we will invite them to come along.

The reason that we chose The Container Store is because they have a closet component system called Elfa that is more heavy-duty and far superior to any of the closet systems offered by big box stores.  We have not even considered Elfa in the past because it tends to be very pricey, but right now The Container Store is having a 30% off Elfa sale, so that brings the price down to comparable prices found for other brands in the big box stores.

Shelves coming out from the sides, room for a roll-out tool chest, and a
small area for guests to hang clothes all are part of the guest
room closet plan.

We met with a designer named Kristen, and she was great about showing us what was available and listening to our needs.  We had measured the closet carefully; however, we still came up with a question on one wall, so we took the design home to make sure that everything was exact.

Once we were home, we discussed the whole plan.  Rick is not thrilled about the shelves being wire shelves instead of solid materials, but wire is both strong and light-weight, so the shelves will suit our needs.  Wire shelves also give more ventilation than wood or melamine shelves even though we will put plastic liners on most if not all of them.  We measured the wall in question and discovered that the front of the closet is 116 1/2 inches wide while the back wall of the closet is 115 1/2 inches wide.  That discovery is really not terribly shocking since Gladys has plaster interior walls.  Whoever plastered that closet was just a little more heavy-handed in the back corners which resulted in an inch less of interior space.  Let no one every say that Gladys is not a strong, tough old lady.  She has withstood lots of storms and wind in the past 54 years, and with care I have no doubt that she could stand 54 more years.

We also took time last night to look at the master bedroom closet.  That closet presents a challenge because it tucks deeply into the corner on Rick's "side" of the closet, making what is behind the wall disappear from both sight and mind.  We came up with a tentative plan, so we decided to see what Kristen would design if we brought her this second challenge.

We started for Tampa at 8:30 a. m.  Normally, we would avoid getting into the morning rush hour traffic, but we wanted to get to The Container Store when they opened so they could pull our first order and so we could talk to Kristen about the second order.  Let me declare right here that you could not PAY me enough money to commute to Tampa each day, and we were far past the time when the traffic would have been at its heaviest.  I am so glad that I am retired and do not have to fight traffic just to get to work.  Thankfully, we made it to The Container Store without incident, arriving 20 minutes after they opened.

Kristen worked with us again, first confirming the guest room closet order and then helping us decide on what we could do with the master bedroom closet.  We have decided to totally open the closet from floor to ceiling, leaving us with less storage space on top, but with double high rods on the bottom and pull-out baskets that better utilize the space.  We still have a "hidden" area in the corner, but we can use that area for off season or seldom used clothes.

Our master bedroom closet presented some real challenges, but we
think that the results will more than suit our needs.

A rendition of what the master bedroom closet would look like when filled
with clothes.  I always laugh because who has so few clothes and shoes?

The systems were expensive but within our budget limitations.  We are excited to have the systems to install without having to build anything from scratch.  I hope that they go in easily.  They certainly will utilize the storage capabilities of Gladys far better than what has been used for the past 54 years.  Gladys is getting older, but she also is getting better in the process.