Turning a Closet into a Desk

When it comes to ideas for utilizing space, I think the idea of

turning a closet into a desk is a fantastic one.  I especially love

this design from Country Living.  The color scheme is absolutely

gorgeous and I adore the wallpaper in the background.  What a 

great way to give the space a punch with a pattern on the wall.

Wall paper is from GrahamBrown.com

This was what the closet looked like prior to the redesign.  

You'll notice the doors on this closet are very standard to

many modern homes and track homes.

In this design, this wonderful paint was used on the inside 

of the doors and it would make sense to paint the ceiling and

walls inside the closet (with the exception of the wallpapered

wall.)  I love that the designer used a pegboard (Home Depot)

for the inside of the closet door.  Framing the pegboard with 

molding makes it look polished and chic.  

I love that a miniature chandelier was used in the design.  Why

not indeed?  There are so many glamorous lamp pendants out 

there, why not use one to punch up the design factor.  

LampsPlus.com is a great resource along with many other 

stores.

In the design, a pair of very standard file cabinets are used.

This set of cabinets are from Staples but any file cabinets

of this size from Ikea or elsewhere would work too.  You

can choose stationary cabinets or add on rollers as it is in

this case for movement.

In this design, durable Krylon paint with a Satin finish

was used to spray paint the filing cabinets a similar color

to the paint used on the inside of the closet doors.  It's such

an easy way to customize and spruce up off the shelf office

furniture.  Make sure you choose a suitable spray point for

metal finishes in this case.

The table top is a very simple matter of MDF board cut to fit

the length of the file cabinets.  You can paint it any color you

want and in this case white is used to match the color of the

shelves above the desk (Ikea shelves are used in this design.)

Adding a fun rug under the chair gives a further

punch of color and really makes the area feel

like an office space.

The wicker office chair is also from Ikea.  I love how the doors open

 up to serve as the "side walls" of this office space.  It makes the space 

feel cozy.  

The beauty of this space is that it's designed with completely off the 

shelf products with much of the customization done with paint.  This 

allows anyone to really turn a closet into a gorgeous desk space quite 

cheaply.  The DIY elements of this design are simple enough that 

anyone (including me which I'm not very handy) can do it.  

Photos from Country Living

Closet and Dressing Inspirations for 2010

Since fashion and accessories is one of my many obsessions, I always love

seeing beautifully designed closets and dressing rooms.  In this case, a

large room that probably could have been a living room that's been made

into a super fun, colorful and feminie dressing room and closet.

Whoever designed this closet made sure that every space,

crook and cranny was used to it's fullest potential.  The

analytical side of me absolutely loves that!

Of course if you have the space, being able

to stretch your legs out is fantastic too.

Here's a very modern bedroom with fantastic floors I must say.  The

closet is open to the bedroom but solid doors close off all of the clutter

leaving a very white and bright modern space.

Who says you have to paint your cabinetry white?  This

closet has a great shade of blue on all the cabinetry -- and

you can never really go wrong with a Moroccan pouff ^_^

Don't have enough room for a walk-in-closet?  Never fear, you

can still have a super organized and ultra efficient space for your

wardrobe.

If you don't have a lot of space in your closet, a garden stool is

a great thing to throw in so you can have a little spot to sit on.

Don't have a coat closet in the front entry?  You

can use a wardrobe like this one.  Great organization.

Sliding doors or fabric curtains like this can save a lot of space.

For those of you who don't like to see the clutter

in a closet, using solid doors is the answer.

Smart Closet Makeovers

by Sunset

Sunset Home has some great orgainzational books including

this one above.  Hope this post has given you some closet

organization inspiration for any of you who have made

resolutions this year to organize your home!  I know I have.

Photos from Canadian House & Home

Closet Inspirations and Organization

A little while back, I got a request to post about closets.
I decided to leave out celebrity closets for another post
since there have been a lot on that topic.

Above is one of my dream closets. The owner incorporated
the bath and the closet together. I always wanted to be to
incorporate the two although space was always an issue...

It's totally gorgeous!

This is a super cool closet with black lacquered
finishes, glass and a chandelier to top it off.

The owner of this closet is part of a 2 person design team
from Arizona of Bella Designs. She was inspired by French
design and included antique hardware for her finishes.

I found this photo from a showcase on a gorgeous house
that Joni from Cote de Texas blogged about. Wouldn't
we all love to have such a spacious closet?

This was a showcase closet designed for Hollywood Life's
Young Hollywood Dream Closet.

Laura Canattos open closet (photo from Flickr.) She did
a fantastic job of organizing her closet and hanging her
clothes by color. She was clever about space and hung her
bags on hooks on the wall.

This mirror is one of the coolest things I've
ever seen. Bella Designs (from above) bought
this for one of her clients.

It swings open to reveal a huge jewelry
storage space. I totally need one of these.

Photo from A Life of Style

Here's a super organized closet.

I'm a total real estate stalker. I love looking at
homes for sale constantly. I saw this home where
the owner had turned an entire room into her
closet. Love her shoes! Though I'm not sure
how the house will sell with one of the rooms
as a closet unless she can find another fashionista!

Here's a great man closet. House Beautiful
had asked readers to send in photos of their
closets. Very organized and a great use of
a tiny space.

Photo from House Beautiful

It's an interesting idea to incorporate a writing
desk into a closet. I suppose it is a cozy space
though.

Now there's a really clever use of space -
cutting out drywall and using the space
in the walls itself as a shoe storage space.

Photo from Flickr - BonBon Bebe

For all of you mommies with young kids,
isn't this a gorgeous closet for a child?
Super organized with all of the toys below.

Here's a closer look. Using bins for shoes is
a great idea.

Last but not least is another dreamy closet with a bright
window and mirrors. It's really rare to have such a large
window in a closet - I think it's fantastic.

Shop Your Closet: The Ultimate Guide to
Organizing Your Closet With Style

I don't know about you, but one of my New Year's
Resolutions for 2009 was to organize my clothing
and shoes which have an inordinate amount of.
Whenever I start any projects, I always start by
buying a book or two for inspiration to get myself
started. Here's my pick and what I ordered in case
any of you are also looking at organizing your closets.

The Glamour of Vanities ~ Every Girl Needs One

Every girl needs a vanity to feel glamorous

and feminine. This post is dedicated to vanities

to give some inspiration. While some of these

may be fancy, it really doesn't take a lot to

create a vanity of your own. You just need a

desk or counter space, a chair, a mirror and

personal items to make it all your own. Make

up, perfume, or jewelry can add great touches

to a vanity area.

One of my favourite Vanities is the one above

that belongs to none other than Georgina Chapman

who designs the Marchessa label. It's obvious she

takes her cues from old Hollywood glamour as

you'll see below.

Earlier in the century is truly when the age of

luxury and glamor ruled. Screen stars of the

past really knew how to live it up.

I really love how soft everything looks in this

scene from an old Black and White movie.

Shaggy rugs and a completely tassled vanity

table with a tassled ottoman pouff to match!

There's nothing quite like mirror and crystal

that gives a room or little area an instant

feeling of glam.

Even in today's movies like Sex and the City opt for

a mirrored vanity to show a luxurious and enviable

life.

No one can forget the winner of Domino's design contest.

Catherine of Mill Valley designed her own dream bedroom

that included a vintage vanity.

Another mirrored vanity to the left and a great example of a Lucite

or clear vanity table that gives a more updated twist for a glamorous

vanity.

If you want to go bold, you can choose an eye popping

color. With a simple screen, you can transform your

vanity into a dressing area.

A small desk refinished in lacquer with a matching

mirror on top makes for a great vanity. This would

not be a difficult DIY project at all.

I love how this vanity is incorporated into

the closet and dressing area. You really

can't go wrong with that.

This is an interesting rendition where

instead of having a small mirror on top

of the desk, a large floor length mirror

is used instead.

I am a huge fan of turning otherwise unused

closet space into a vanity. It's a great use of

space if you have a small room with no room

for a desk or vanity.

If you don't opt to have built in shelving,

a nook such as this is the perfect place for

a vanity.

I love how eclectic this vanity with. You can

tell this space is truly personal to the owner.

I hope this has inspired you to make your own

vanity!

All photos from Domino, Living Etc,

and Google Images.