Do you love built-ins? I do! Do you have a space in your home that is just screaming for some organization? I have plenty! One thing we are missing in our new house is a space to put shoes and coats away. In the last house, I created a wall of "lockers" where we kept everything. It was incredible and I miss it.
If I had a wall on which I could install the same set up, I would do it. Instead, I have a small space where shoes steadily pile up.
I had already planned on trimming out the bottom part of the silly columns to make them more of a feature instead of the random decorative piece that they currently are. That's what led me to feel that this spot is perfect for a built-in shoe shelf. I started by pulling the baseboards and installing some bracing where I wanted the shelves to go.
Next, I needed top and side pieces. One thing I regret is not making it as tall as the column base but I think I've come up with an idea to fix that later on. I cut shelves out of a different material and made them a bit shallower than the frame so that I could add trim.
I've discovered that the key to making something look built-in is all in the trim work. I'm very new to this but, in every project I've done, the trim is also where all of the mess is hidden. Win-win!
Step two in making a built-in look more built-in is paint. This step will take a lot of time. I will add layers as time goes on in order to make it look like it's been there for years. For now, two layers is enough. When I trim out the base of the column, I might add another piece to the top of this with cubbies so that it's even with where the column starts. It looks a bit out of place, otherwise.
One thing that needed to change before we could use this was to raise the hooks above the shelves. If I left them there, the coats would hang past and cover all that work!
And, of course, I had to patch the holes.
Tada!
Now, where are my pliers?
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