Sounds like a good DIY project if you minimize the amount of custom work and the amount of closed storage space.

Is that dollars or pounds?

Add nice trim molding and hardware to the storage from big box stores

Some ideas





And use home made chalk paint to achieve any colour.

AND







The addition of trim molding and hardware to the most basic storage units can lend such class

The colour on the fourth piece can be achieved easily with home made chalk paint which adheres to all varieties of surfaces and can be used with no prep work.

Most of us do not have fancy closets. Your $200 budget spent at Home Depot or Lowes should buy enough closet rodding and brackets to get your closet finished. But, as Wow said, planning is crucial.

Karen, I am pasting a link to Elfa closets sold through the Container Store. You will see that this link takes you to a closet that is priced around $500.00 or so... I know it is over your budgeted amount ...but what I like about this closet is that it is made up of components. So you can add drawers, shelves or other bells and whistles down the road as the budget allows. It has a nice finished look and comes in different colors and finishes. I think you could probably start with the components to install hanging space first while staying on budget, and then bring other niceties in later like the drawers (the drawers, shelves etc... hang easily onto the same hardware as the closet poles so no additional work when you add later) Also, paint your closet a really fun color, hang a beautiful light or chandelier (if you have the height). You could also work in some of your existing dressers or wardrobes depending on what you have. Have fun!

Here are a couple of examples

aja dollars, I live in south australia

Alas, there are no Container Stores in Australia!

Is your new closet going to be just for clothes, or for storage also? Do you need shelves to store boxes of craft supplies?

A lot of the high end closet designs include drawers under an area to hang shirts/blouses. I did it the "budget" way, and bought a used metal lateral file from an office furniture store. It has 2 drawers that I use for both storage and for hanging files. It's not "beautiful" but it's inside my bedroom closet. Nobody sees it but me. If I had wanted to make it nicer looking, a can of spray paint would have done the job. It's just an idea to help stretch your budget.

Oh, and "good job" posting your first thread on houzz :)

What about picking up some old display cases from stores that remodeled or went out of business?

And these are $50 - $60 a set.

Wooden crates from Hobby Lobby/

Karen, it looks like elf a is also available through the wardrobe man located in Australia. Check out the link http://www.wardrobeman.com.au/

Also, try Howard's Storage World for elfa products. There may be others...

http://www.hsw.com.au/?site&pg_name=elfa_about

thanks for all the tips, have them all in a separate folder within my live.com.au email site and am keeping a log of them all. there are some really good ones, I have taken some pics of the junk room/craft room as it is today but am reluctant to show anyone cos it is such a mess, will put them on when the room is empty and ready for the next stage. my husband calls be a hoarder and I gues he is right there.
bonnie howards is at a large shopping centre/mall not too far from me and will try to get my hubby to drive me there as I don't drive

Hi Karen, just wondering how the project is going?

have to do a rethink on the whole plan, unfortunately so am totally redoing my bedroom going to turf out all the old furniture and have a whole new white theme with touches of red and install a large two wall built in robe system. the spare room will now become a studio/spare bedroom for visitors. when I visit townsville in june I will go on a shopping spree and get some tropical stuff to incorporate somewhere, [not sure just where, but the colours are the important thing]

Sounds great Karen and it sounds much more practical to have the other room as a studio/guest room. Check out Ikea, they aren't too badly priced for wardrobes and give you versatility. How big is your main bedroom? Are you in a hot part of SA? Tropical will go well, especially all the greens and blues if you need to create a cool look. Can I suggest you try coral rather than red, goes with a tropical theme better and is softer.

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coral sounds perfect, never thought of that, it would be more subtle I think than red, but still being in the same colour palette. I am indeed thinking of IKEA actually although the dresser is coming from homeart, as it is only place that stocks the triple mirror style I am after. I live in Elizabeth which gets quite hot.
the style I am going for in the studio/spare will be shabby chic/country as I just love doing up "junk" stuff.
I agree about coral being softer than red too, also more feminine as well, my husband has given me free range in that quarter, the only issue I am having is window treatment, so if you have any suggestions there I am all ears. the main room is just an average room as far as size goes, I think it is about 13ft by 17ft [rough guess] it has a door to the ensuite, but I always block that up to give be more wall space, unless a room is huge then having a door in the middle of a wall is really a stupid idea.

Hi, Karen, busy morning here. Your room isn't too bad a size, not exactly small, even more than average except if you look at rooms on this site. What I was wondering, using the 17 ft length of the room could you put in a false wall or even use a wardrobe to achieve the effect and put your wardrobe area behind your bed. Some photos, to give you an idea of what I am talking about -

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It would be up to you how much space you used, if you were to put wardrobes in you may need 6 ft but if you just made it all open hanging, 4 to 5 feet is enough. You could even close it off completely and just have a door to enter which gives you a lot more wall space for hanging, drawers, shelving, anything. You would still be left with a bedroom of at least 13 x 11 but all you would need in it is a bed and bedside tables, your dresser and maybe a chair, so it would still look spacious and actually less cluttered looking without two walls of wardrobes. Just some food for thought. I have walk in wardrobes in two of my bedrooms and wouldn't change them for gold. The storage you gain is amazing. Of course, a lot depends on window and door placement too.

Glad you like the coral, I don't think it is that feminine, but definitely more bedroom than red, unless you were going for a real sophisticated chic red/black/white scheme, and there a many shades of it. Just search 'coral rooms' here and you will get heaps of ideas.

Like the shabby-chic idea for the spare room, I was just working the other day with a lady who was creating a craft area in her laundry room. She had done it all with kerbside and charity shop finds and was bringing it all together with paint.

You will have to post of photo regarding the windows, couldn't even begin to guess blind, and a lot will depend on the overall style you create in your room plus whether you have sun or privacy issues.

olldroo, excellent idea for the placement of the bed/wall/closet. :)

just found my house plan on net it is fairmont homes georgia the one minus the wip in kitchen

Karen - sorry I replied to this yesterday but it has disappeared. I checked out your house plan and of course my idea won't work - in theory, it would have to be where the windows are. You really have a difficult room, these spec builders never seem to think ahead. Were to you put a wardrobe right along the outer side wall, would the windows get in the way?

It could end up a bit awkward, but I'm wondering how it might look if you were to put a walk in from the side wall to the bathroom door and take it 6 ft down the room. Put a door to it opposite the door to your room, and you would have a U-shape hanging area for space for anything you wanted. It would mean the area where you walk into the room would basically become a foyer with the 3 doors, but then you could put your bed head on the outside side wall, with bedside tables and your dresser at the foot of the bed and still have a nice sized sleeping area, minimum furniture and everything else hidden away. There is space behind the entrance door that could be well used for a storage cupboard too.

I agree about the stupid layout of the room, at the moment I have 3 robes that go along the bathroom wall and storage of sort behind the entry door, the bed is on the long wall and an antique chest and bulky dresser is at the end of the bed, and it is all cramped. what I envisage is to have the bed on the left as you enter room and two bedsides alongside bed, then I can put a built in in the top right hand corner around it with the little dressing table next to the bathroom door and a tall open shelf unit across ensuit door. as far as art goes I am thinking of 4 good sized prints above bed. another reason for putting the bed on what is the hallway wall I can put a two seater couch on the wall at the end of the bed. I am definately going to use white and coral as the accent colour with other tropical colours as just tiny accent colours.

That odd bit behind the door is what gets me. I'm having fun here trying to relate your room size to my bedroom - I didn't realise you would have that much room on the ensuite wall, but 13ft is a fair bit. Can I throw my two bits in and suggest you reverse the bed layout to the outside wall. As you suggest it you won't have any impact as far as your bedding and artwork, lamps anything, goes when you walk in the room, you have to come right into the room to see it. On the other wall you will have impact when you walk in the room. Any reason for the two seater couch? I'm thinking two single chairs (not too bulky) and use the left hand front corner for them, a reading lamp and small table to create a nice intimate reading nook or quiet corner. Sort of -

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What colour are your walls or are you planning on repainting them?

at the moment the bed is on the outside wall, but the reason for putting it on the hall wall is due to our portable aircon that needs to go in the other end of the window, cos where it is at the minute it is annoying and in the way, this way it is out of the way. the artwork can always go on the other wall. still trying to workout just what to put up.
as for the changing wall colour, I rent so that is out Anglicare will not allow that. my husband suggested wallpaper on just one wall,
the couch idea is just that an idea, saw it in one of the pics.
whatever ideas I come up with I have just over two weeks before all the old stuff goes and the new stuff arrives

Well the way our weather has been, the air con is certainly important. Didn't realise you were renting, probably not worth spending your money on anyway, better you be saving for your own place.

A lounge is a good idea in the bedroom when you have the space, just thinking first how you will use it as to what the best option is.

At least we have covered lots of options and you will find so much more here. Two weeks - exciting time ahead. Good luck with it all.

I've been here forten years since it was built and as we are both 60+ we will still be here in another ten lol thanks for all the hints, I am putting them all into my folder of reference. the small couch will be for me to relax with the air=con on a hot day. I am taking all ideas on board. as for buying our own place well unless we win lotto that aint gonna happen, so the idea is to be comfortable in where I live

how do I post finished pic of project

There are different methods for uploading pictures, depending on what device and operating system you're using. Let us know and someone will be able to walk you through it.

Oh, and you mentioned above that you're not allowed to paint, but that your husband suggested wallpaper. Are you allowed to wallpaper but not paint? I'm just curious. :)

Have you chosen your window treatments yet? You can get plain white curtains and dress them up with coral to get a really nice custom look. Think ribbon, trim, paint, appliques, or whatever fits into your style.

I didn't realise you were into my age group, you are holding up very well. I thought the house was new, that is great you have long term options, are you in a Seniors development with Anglicare? They seem to be very good, they do a lot for my mother-in-law. If the lounge is for you in the hot weather then go all out with a chaise. I just love mine, trouble is I rarely finish a TV programme before I nod off.

Posting photos is easy, assuming you will be using a normal camera and Microsoft - I don't know Apple, can't work it out from my iPod. Download your photos to your computer, then click on the "attach images" below here. You can only do one at a time with a limit of 4. Click on 'browse' below and you will get a drop down box "choose file to upload". Click on Pictures options, click on a photo and then click "open". The next box on here with then give you the 'browse' option and you repeat the process.

Hope you have a great trip to Townsville. Haven't been there, I've done Rocky, McKay, Bowen, Cairns and Port Douglas. Cairns and PD were great for shopping, but of course they are very touristy so there is heaps on offer.

as far as the wallpaper goes what he was thinking was to create a panel that is attached to the wall with corner studs so that if at an time it can be changed, but I have been thinking about the paint situation and my neighbour who lives next door and also rents an anglicare house just finished painting the whole house so I have decided to not worry about them and just paint or paper one wall as a feature, but as to what I have no idea as to colours etc
as for the curtains I was thinking crisp white with tie backs to match wall and a valance that matches tie backs.

no we don't live in a seniors development just a regular house, [even though Canterbury Close nursing home is over my back fence]
I am going to bring some goodies home from t/ville.
oh thanks for the compliment about holding up well, not bad for 62 eh lol

I had you in your 30s. Don't wonder why I don't put a photo up.

Might be an idea to approach Anglicare before painting, just so they know you aren't going to do anything crazy or violating your lease agreement. They should look at it as a bonus but you just never know the mindset of people. If you are hoping to be there another 10 years it would be due for another paint by then anyway.

I'm loving crisp white curtains at the moment - my latest craze. I think they enhance the light coming into the room and help brighten it yet they are refreshing and cool in the heat.