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maddiemom6

How far do you go?

16 years ago

I suspect I might be out in left field with this one.. but does anyone here decorate the insides of things?.. like closets.. pantries and the like? I love the little thrill I get when I open a drawer that is lined in pretty paper or an armoir that is painted a cheery color on the inside.

I am getting ready to do the inside of my free standing pantries with some beautiful wallpaper that I fell in love with but does not really fit any place in my house. My son cut and sanded some great shelf dividers for me and I am also going to install those at the same time.. a cheap thrill but sometimes you have to get them where you can :)

maddiemom

Comments (11)

  • 16 years ago

    Yes and no...my pantry and coat closet in the kitchen have the nicest light fixtures...they are so pretty. Never mind that they were inexpensive. And I have really nice shelves in my pantry that are like butcher board..many layers of wood and sanded and stained..Really pretty looking and really sturdy.
    And I have some really lovely paper in the drawers of my old step back cupboard drawers!
    Karen L

  • 16 years ago

    Karen, I am getting ready to exchange some rather nasty vinyl closet shelving in my laundryroom for some nice painted shelves.. much less industiral looking. The wire shelves were from the last owners and still here 6 years later.. I am ready to done with them. The space I am getting ready to tackle is an expanded area off my laundryroom. I am going to do it to match my laundry room and it will give me more space for clothes baskets since with so many here at home and 20 loads per week.. we need the room :)

    I always find it so funny how much more I can love a space with the small touches that make a difference.. and I would love to see your light fixtures! I am actually thinking of putting a very unique little demi arm light fixture in there. I am sure people will laugh but it makes me happy ;-)

    Maddiemom6

  • 16 years ago

    I was at a neighbor's and she opened a closet and inside it was full of girl's baby clothes and there was a mini, pink chandelier hanging in it.

    She doesn't have any kids.

  • 16 years ago

    Jeannine--do you know much about your neighbor? Is she hoping to have a child, or did she perhaps lose a child? There must be a story there--I hope it's one of optimism and not sadness...

    To the others: I say hat's off to you trying to beautify your surroundings--even the little things. Closets aren't usually meant to be seen by others, but when I did the Elfa system in my coat closet (now coat/pantry closet), I was over the moon!

  • 16 years ago

    I think it's a great idea.

    My pantry has a fixture I found at an antique store. It was in the foyer in our last home. The top shelf - which is too high to reach - has my collection of rustic birdhouses. I also have an old heart shaped wooden butter mold and copper pans on the walls. There is a wooden National Biscuit Company (aka NABISCO) sign hanging inside above the door.

    I don't line the inside of drawers, but DD1 does. She is a huge Shabby Chic fan and their pieces are always lined with vintage or vintage looking paper. In one rental, she lined the walls of a small closet with paper. In another rental, her walk-in closet was so large she made it a guest room with a cot, rug, dresser, pictures and accessories.

    Our MBR closet is walk-in with double french doors, two small ORB chandeliers and we each have a three drawer dresser with bookshelves above. DH puts current books, leather storage containers on his and mine has a few containers plus things from traveling and family items. We each have an old windsor chair with artwork above. To the right of my shelves is a fabric board with cards, notes, tickets, etc from traveling and family.

    Here is a peak at my shelves:

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • 16 years ago

    My master closet walls are gilded :o) I'd guess that says yes...I do decorate secret spaces LOL It also has a small desk (sewing) area. I have a tile backsplash of left over kitchen tile on the wall around it. It's gorgeous, but I would never have done it without anything but left over tile (the stuff was rediculously expensive so it was nice to use it ALL)

  • 16 years ago

    Allison...I love your shelves!

    My office closet isn't finished yet, but we painted the walls the same camel color as the ceiling and frieze of the office, put tile over the original bare plywood floor, and used the same 6" tall baseboard as in the main room.

    If I have enough crown molding left over after doing the hallway, the closet is going to have crown molding too, just for the heck of it.

    Sadly, there's no light fixture or outlet, and to make use of every inch of space, and work around an existing vent pipe from the basement, I did install two separate sets of floor-to-ceiling adjustable shelves.

    My grandmother always lined all our clothing drawers with pretty paper. After thinking about how "gracious" it felt, I think I'll do the same thing. Little things do mean a lot!

    The red paint is much darker than it appears here.

  • 16 years ago

    Your chair rail is a bit too high.

    No. Just kidding. LOL. I love the room. The 6" mopboard, the drop, the detail in the corner, the color. It's just gorgeous. I can't wait to see it filled in.

  • 16 years ago

    I have really tall chairs! LOL Dilly Dally. That's not a chair rail...it's a functional picture rail. In real life it's straight and level, too. The camera distorts it.

    I broke all the rules in this room. It's a tiny (10x12'3") room with one north-facing window. I painted it dark, dark red, with dark floors, and a painted ceiling. To say "warm and cozy" is an understatment.

    My neighbor nearly cried when she couldn't convince me to drop down the picture rail to chair rail height. Nope; this was my vision. Whether or not it was mushroom-induced will be determined at a later date. (Like when it's completed. LOL)

    ...Disclaimer...I have never, ever taken illegal drugs!...

    I'm adding a carpet, an upholstered chair of some sort, an end table, and a lamp. These, along with the library table/computer desk and two bookcases are all that will be in the room.

    It's an "English Library meets Arts & Crafts Office" and triples as DH's dressing room. The closet is filled with his clothes since our bedroom's closet is far too small.

  • 16 years ago

    Thank you, Caroline. I enjoy seeing them each time I go into my closet.

    DD1 is renting a cottage in the North Bay area. It has the picture railing like you've installed. You cannot tell from the photo, but it has small corner pieces in the corners also - smaller than yours. Not the greatest picture, but one that shows both trim pieces.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • 16 years ago

    Well, I don't know if this qualifies but we wanted a mud room and the only space available was a closet located by the back door. We "gutted" it, removed the bi-fold doors, and put in new trim around the door so it looks like it's just an opening to another room, we laid hardwood flooring, added crown molding and used the wood that held up a shelf as a type of chair molding. We laid down a black foot rug, put in a bench, hung baskets on each side to accomdate gloves, scarves and "stuff". It's hard to take a photo from the hallway, and I've posted these before, but we really like it and so do most of our guests!

    {{!gwi}}
    a href="http://s382.photobucket.com/albums/oo268/lukkiirish/?action=view¤t=mudroom1-1.jpg"; target="_blank">{{!gwi}}