Hey everyone! Today I’m back to share my favourite update that we’ve done since moving into our house two and a half years ago. I’ve always dreamed of having a nice spacious area to store all of my serving platters, home decor and seasonal items, and now I have it!
But let’s back up and see how this came to be.
When we toured our house, we liked the large, SPACIOUS landing (seriously, it is over eight feet squared) that was at the bottom of the stairs as you went down to the basement. However, we DID NOT like what the old owners had done with it…
To state the obvious, not really the nice, concealed, attractive storage that I had in mind.
So, out came the wooden bunk beds:
Up went some paint (as shared here), and this is how it looked for over a year as we saved up our pennies (except we did add baseboard after this image was taken).
During that time, I fantasized about what I wanted to put down here and came up with a plan. Enter, the Ikea PAX wardrobe system!
I went online and designed the perfect solution for this space using Ikea’s online PAX planning tool. If you’ve never heard of, or used this tool, I highly recommend it. You can add and subtract elements, swap out doors, move the cabinets around, add organizers inside, customize your own hardware and see how the storage will look inside and out (just to name a few). On top of that, all the items you add get put on a shopping list in real time so you can see your total as you design. Then, you can select your closest store and it will give you warehouse locations for each item which allows you to easily locate everything you need. Perfect for when you send your hates-shopping-husband to go and grab said items.
Kevin built like a mad man and created the storage of my dreams! Now, when you head down the stairs, this is your view.
Hello Gorgeous.
{insert whistle}. What a beaut!
Looking inside, here is how I’ve organized her. Nothing fancy inside here, but beautiful in her organization alone. Meeeow…
On the left I have seasonal and regular entertaining platters and dishes, party supplies, vases and kitchen items not used every day (waffle iron, large roasting pan, deep fryer etc.).
I may have a vase problem but it all depends who you ask (don’t ask Kevin).
To make accessing platters easier, I’ve stored them upright using a VARIERA Pot lid holder.
Easily my favourite part of this whole storage though is the addition of the KOMPLEMENT baskets. I added one to each section of cabinetry. They are amazing for holding the smaller items that you want grouped together, but not dumped in a big box. The drawers pull out which allows for immediate and easy access of the items inside. LOVE.
This is where I store a multitude of party supplies! The contents may look messy, but that is just due to the small nature of what I am storing. These items don’t stack well so most have been corralled into ziplock bags. Plastic cutlery, plastic tablecloths, balloons, balloon weights, festive straws, banners, stir sticks, small party decor etc. all have a home here. THIS DRAWER. IS. AMAZING.
This might be a little bit better than digging through a cardboard box in the garage. Just saying.
In the middle cabinet, I am storing some Christmas decor (my miniature village), and our punch bowl but the rest is basically home decor items.
The right hand side is where I store seasonal and holiday decor items, pillows and wreaths. Oh, and candles. I might have the same problem with candles as I do vases, (but again, don’t ask Kevin).
Okay, now let’s close that back up and take a look at the outside. The door style I chose is called BERGSBO. I love the classic shaker style detailing.
I wanted nice, long, sleek and simple handles. These ORRNÄS ones ‘fit the bill’ (and budget).
Such a pretty lady.
Down the road I’d love to trim out the sides and top (like the image below) to make it feel more custom and built-in, but that certainly doesn’t take away from my love for her today!
So there we go. My favourite update so far. I may or may not pet the cabinets every time I walk by them (again, please don’t ask Kevin).
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