The Dean of Home Renovation & Repair Advice

Category: Storage


Weekend Projects: 5 Creative Ways to Build Shelves

From old textbooks to the latest printing of Harry Potter, and from VHS to DVD and now Blu-Ray, we can’t stop collecting and hoarding rectangular objects! So instead of letting them sit in a messy pile for another eight months, why not display them proudly on a simple set of DIY shelves?

With the help of these outstanding tutorials on DIY shelves from around the web, you can finally find a spot for that Windows ’95 software package that, for some strange reason, you can’t bear to part with.

 

1. DIY Pipe Fitting Shelves

DIY Shelves - Pipe Fittings

Photo: thehousehippos.com

Would you call your style Industrial Chic? Then these pipe-fitting DIY shelves from The House Hippos would be the perfect storage solution for your space. All you need to supply are pipes, pipe fittings, and a few slats of wood—ingeniously assembled, of course.
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Adding a Closet Where There Is None

Add a Closet - Freestanding Wardrobe

Photo: Usona Home

It’s not difficult to add a closet, but doing so will probably be more costly than reorganizing an existing one. So exhaust all other storage options before taking the plunge.

There are several ways to add a closet to your home: purchase a freestanding wardrobe, build in a wardrobe, opt for an open closet, frame out a new closet, or create one from “found” space. The path you take to adding a closet depends upon the amount of space you can afford, the amount of money you wish to spend, and whether or not you need a permanent or temporary solution.

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On-Campus Living

Dorm Ideas

Photo: dormdesign.tumblr.com

There’s no time like college to get acquainted with beginners’ DIY projects. In most on-campus living scenarios, you’re virtually given a blank slate (in the form of a spare or even bare dorm room). People don’t want to feel as if they’re living in borrowed space, least of all during the ‘glory days’ of college, so here are some ideas on how to make yourself at home.

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Bob Vila Radio: Hanging Shelves

Who doesn’t need more shelf space? Hanging shelves is a great do-it-yourself project that can help you get organized.

Photo: hiretoinspire.blogspot.com

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Listen to BOB VILA ON HANGING SHELVES, or read text below:

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Bob Vila Radio: Dorm Room Storage

Whether it’s back to the dorm or just back to school, making room for kids and their stuff gets harder as they get bigger. Here are some tricks for maxing out your space!

Photo: yoursbydesign.blogspot.com

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Listen to BOB VILA ON DORM ROOM STORAGE, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »


Creative Closet Organizers

Creative closet organizers can help solve many space challenges. High ceilings, tight corners, and narrow spaces are handily addressed with the following inventive closet organization products. They can help turn what seemed like lost space into more space… and who doesn’t feel that they could use more space?

Rotating shoe rack. This rotating shoe rack makes great use of a corner space, and takes advantage of height with its vertical approach to storing shoes.

Creative Closet Organizer

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Bob Vila Radio: Custom Closet

Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening—or reading—to Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all about the Custom Closet.

Custom Closet

ext.homedepot.com

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Listen to BOB VILA ON THE CUSTOM CLOSET, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »


DIY Deals: Storage Solutions

There’s no way around it: being unorganized can lead to a lot of headaches. That’s why we have focused this week’s DIY Deals on clever storage solutions to bring order to your home and life. Oh and there’re savings, too!

Pottery Barn Samantha Entry Way Storage/Organization

Samantha Entryway Collection, $229-$549 at Pottery Barn; save $60 on shipping

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The Backsplash: A Kitchen’s Most Underutilized Real Estate

One of the areas that many of us consider absolutely last when remodeling the kitchen backsplash. After months of pondering countertop choices, we often settle for the easiest solution when it comes to the backsplash (a result of either running out of time or money, or both). And that’s a shame!  That 18-inch-high space between wall-hung cabinets and the countertop can attract the eye, both with color and texture, and it can provide some valuable, eminently useful real estate, too.

If you have a small kitchen, like I do, your backsplash needs to be more than a decorative backdrop. It needs to perform. So rather than clutter up the counter with messy containers and small appliances, I zeroed in on that six-foot run of narrow wall. To my delight, I realized there are a wealth of manufacturers meeting the challenge of backsplash-friendly alternatives. Here are a few that should help you make the most of your backsplash and your kitchen.

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Kitchen Backsplash

Zero-Gravity Magnetic Spice Rack

This space-efficient Zero Gravity Magnetic Spice Rack by Zevro lives up to its name, as the 1.5 oz. canisters can store spices top and bottom. A locking mechanism on each canister allows you to dispense contents by pouring or sprinkling—great for one-hand use. Choose from the 6- and 12-canister models (each model includes a sheet of self-adhesive spice labels for your convenience).

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Free Your Pots & Pans from Cupboard Captivity: Install a Pot Rack

Install a Pot Rack - DBSchwartz

Photo: DBSchwartz

Our kitchen needs more cabinets—and more counter space. Indeed, who has a kitchen with enough of these precious amenities? The only friends I know with sufficient cabinet space are tall people who can actually reach all those upper cabinets, or house-dwellers with a “great room” floor plan that boasts vast expanses of wall space devoted to cabinets. The rest of us struggle to make do with the space we have.

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