Sunday, January 13, 2013

Crate Wall Storage

     Well hello there! How was your weekend? Mine was productive. So productive in fact, that I actually finished something to show you! I know, stunning.


     The only room in this old house of ours that has ever been painted or updated is the downstairs guest bathroom. A very small bathroom I might add.  Somehow a shower, pedestal sink and toilet were all miraculously made to fit in this tiny little room. Needless to say, there is absolutely no space for any sort of storage for all the items that typically a guest might need to find in a bathroom. If there was one thing I learned in my last tiny little home, it would be the art of cramming a lot of stuff into a small space! Although this house is more than twice the size of that one, I'm finding my "small house" mentality is proving helpful with organizing this one. My method is simple, first look up. What can you do with the vertical space? Second, if the storage has got to be out in the open, make it function as decor as well as storage. So here we go, simple wall storage for my little guest bathroom.


      I picked up two of these crates at Home Depot for $8 each. (Confession: I actually already had about 6 vintage crates I've picked up at flea markets and such that I could have used...but I have a crate collecting obsession, and I couldn't bear the thought of putting the old cute ones in the bathroom. Lame. I know.)


       I stained them with a dark wood stain. I wasn't the least bit worried about it looking perfect, the uneven stain adds to the affect, I think.


      Next, I screwed on some brackets. I found mine at Lowes, I believe.


       I screwed them onto the wall where I wanted them, and that was it!


      I think they are elegantly rustic. Is that a style? Whatever, I like them, and they do the trick just nicely. You know, if you only had one and hung it high enough, you could stick a bar through the brackets for it to double as a towel rack too!


     I'm almost finished with this bathroom, one or two more tweaks to go. The rest of the rooms will go far more slowly I'm afraid, as there is much, much more work to be done in them! Really, just having one room looking pleasant and fresh gives me a boost of energy every time I pass the door. I know the rest of the house will get there with a little time...and the process of getting there is actually pretty fun!


      Enjoy your week!

Psalms 3:3   But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 

20 comments:

  1. This is brilliant .... and looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing your idea!

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  2. You are one smart person! I was seriously looking at these crates at home depot last night trying to think up a way to use them. Question answered!

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  3. Love It! Such a creative idea for storage.

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  4. These are fantastic! I love them! Stopping by from My Girlish Whims & I'm so glad I did. I am pinning this for later for sure! Thanks!

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  5. I love these crates. I have a teeny bathroom too and this may be the solution! Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Beautiful, love finding new uses for things!

    Wish I were more creative with my hands.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I think I might use this exact idea in my kitchen for a pot rack. Just need to find a way to fix the hooks for the pots to the bottom of the crate! Thanks for sharing your idea.

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    1. Oh a pot rack would be so cute! Good luck!
      -Abby

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  8. This looks great and you're right ... they're elegantly rustic.

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  9. Cute! I really like the shade of stain you chose, it makes the crates look vintage. good job! thanks for sharing. Little Bit from www.DecorateWithaLittleBit.com

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  10. I saw this on pinterest linking to a generic blog... I tracked you down to let you know that I think your crates are a fantastic idea and they look marvelous

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  11. Thank you, Jennifer, for taking the time to track me down! How very kind of you!
    -Abby

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  12. Love the crates! Love the color. What kind of stain did you use? We doing a similar project, and really like the tone you chose. What products/tints did you use for the crates?
    Thanks!!

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    1. AMP,
      I used Rustoleum stain, American Walnut. I love the tint because it goes quite well with black accents. Thanks for reading!
      -Abby

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  13. Love this idea! I'm like you, I wouldn't put the vintage ones up, either. Thanks for the idea.

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  14. This is great!! I saw these crates at Home Depot too, and want to do something similar! I'm sharing this with my friends over at my blog, today! http://www.magentaandlime.blogspot.com

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  15. Your bathroom shelf looks fantastic - very well done! I've got this linked to my DIY crates project post too today, nice job!

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  16. I have been to every home depot and lowes around here and no one carries wood crates. I love what you did. I wish I could find them.

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  17. Nice I also share with you something hope this helpful for you my friends. Storage is closely aligned to its evil cousin, clutter. When it is neat and accessible, storage can be a joy. If you choose to live with minimal objects on show, it is essential. But you don’t want to spend your life putting things in boxes. Here is my 10-step guide to storage sanity. Check it out thanks.
    Northern Beaches self storage

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