Before and After

Friday was our big day!  Anyone remember this?



This would be Miss Chef’s side of the closet after what one might term a catastrophic failure.  All the shelving on her side collapsed about two days after we got back from our Big Trip.  Long story short, we contracted with Closets by Design to rescue us.

We met twice with a really lovely saleswoman / designer named Joyce.  The first time, she took measurements and talked about what we wanted—how many shoes did we have, did we want shelving, long hang, double hang, etc.  The second time she returned with a plan which we made minor adjustments to, and for which we picked out colors and drawer pulls.

There were a few weeks in between that meeting and the actual installation—weeks during which Ma and Pa Flartus were due for a quick visit.  So all of Miss Chef’s clothes had to be moved from the guest bed back into the closet somehow.  I graciously made room—‘cause that’s the kind of swell gal I am.

So here’s what the closet looked like at that point:



Well, it didn’t actually look that fuzzy, but you get the idea.  Here’s the rest of the wall to the right:



You can see I already had some shelving, but Miss Chef’s side had been all hanging.  Those are her sweaters on top, piled sky-high.

Once Ma and Pa had left, we eventually had to move absolutely everything back out, onto the guest bed again.  Which left us with the bare bones of a closet.



It kind of gives you an idea of how much underutilized space there was.  And, now for your enjoyment, I present the Most Boring Picture I Have Ever Taken:



That would be the Wall of Catastrophic Failure.

Miss Chef was home that morning to “supervise” the installation, but I had to wait until that evening to see the new space.  Not only did I have to work ‘til 5, but then I went to the gym AND the grocery store on the way home.  What is the matter with me?

So here’s what it looked like BC (before clothing):

                               Above, Miss Chef’s former Wall of Catastrophic Failure and part of the back wall. 

Below, my formerly Crammed Corner.  Notice the lower bar for the double-hang design. 

And here’s what it looks like AD (After Decision-making):

  

If your screen’s wide enough, this forms kind of a panorama from Miss Chef’s corner on the left, across the back wall of all double-hang space and to my crammed corner.

We are still figuring out the space, but it’s pretty clear we’ve got a lot more usable storage now.  I finally have a place for my few purses, other than on top of Rosie’s box of brushes and treats in the tiny closet by the front door.  Miss Chef can finally stack her t-shirts and sweaters in manageable piles.



We’ve even pulled some things out of the guest room closet.  Oh, the coolest thing?  See that silver bar where the top left shelf meets the wall?  That’s a valet bar; it pulls out about 18 inches to provide a temporary hanging spot.  Miss Chef can use it to stage her uniform for school, and I can use mine to hold the ironing I’m always collecting and putting off ‘til later.

So, in conclusion: I must be in my 40s, if I’m this excited about a closet!


And never fear, we actually measured to be sure my new shiny blue friend would have a spot: