Friday, November 12, 2010

73 Closet Case: The Ultimate Kid's Study Zone!

This month I have been all over the place with my projects.  I have about a trillion on my list so I have been slowly tackling them one at a time...

One thing I have been really wanting to do since we switched our boy's bedrooms around, is create a study zone for Preston.  And where else would I think to do that?  Why his closet of course, you know, since it worked out so well for us!

It's been awhile since I had provided you with an update.... remember how I had left you with this image?


No worries.  I wouldn't let my love live like this for long.  We finished painting out all of his trim and moved his belongings back.  So now it looks a little like this....


But the real story is all about his closet.  This is where some magic recently took place!  Lots and lots of magic.

You see, it started off looking like this some time ago....

 
And then I shopped around my house to collect some accessories that quickly provided inspiration and gave me a vision....


So we tore everything out of his closet.


Painted out the trim white.


Put the kid to work painting the inside the same blue as his bedroom walls.


And we were left with this!


SO much better right?!

Then, we snagged a couple of these shelves from Ikea and installed them, along with a new desk {just like we did in our own closet} and his wall accessories....


TADA!


My little buddy's new desk space packs so much personalized organized punch, that he now begs me to do his homework!  WINNER WINNER!


Want a closer look at what's inside?

We will start from the top.  We mixed and matched personal accessories with functional storage.



The football is a cherished gift from a dear friend, with some artwork propped up behind it.  And those baskets, which I totally scored in the dollar section at Target!  Well, they are up high because they are filled with craft paints and stamps.  Not only are they not used as frequently as some of the other craft supplies, keeping them up so high, keeps them out of reach of the littlest fingers in our home.


Working our way down to the next shelf, I used this orange giant paperclip {found at Marshalls}, as a way to bring in some of the colors from the rest of his room.


We reused bookends that we already had, to corral his growing library of books!


And to add some additional personal touches, since he is a giant fan of playing sports, baseball especially, I wanted to pay tribute to that by displaying one of his baseballs.  I just sliced off the bottom of a paper towel cardboard roll and covered it was some scrap paper, to create the baseball stand.


Below the shelf we installed the towel bar removed from our bathroom when we replaced it with individual hooks.  The towel bar was the perfect way for us to store the large roll of paper the kiddos use for their crafting projects!


The rest of the back wall is where a lot of the fun happens.

We reinstalled his peg board {which used to be above his previous desk space}



Right now he uses the peg board to store his crayons... there are extra clips for him to add photos of friends or reminders for school.  We also added a paper covered wooden monogram and an inspirational note.


Because Preston typically has homework that he keeps for multiple days in a row, such as a monthly book log, I thought that a clip board would be the perfect way to keep track of those things at all times.


I tossed some stickers on the bottom to spell out his name, again, doing all I could to really personalize this space for him!


The cork board really was just a cork tile, cut to size, popped into a frame and tacked into the wall....


As far as storing all the rest of his drawing, writing and art supplies, of course I couldn't go wrong with my no fail soup can covered with scrap paper method!


I just love how some of the numbers are cutout, letting the tin show through... and for the paint brushes, I went a little out of my typical can realm and used an empty Crystal Light canister instead, and popped a star brad embellishment through for kicks!

   

On the other side of the desk, I placed a charging station over the hole we drilled for the task light and for charging his MP3 player and DS.


I found the charging station at Target for about $2.50 in their dollar section.  Mega score!

Of course, no desk would be complete without some task lighting, especially in a closet space since there is not much for natural light.


The task light was a clearance find at PBTeen, which means it was still a splurge, but worth it nonetheless!  It offers a ton of flexibility with three pivot points that extend to the proper position, then lock into place!


The best part was that I totally did this project HGTV style, keeping Preston locked out of his room until it was done, and then capturing his reaction of the final reveal!


And that's what it's all about!

So what once was this....


Now is this!


Which is just lovely!


I hope that there are some ideas to be found here... a lot of what went on really was a matter of reusing and making many of the personalized desk accessories.  And knowing that my Preston isn't getting any younger {which may make me an itty bit sad}, means that he needed a space that he could grow into for many years to come...  I say, "Mission Accomplished!"

Now it's your turn!  What's your favorite part?  Anyone gonna snag any of these ideas for your own spaces?  Who else has been doing a little closet transforming?  I would heart to know!

73 comments:

  1. It looks FABULOUS!!!
    I bet if I'd had something like that I would have been more inspired to do homework.

    So I have to ask...are your kids good at staying organized, or do they think you're crazy with your organizing obsession? I'd want to be just like you as a parent, but I'm just curious how the kids react to it.

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  2. Your little man's room looks awesome. I love the soup can re-purposing with some cute paper. But how do you make the edges safe for little fingers? Sometimes the edges of the can are sharp.

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    Replies
    1. I was wondering the same thing seeing as how back in Jan I sliced a huge chunck out of my hand cleaning out a can.

      Delete
  3. Hi Jane!

    I am sure there are times when the kiddos don't understand my slight obsession... however, I don't ask too much out of them either. Just that they put things back where they find them, when they are done. Seems to work out pretty well most of the time! Creating well organized zones that offer ease in knowing where things belong is pretty helpful with little ones...

    And Peaches, I totally agree some have sharp edges. I only use the ones that my opener presses down to create a safe edge.... a ring of hot glue could always be a solution to ensuring the edges aren't too sharp either.

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  4. I love it! You did a fabulous job! It looks so neat and organized. Kids look nooks, so I am sure that he will spend many happy hours in his little nook. Picture perfect! Angie xo

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  5. I love this. Like, really, really love it. Everything is fabulously put together and it made my heart beat a little faster. But I have a question- where do his clothes hung now? And all the games, laundry, hats, etc... where are they stored now? Closets are great for hiding things like this so I'm curious how you incorporated them into the other "viewable" areas of his room.

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    Replies
    1. I have the same question! Where do the clothes go now?

      Delete
  6. Hi Tami!

    SUPER question!

    Clothes are stored in his drawers: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-featured-space-kids-clothing.html

    Our entire clan shares one laundry basket, which we stash under the master bathroom sink for the moment.

    His toys were paired down and stored on the shelving unit in his room and the rest were either disbursed to his brother's room or the play room. Shoes live in the shoe closet and I have some hooks to install in his room for his backpack and baseball hats... more on that soon hopefully!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  7. Wow! I am definitely going to use the tin can trick! I have stacks of lovely scrap paper that I can't wait to use!!! Great idea. Thank you.

    I truly <3 your blog! LOVE IT!!!!

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  8. Jen-

    Awesome. I *knew* that stuff found a new home, just curious where that was :) I just always seem to have things that I NEED to hide in closets. I suppose kids things are a bit more adaptable than my closet full of stuff that must be hung.

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  9. I LOVE it! My kids are all pretty young yet (4 and under) but since we are homeschooling I may use this idea down the road.
    I just love all your ideas and have really been going at my house:-) Thanks for the inspiration!

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  10. Ok, that is so completely awesome!! My seven year old would go bananas over this.

    I have to tell you that ever since I started reading your blog a few months back I've been looking at my own belongings through different eyes. Now I want to "prettify" everything as well as organize it. And I especially love that you are always rethinking and reusing your own belongings rather than buying new stuff. So smart, creative and frugal! You rock!!

    Oh, and because of you I am now the proud owner of 8 white Ikea vases that are all over my house being used in lots of different ways. Those things are like potato chips! Can't stop with one!

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  11. You did it again! =) Fantastic!!!!

    Come organize my closet? Pretty Please? lol

    xoXOxo
    Jenn L
    My Dirty Little Closet

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  12. Just lovely!! I noticed you installed an electrical outlet for the lamp. Was this difficult to do? That would be scary for me to attempt.

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  13. Hi Coco!

    My hubs says, "The install was pretty easy. We had another AC outlet on the reverse of the wall in another room and cut a hole in the closet in the same stud cavity. We then ran electrical wire from the previously installed outlet to the new one in the closet!"

    I say, "It was easy because I got to sit back and watch it happen!"

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  14. That looks great! I'd beg to do my homework too if I had an office nook like that! ;)

    ~Chelsea

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  15. I am a new commenter, and LOVE this. First came here the other day from YHL to check out the insides of your drawers. (Ha ha, couldn't resist! You know what I mean...your newly organized kitchen drawers. Heart them!) And now I'm hooked, and will be back, if you'll have me.

    jbhat

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  16. It looks adorable, but don't you miss your closet spaces? What do you do with hanging clothes?

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  17. We have done a lot of other things within his room to utilize any function lost from the closet. Toys were placed on his open shelves and in other rooms, clothes go in the drawers, hats and backpack will be hung on newly installed hooks and the clothes hamper is shared by all of us in our bathroom. We had little wall space remaining for a new desk in his room, but by utilizing the storage he had via shelving and dresser drawers we were able to snag the great closet space and maximize his rooms overall functionality!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  18. Seriously, Jen, you are the QUEEN of transforming closets! PLEASE come do mine! I'm having a little dilemma with organizing our boys' closet. So much to store, but I need access to a lot, too. And I refuse to get a dresser in there... HELP! IKEA?

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  19. wow- i'm blown away! it looks great!

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  20. Love the new room/closet homework area. You did an incredible job! I'm sure it takes a bit of time to do. I love the picture of the license plate wall map - where did you find that?

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  21. crziesmer, I found the map at AllPosters.com: http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=2642712&CID=A4B23E71CA4645DDB1765F327386C0EF&PPID=1&Search=united%20states%20map&f=t&FindID=0&P=1&PP=165&sortby=PD&c=c&page=1


    Thanks!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  22. As always, I LOVE your blogs, inspiration, creativity and best of all great ideas how low price projects. I wish I was creative like that. You're ideas are great! I wanted to ask, where did you get the dark brown cubbies in the 2nd picture. If it was Ikea, what is the name of the model. I currently use the Ikea Expedit in my home office, but these cubbies seem bigger to be able to fit the plastic storage bins. I'm looking for something like that to store toys in the play room.

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  23. Good Morning Anonymous,

    The bins are truly the Expedit from IKEA. The clear bins are just some Rubbermaid ones snagged at Target. They just so happen to fit magically!! And they are cheaper than the clear bins from IKEA! Score!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  24. I love this! Now that I have my two sharing a room I may have to do this. Thier room actually has two closets, which I think is overkill. They cover an entire wall! So I could easily steal one of them for a desk nook. Thanks for sharing. Love all of your ideas.

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  25. Just had to say how much I love your blog! Seriously, I am going to be doing some big-time organising this week.

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  26. That's just fantastic! What a great makeover, and he has to just love his very personal space.

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  27. I thought I would share my son's closet office with you since you sort of inspired it. I did link up to this post as my inspiration! Thanks so much. Mine did not turn out quite a cute as yours but I think it is pretty cool. Thanks.
    http://mommyinthemountains.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/little-boys-office-nook/

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  28. Hi, I am definitely going to have take more time and look through your blog. It really makes me want to do something! You mentioned shoes in a shoe closet. Is that something you all share or just a space? I really struggle with putting T-Shirts in the drawer. I make the effort to make sure they come out of the dryer and hung so we don't have wrinkles because I don't iron!! Time does not allow and I am terrible at it!

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  29. @Joelle, we used to have a whole closet just for shoes, however, now we have a shoe cabinet instead. Here are the details: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-challenge-project-30-items-in-30_04.html

    Thanks!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  30. Hi-Is the desk from Ikea? I am looking for it but don't see it. What is it called?

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  31. The desk is actually just a piece of painted MDF that we measured and installed ourselves, you can see more of how we did it in this post about our other closet desk here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/08/august-featured-space-bedroom_26.html

    Thanks so much!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  32. I am so glad I found your site! You have been giving me great ideas all day! I have been trying to think of ways to revamp my girls' playroom now that they're getting older. We have a large closet in there that is basically a stuffed animal catch all. I've been wanting to put a double desk in for the girls to study & craft, but this is a much better idea! Now, I can take out the kid table that they never use & put some kind of seating & use the closet for a desk area. Thank you!! (PS-My Husby is less excited that I discovered your site b/c his Honey-Do List is growing! LOL!)

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  33. Loved it so much, we are currently doing our own version!! We love ikea and target too!!
    ~Erin

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  34. HI,


    I love what you did with your little ones room!!! thanks for the inspiration!!! I love target and Ikea... I can shop there for days!! hahaha! my kids only love to go there cause of the kid care thing they have!! I was wondering if you don't mind sharing what is the orange paint you used on the wall for the top??? I noticed you changed it in the "home tour section"!! love your work!! thanks again for the inspiration!! the room looks awesome!!!!

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  35. Amazing space!!!! And I love his expression on the reveal...so sweet! I did that with my son 2 summers ago...redid his 'baby' room while he was in Michigan visiting grandparents. His reaction when he got home made me bawl! (I'm kind of a bawl baby, anyway). but just last week he rearranged the room...I'm trying really hard to not take it personally! :/

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  36. Love it, but what I'm wondering is where you moved the clothes to?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have done a lot of other things within his room to utilize any function lost from the closet. Toys were placed on his open shelves , clothes go in the drawers, hats and backpack are hung on hooks and the clothes hamper is now shared in the guest bedroom.

      xoxo,
      Jen

      Delete
  37. Where are those amazing bookends from?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were from Crate & Barrel quite awhile ago, since discontinued.

      xoxo,
      Jen

      Delete
  38. Hi, I have been working on the upstairs linen closet today. I cleaned it all out and organized to where I have 2 empty bottom shelves. I've decided to make my kid's a desk area in the closet. The closet is right between the kid's bedrooms. So it is perfect for them and its a double closet. So nice and long. We will be going down to Orlando, FL in August to the IKEA store and I plan on picking up a few things while we are there. I am super excited!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Jen - LOVE your blog! Love your closet idea and I'm in the middle of transforming my daughters, I hope to show you pictures some how...

    But I had to ask how you got the lamp on the wall. Does the base have a hole to hook it?

    Thanks so much!!
    Jodi

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jodi!

      The lamp was intended to be a wall light so it had mounting brackets on the back side of it.

      xoxo!
      Jen

      Delete
  40. Fabulous idea, my eldest daughter is 12 and it's so hard to give her her own personal space for homework and projects etc. Loving your blog, slightly addicted though!

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  41. Hello Jen, I'm attempting to re-vamp my... ENTIRE HOUSE... okay so that's quite the lofty dream, however it will happen, in time! I guess one room at a time :).. This is a fabulous idea, we have just recently downsized and I am still in the process of purging - I'm thinking this will work well for my son's room (combined with that great idea you had for your brother's room with the wardrobe & chalk paint!)... I'm so happy to have come across your site - all your posts are amazing, and I'm doing my best to absorb all your brilliance!

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  42. Hey! So I am in the process of changing my 3 boys (9,7,& 5) old playroom to their room with 3 desks for homework and possibly a crafting area for me! Where did you get that cute chair? I want to find something fun and bright for each of them, but not too matchy-matchy, because they are all soooooo different!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hey! So I am in the process of changing my 3 boys (9,7,& 5) old playroom to their room with 3 desks for homework and possibly a crafting area for me! Where did you get that cute chair? I want to find something fun and bright for each of them, but not too matchy-matchy, because they are all soooooo different!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi!

      The chair was from IKEA, I believe they still sell similar items.

      xo!
      Jen

      Delete
  44. I would like to know where you got the metal frame with the plastic drawers in his old closet. Came to you via babble.com on fb.

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  45. Love this idea. Where does he keep the clothes that need to hang? Obviously, he has the dresser for most of his clothes. But the shirts that were hanging in the closet before? I'd like to do this in my son's room, but am not sure what I would do for his clothes. Thanks!

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  46. What about more "delicate" items. I think this is such a good idea but I am wondering about storage for collared shirts and more high maintenance clothing kids may wear for church or special occasions. Especially as they get older items like this multiply! Otherwise I would not hesitate to do this!

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  47. What about more "delicate items" such as collared shirts or fancy dresses kids might wear to church or for special occasions? I would love to do this but I feel like the more high maintenance types of clothing wouldn't have a home. Did you run into this problem?

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  48. Wow, this is terrific! You have some great organizing techiques! But what did you do with the clothes? And how are the items hanging on the peg board, are there special clips? And finally, what about the lamp - did you put an outlet in the closet or run extension cords?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sandy,

      Clothes are stored in drawers. You can see here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/06/conquering-clothing-clutter-kids.html

      The pegboard came with special clips that are intended for pegboards.

      And yes, there is an outlet wired in the closet for the wall lamp. :)

      xo,
      Jen

      Delete
  49. the whole thing is awesome but I really love the towel bar for the roll of paper! I wish I had a closet that I could do something like this with!

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  50. You have inspired me!

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  51. Hi Jen! Just want you to know I featured you on my blog! I know this is an old post, but I love the DIY closet office. :) thanks for continuous inspirations! :)

    http://southernbellesoulmountainbrideheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/orange-you-glad-i-have-office-diy.html

    You can check out the post there!

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  52. This is a great idea Jen and so doable for many!!! I love it :) I'm pinning later tonight to the BHG project board :)

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  53. Hey, where did you get the pegboard??? CUTEST idea!!! ^_^

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  54. I found you through Pinterest with some other link and have really been enjoying perusing your blog. Your ideas work! I especially appreciate the way you upcycle so many items, like the soup cans, the crystal light container, and of course, the baseball stand!
    Thank you for sharing your ideas. You are an inspiration.

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  55. I glanced through previous posts & didn't see anything about this....i love the license plate map. I have googled it but wondered if it's a print or the real deal?! Thanks :)

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    Replies
    1. It is just a poster print. :) It's Aaron Foster License Plate Art.

      xo!
      Jen

      Delete
  56. The bedspread & pillows are awesome! Where did you find such cute things?

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  57. Unfortunately i can't find the bedspread on either site. Bummer, my son saw ur site & really liked it!

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  58. What did you do with all the stuff from his closet, like the clothes on h angers and the laundry hamper?

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  59. How does he get the paper from the roll? Pull it and tear it or cut it or????

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  60. One more about the towel bar for the paper- how do you get it on the bar or refill it?

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    Replies
    1. We have to remove a small screw from the bottom of the towel bar holder and somewhat un-assemble the bar and replace the roll. We found that we didn't use it as much as we thought we would, and the roll wasn't once replaced in over two years. xo!

      Delete

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