Walk In Closet Make Over

I spent part of my weekend at my parent's house, helping my mom with a couple of projects. One of the main goals on our to-do list was tackling the recently renovated guest room's walk in closet. This closet is an area that serves several purposes. First of all, it is a space for my mom to store her sewing machine and gift wrapping supplies. Second, it serves as a place to store extra towels, sheets, blankets, and toiletries for guests (as well as their luggage.) In addition to all of those functions, this is also where toys for visiting little ones are kept. (If you haven't guessed already, I have a very LARGE family and my parent's home is where everyone convenes, so the large guest room gets used A LOT!) Here is a 'before' shot of the closet; 

In an attempt to make the closet space more functional for not only my mom and her crafts, but for guest's as well, I thought that going with some built in's would work best. I came up with this quick design in order to get an estimate from a carpenter:

 

  

After realizing that built in's wouldn't be the most cost effect route (once you add up time and material, the cost would be well over $400) we decided to go with a pre-maid closet system. Off to Lowes and Home Depot I went, to research something I knew nothing about!

I decided to go with a Rubber Maid Customizable Closet Kit. Because of the awkward, unused door in the walk in closet that leads to the master bathroom, in addition to the large window in there, we were very limited on where shelving could be installed. The customizable kit that we purchased was $117 from Lowes and seemed to fit the bill just right! 

After a few hours of careful planning, installation and. . . waaalaaa! The closet was transformed into a more functional space for my mom and guests alike. 

  

  

Next on the agenda is painting that eye sore of a door (I'm thinking a fun, funky color!?) and then addressing the sewing/gift wrapping area on the adjacent wall. Here's a little picture I found for inspiration: 

via Centsational Girl

I am hoping to get the entire make over completed in the next few weeks and will keep you posted! Since we are on the topic of closets and dual functionality, do you have a closet that you use for something other than just clothes? (I blogged about my closet turned office here, in case you missed it!)