DIY Closet Remodel with an IKEA Hack!

     Finally, we finished the closet remodel project! No more living out of suitcases and diving into boxes on a quest for shoes. I eventually gave up on the effort of matching my shoes to my outfits after about two weeks of moving in, it was too much effort for a non-morning person. If flip flops or being barefoot were acceptable at the office, that probably would have happened.

     Anyway, back to the closet remodel; this was a project that absolutely had to be done. This was #2 on the home improvement list when we first viewed the house (#1 was removing the partitions in the dining area). I forgot to take a before picture before we started tearing down walls, but I'll try to explain the previous layout.

     Basically, the original entry to the closet was through the bathroom. The closet space was not that much, as it was just using the back wall and small space in the corner, with a single wire shelf/rack. It was cramped and there was definitely not enough room for all our clothes and shoes. The linen closet was also kind of odd and very deep; there was already a nice sized hallway closet for linens and towels, and we could also utilize the guest bedroom closets to store extra linens if needed. So, we decided to create a new entry through the master bedroom and break down the existing wall, and re-purpose the linen closet as additional space to create a walk-in closet. This created more wall space for shelves/racks, and other closet storage, while we ended up shaving off a few inches in the bathroom by the new angle of the wall to the left, it was worth the extra room to be able to walk through the closet, if we kept the same wall structure, it would have been too narrow to walk to the back of the closet which would defeat the purpose of a walk-in.

So here was the process:

Cut out a new entry through the master bedroom, and took out the door frames for the linen closet and original closet entry. The original wall frame was also removed along with the drywall.

Built a new frame and installed to fit the new floor plan - Meghan and Liz rock! They used a powder load nail gun to fix that frame to the cement foundation - it was LOUD.

New drywall was applied, and Meghan did the tape and mudding on the joints and corners, and sanded for what it felt like, literally 3 months to do both sides of the wall (bathroom/closet).  When the sanding was done, we then primed, painted, and installed baseboards and trim. 

Here is the view while walking into the closet with the new drywall. 

     The hard part now was choosing what type of closet system we wanted without spending a lot of money. We knew we didn't want the traditional wire rack system, so we started looking at natural wood options. We liked the look of the wooden slats, but whoa, the price (about $500+)! I was searching for some inspiration from IKEA, and came across a cool hack using benches (found on ikeahackers). Yep, you read that right, benches:

We also added shelving for pants/jeans using IKEA shelf brackets, and also made our own "floating shelves" using small L brackets and lumber from Lowes for the shoes. Here is the end result!

We've got double shelves/clothing racks, and one for dresses and long sweaters.
 I also made a rack from dowel rods for scarves and belt storage.

IKEA shelving brackets applied to wooden shelves for pants/jeans storage.

Progress of installing "floating" shelves for the shoes

All done!

     This turned out really well. It took a lot of weekends to complete, but we are so happy with it and the extra room and better use of space for our needs was much needed. I love that the entry is now through the bedroom and that all the shoes can be organized. This entire project with all building materials to re-frame the space, and all items for the closet system and shelving came roughly at $250. That sounds like a lot, but to provide perspective, the closet system we found and liked online was price at $265 for the racks only, the shelves would have had to be purchased separately at $150 for the shelf frame and then $50 per pair of shelves (for pants/jeans storage). We not only saved money by doing the wall framing and drywall work ourselves, but we also didn't have to spend $500 or more for the size of the closet system, and that is not even getting to the shoes or the scarf/belt rack! I'm sure if one tried there might have been an even cheaper (and more creative) alternative, but at the end of the day, we achieved the look that we wanted for the budget we wanted to spend. This is definitely a win and a huge improvement for the master bedroom.

     We also took the same concept for the shoe shelves and installed more in the foyer closet. Previously the shoes were all piled on top of each other, then we got one of those expandable shoe racks, but every time you reached for a shoe, the rack would wiggle and all the shoes would fall off. Every. Time.

Now, everything is nice and tidy!

My Best Friend's Wedding Cake - the Process!

February has been a whirlwind - while it has been a good kind of busy, I am glad things have settled down. It has been packed with moving (officially out of my apartment and into the new house!), followed by back to back weddings, one of which, I was making the wedding cake!

This was a really special project, because it was for the wedding celebration of my dear and best friend/college teammate. No pressure. At all.

Not to mention, I had to travel to make this cake, baking pans and all! I literally packed my whole kitchen. I am sure this set off some alarms while being scanned through the airport.

It was an adventure, TSA ransacked my suitcase and broke a few things. I mean, I am all for public safety, and I don't have any issues with the screening process, but why so rough, TSA!? When I got into town, I had to run a few errands to replace some damaged things, but nothing was a lost cause, thank goodness!

This cake was a two day process, using a lot of new design components and techniques I had not implemented before, so I was really nervous - but excited! The wedding theme was 1920's inspired, and the venue was industrial with a vintage flair; so I used the theme and what they told me about their wedding decorations as inspiration. I actually did not collaborate too much with the wedding couple on the cake design since they gave me complete creative freedom, which was nice, but you always wonder if your ideas and theirs are on the same page.

I wish I still had the sketch, but the design of the cake included:

1. Three tiers
2. Gold sequin details
3. Wafer paper rosettes and flowers
4. Wafer paper gold tipped feathers
5. Sugar lace Wafer paper lattice detail

The night I flew in, we needed to buy the remaining ingredients off my list - AKA, had to go on a scavanger hunt for for specific brand ingredients to three different grocery stores. Whew! We went everywhere in Silver Spring: Costco, Safeway, Harris Teeter, and then out of desparation, a random Jewish Deli/grocery store. It amazes me how specific brands are dispersed over so many different grocery chains. What ever happened to the concept of finding it all at one place? Needless to say, I have much more appreciation for Publix now.

After the ingredient hunt, I baked the chocolate cake layers using my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I also made the dark chocolate ganache to let it set overnight.  I then mixed the Sugarveil to make the lace, but it would not set. It stayed tacky the whole time and could not peel the lace out of the mold! I was really disappointed, but I did have a Plan B. I now know I definitely prefer the Clair Bowden sugar lace instead, it is much easier to handle.

The next morning bright and early, I whipped up the Italian meringue buttercream, which was flavored salted rum caramel - so good! I also started to make the wafer paper feather and flower details that would top the cake. The wafer paper, pearls, and gold are all food grade and edible.

Later in the afternoon, I began to torte the layers and fill the cakes with the buttercream, caramel, and dark chocolate ganache. Then crumb coated and ganached the whole cake;  this by far, has been my best ganache work, look at those smooth edges! What I love about ganache is that it sets as a "shell" around the cake, but the consistency is still like a chocolate truffle filling, and makes it easier to handle the cake.

Once the ganache had set on all three layers, I applied the white fondant to prep the tiers for decorating! For my plan B, I had to run back to the craft store an get a Martha Stewart craft punch to create the wafer paper lattice that were to be applied on the middle and top tiers. It was so delicate, the white on white was subtle, but up close you can really appreciate the details. 

For the bottom tier, I used the JennaRae cakes technique that I came across on the CakeBlog to create the gold sequin look on the top on the tier. All you do is apply those little rainbow sequin sprinkles and then "paint" over with edible gold lustre, super easy and adds a wow factor and interesting texture to the cake. I sprinkled a little bit if edible glitter to add some sparkle to the cake, then applied all those beautiful wafer paper rosettes all around the cake. I am seriously in love with wafer paper!

Once the cakes were decorated, I inserted the support dowels, and then the tiers were boxed separately (because I am too chicken to deliver a fully assembled wedding cake, even if it was only a 5 minute drive- it makes me too nervous!). I had awesome helpers to assist me with transporting the cakes (Meghan and Kristin) to the venue for set up. Once at the venue, I stacked the tiers and applied the finishing touches! I said goodbye to this baby and we hurried back to change because it was time to partay! I am getting better at not getting too emotionally attached to my cakes, haha. 

The cake overall came together really great with the theme of the wedding! While I hit some snags along the way and barely slept, Shana and Kahle were so supportive and encouraging, I really had a lot of fun putting this one together and glad I had the opportunity to spend time with everyone. I am so happy I was able to participate in their special day in this way, especially since they have become such important people in my life. I love you both and always wishing you the best!

Home renovation progress - December and January

So far we are about 95% complete with the floors, finished painting the common areas of the home, master bedroom, and guest bedroom. YOU GUYS, the new flooring in the kitchen looks so great! Originally, there was tile with an off center design in the doorway that bothered my eyes. Now it all flows really  nicely!

~Kitchen and Foyer Progress~

Goodbye red/orange laminate floors. You were just too red/orange.

Goodbye smelly gray carpet - you were probably as old as the house.

Tile, you were not bad, but we decided majority rules and put new flooring throughout the house.We will just leave you as a present in case, one day in another lifetime, your new owners decide to rip up the flooring.

Two of the cabinet doors were converted glass door panels - added some trim molding to give it a more finished look and to hide the raw cut edges. Now the cabinets are ready to be painted! This also means our dishes have to be organized. We decided on creamy gray color called "Sutton Place Gray" by Glidden that goes nicely with the mint green color ("Venetian Pearl" by Berh) on the walls and we think will add good contrast to light counter tops and white tile back splash - can't wait to get started on it! 

~Master Bedroom Progress~

Since the master bedroom is in the back of the house with limited natural light, we wanted to change it up to a lighter, vibrant color scheme. The gray in the before picture was actually much darker in person and made the room feel small and kind of gloomy. Going for that coastal theme throughout the house, instead of the usual one color accent wall we decided on an ombre effect. This actually started out to be a blended ombre wall that was a huge Pinterest fail. I could not get it to look right, despite trying every method possible. It just looked really blah. 

It was a frustrating process, so frustrating I accidentally kicked over a can of paint while furiously blending colors on the wall for the hundredth time. I was so disappointed I shed tears. I wish I had a picture of how much of a failure that was to justify why you would cry over paint. I have learned that home renovation can sometimes make you revert back to being a 5 year old when things don't go right. Pinterest might sometimes sensationalize how easy things actually are, just a little bit - but I still love you Pinterest. We cool.

Luckily, we found some quick inspiration via Google image for a plan B using thick horizontal stripes that are separated by light gray lines and we love how it looks more clean and adds multiple colors to the room. I custom mixed the different light and dark blue colors and added some gray paint to tone them down a little. I am super happy with this look! The rest of the room is painted in a lighter gray called "Irish Mist" by Behr. 

#googlewin

Installing the flooring in the bedroom, love the warmth it brings and the contrast to the blues. 

~Other Progress~

Lately, most of what I have been doing has been installing and painting moulding to finish up the floors - it always amazes me what paint can do. The original baseboards were very off white, almost almond color. We went with Behr ultra white to really make the light gray walls stand out more.

We also decided to dressed up the columns, instead of leaving them plain. So bead board and decorative moulding were applied - and it turned out pretty nice. I'm not gonna gush all over this project because I am going to keep it real, this was a real betch to get done. I am so happy it is over. I also found out during this emotional journey that caulk is my best friend.

More painting in the master and guest bathrooms, and repainting the guest rooms as well. I am actually getting tired of painting, I am more and more ready for furniture and styling the rooms! Still, the rooms are not completely ready, but getting there.

Guest bedroom #1
Top color was a full can of paint I found was left behind by the old owners - its called "Palm Breeze" by Behr, I think it may be a discontinued color - but it was free!
Bottom color is Behr "Silver Drop"

For the most recent demolition, we knocked down some walls in the master bath, and also created a new doorway. Before the only access to the closet was through the bathroom - we decided this was no bueno. There is also this extremely deep closet in the bathroom that was kind of odd.

After much though, we decided to use that space to extend the closet into a walk in closet! I can't wait for the drywall to be installed and to start designing our closet space. To give you perspective on how awesome this is going to be, I reserved a wall for shoes only.

Left: future closet space, also going to adjust the door to open outward instead of in, to give the bathroom more space.
Right: New doorway, also moved the light switch from the bathroom to its new location - and trying out the fit for the new door. 

Still lots more to be done, but the moving in process has also begun. So, on top of all the chaos of building materials, power tools, and other tools scattered everywhere - now there are boxes and random items added to the mix. Time to get organized and start making this house into a home!