Open Concept Closet: a DIY
DIY project; Removing the closet door; Adding a bench and shelf; Shopping your home for decor your can use; Pretty and practical.
Closets can be a real doozy to organize and keep tidy. Some are big, some are small (and some are the size of Montreal lol) and they all vary with their purpose within a household. They are usually full of stuff which makes it hard to establish a plan to tackle them in the most effective way.
Not sure how to go about reorganizing your closet? Have you thought about removing your closet’s door and reassessing its usefulness? If this is as far as you’ve gotten in your thoughts and ideas and aren’t sure how to move ahead, stay with me. I’ve got you covered with a step-by-step DIY project to revamp your closet and help you keep it organized.
As I mentioned in of of my previous blog post titled “Closet Solution: remove doors“, having everything out in the open will keep you accountable as to what you have in your closet and it will keep you from over stuffing your closet or shoving things that don’t belong in it.
My inspiration for our front entry closet was from a picture I saw on Pinterest from The Orange Home blog. I love her simplistic style and felt like I could make that style work in our home while adding my own twist to it.
Here is what the closet looked like when we started the project. I noticed that when guests came in our front entry, they would either not always feel comfortable enough to open the closet door (not knowing it was a closet where they could hang or store their things) OR the closet door would get in the way of the entry door and would cause a traffic jam of guests, coats and shoes. Oh My!
Take it Off!
We started by removing what was in the closet. Since this closet is a front entry guest closet, there was not much in it other that a wire shelf, hangers and a decorative basket. Once that was removed, we took out the door and all its hardware.
I hated the fact that I was removing a perfectly good door that was only 2 years old. My backup plan was to use it to possibly concealing the entry closet opening by using the door (we had just took off) and transforming it into a barn door. The addition of a barn door is also a great “in-between” solution if you are not completely committed to removing your closet door and leaving the inside of your closet visible to everyone.
Now it was time to patch all the holes. We used pink plaster for any holes in the wall. As for the holes in the door frame, we used wood filler first. Once dry and sanded I added a layer of plaster. Then I smoothed everything out by sanding it.
Painting time!
I could not wait for this step!!! Why? My inspiration and idea for this closet was to paint it black! Yup! You’ve read that right. Black. I decided to go with Sherwin Williams Tricorn black. Since I had the exact name and the colour code, I was able to go to my local Home Hardware store and get my exact colour done.
Funny thing is that I was not even a bit worried of painting the inside of this closet black. I think I tend to question my paint choices a little more when it comes to rooms or spaces but NEVER with closets! I feel like it’s the perfect place to experiment, have fun and be bold!
I decided to do the entire closet (walls and ceiling) in black as well as all the trims for a more dramatic effect. It took me just 2 coats to cover it all. It probably helped that the previous wall colour was light.
Measure Twice, Cut Once!
Now that the painting stage is done, it’s time to build my vision. I measured the inside space of the closet to be able to build a bench. I knew I wanted the bench to look as custom as possible so I measured the entire inside and then went to the hardware store to get what I needed.
Here is a list of the material I got at Home Hardware for a total of $72.70 CAD:
- 3 2x4x8 pieces of wood
- 3 1×12” planks of pine
- 1/2 lbs. of screws
Prepping my Supplies
Once we got home, we cut the 2x4s per my measurements and dry fitted our bench frame. Once the pieces were all cut, I sanded them and then started painting and staining them.
Since I wanted a bold look, I chose to paint the bench frame as well as the shelf support in black and stain the pine boards for an added effect of contract on the black.
The stain I used is one we use all the time! We love the colour and the quality of it. So much so, that we use it anywhere we can lol The brand is Sikkens and the colour is Dark Oak. It’s best for a piece staying outdoors since it’s oil based so if you use it for an interior piece, be sure to let it air out properly because it has a strong smell.
One coat of stain and 2 coats of black and we are ready to build!
Assembly time!
As for the height of the bench, I based my decision on the height of the hall tree bench we have in our mudroom. Being that I wanted the top of the bench to be 19 inches from the floor, we installed the 2×4 back piece 2 inches lower than that.
I was going for a “floating” bench look so it was very important to screw the bench support where there were studs in the wall. A stud finder was of great use for us to accomplish this. Marking the studs with a pencil was probably not the best idea being that the wall was black but we made it work. Next time, I will try using a piece of chalk. As we were screwing the bench base pieces, Hubby thought of adding blocks in each corner to solidify the structure.
We could have screwed and attached all the pieces using a pocket hole jig but chose to keep things as simple as possible being that this part of the bench would be very rarely seen by anyone.
As you can see we started with the back support for the bench and then added the side pieces. Now for the front and middle part.
This point is the perfect time for you to test out your frame and make sure it’s as sturdy as you want it to be. If some additional support needs to be added, you have good access to do so being that the pine planks are not installed on your base yet.
Now for the top shelf. I didn’t want it to be as deep as the bench or else guests sitting on the bench would possibly bump their head on it. For that reason, I chose to do only half of the bench’s depth.
Now, we just needed to nail everything in place to make sure it wouldn’t budge. We used a nail gun but this could very well have been done with nails and a hammer.
Finishing Touches
I filled the screw holes on the surface with wood filler. Once it was dry, I sanded it down and touched them up with black paint for a seamless look.
I then added some black hooks that I found on Amazon. The set I used was very reasonably priced and came with both the hooks and screws. I also gave a few coats of Minwax Polycrylic on the bench to protect the stain from fading being that it will be a high traffic area with guests sitting on it.
I then started to shop our home to find items that I could use to decorate this little nook and make it feel inviting. I found an extra cushion cover (that I got over 10 years ago at Rossy) and slipped it on a cushion I was not really using. I found this gorgeous lumbar cushion at Home Sense and ended up only paying the tax on it because I had a gift card.
I reused the white basket I had in this closet before. I also found the plant and clock in our home and decided to add them in this space.
The Cost
All in all, I feel like this project was very reasonably priced. My husband and I are very handy so we were able to make this ourselves (and I’m sure you can too) and didn’t have to pay someone else to do it.
This is where money was spent for the project for a total of $118.53 CAD.
- Wood & screws $72.70 CAD
- Black Paint $33.34 CAD
- Hooks $8.75 CAD ($24.99 for 20 hooks)
- Home Sense cushion $3.74 CAD (I had a $25 gift card)
As for anything else that was used and that is not listed above, we already had on hand in the house.
The Final Look!
Tada!!! Now we have a very functional, spacious and inviting front entry closet for our guests to use when they come in. I’m so happy with the final product! So much so that I sometimes turn the light on in the closet and just stare at it.
We ended up no longer wanting to add a barn door to this closet and would rather keep it open and show its beauty.
Now that you’ve read my blog on Closet Solution: remove doors as well as this one, do you feel like there is a closet in your home that you could convert into an open-door closet? If so, let me know in the comment below and share this post with your friends and family.
