Long Time Coming... Kid's Closet!

When I changed the back office to a bedroom almost two years ago, I moved walls, added pocket doors, and reconfigured the whole space for one of our growing kids… but I never quite finished the closet!  I finally got back in this winter and buttoned it up.

The storage needs, after sharing a room for so long, were always fairly light for this kid, but I am so excited for them to have a bit more room to expand and explore who they are as they move into their teenage years.

Getting Started

The first part of the closet was really getting the walls in and insulated!  This was the biggest cold-sink in our basement, and one area that needed some help.  I didn’t want to sacrifice too much usable space, so I opted for rigid panel insulation in this one.  It does the job, and has greatly improved the heat-trapping of this little corner of the house.

I also found that a piece of pegboard used when we first bought the house fits perfectly along one side of the closet: sometimes function comes from the forms available, as was largely the case with this project.  The pegboard is finally being used again, and no cutting needed to be done to get it in.  A major win for this closet.

Other than the framing and insulation, I really set out to use things I had on hand with this project.  When doing the library, I wound up with extra bead board and sections of plywood were still here from when we took the old wall out of the library and office.  Both were used heavily in this office!  I did need to buy about 25 square feet of bead board, but we got through most of the closet without much expense or difficulty at all.

The ceiling was another story: since the closet dips around a corner, I had to cut a very specific piece to fit.  As always, I was glad my frustrations were from cutting a little too big than from cutting the plywood a little too small.  In either case, after a few rounds with my jig saw, it was in.

Finishing Touches

Last up was paint and finishes: I am a forever fan of white in storage spaces, so I used the SW Dover White (6385) that I had on hand over everything.  The casings had been waiting since we did the room for installation, and I’m happy to say those are finally in too (but not quite stained… I’ll do those in a bigger batch later).

The little dresser inside was the entry dresser my sister used for years, but she’d upgraded to new things, and the hanging rod is from a long-gone closet in what is now our library.  The more I’ve been doing this year, the more I’m getting things pared down and put where they should have always been.  It’s been a great change for me, and this closet should be a great spot for the kid.