Typically, if you ask someone what their must-haves are in a home, storage is going to be at the top of the list. This was no different for us. In designing our home, we have been meticulously intentional with our space because we wanted enough storage, but didn’t want extra square footage that would go unused.
These built-in storage shelves in our primary bathroom are a perfect example of how function and beauty came come together seamlessly.
Although pretty to look at, the function of these shelves is actually twofold.
# 1
Defines the space.
The first job these shelves serve is creating space definition between our bathroom and closet.
Because this is our forever home, we wanted everything to be easily accessible, so we put our primary bedroom, bathroom, and laundry on the main level, in close proximity to one another. An en suite bathroom to our bedroom was a no-brainer, but we took it a step further and added our washer and dryer directly in the closet space that is also connected to our bathroom.
To define the bathroom from the closet/laundry spaces, we added these built-in shelves. They help to separate the open-concept space as you leave the bathroom area and enter the closet.
# 2
Storage
The second and primary job of the shelves is to obviously serve as storage. The footprint of our house is only around 1,250 square feet, but what we lack in floor space, we more than makeup with ceiling height.
We used this to our advantage and installed the shelves from floor to ceiling.
How we did it:
Starting 30″ from the floor, Andy used 1″ x 2″ oak pieces to frame out the perimeter of the shelves, approximately 1 foot apart, going up the height of the opening we designed during construction. Then, he used 1/2 inch maple plywood for the shelves and 1″ x 3″ oak pieces to finish the fronts, leaving us with 6 – 31″ x 21″ shelves.
After the construction was complete, I filled the nail holes, sanded everything down, and stained the wood to match our bedroom hardwood flooring. With all the tile and white fixtures, I wanted some wood to warm up the space.
You can check out the staining project that turned into a complete disaster here.
In theory, it was a “simple” DIY project, but it ended up being a lot more work than I anticipated, which is OKAY because, in the end, I think the result was well worth the work and the lessons learned.