Project: The Master Bedroom Closets

Don't get me wrong. I love my San Francisco house. It's quaint and charming. Built in 1928, with old growth wood framing, plaster walls, and picture rails. The problem? Decades of use as a rental and little to no maintenance. Yes, I have a tight budget too, but it's so sad to see how this little old beauty has been run down.

The worst part of the house? The closets!
All were dank, nasty, and smelly. Shabby but not chic. They were so sad and depressing. Sure, I could have filled them with clothes and hid them. But where's the joy in that? The "master" bedroom had two closets. Both in serious need of repair. Closet 1 was the larger, main closet, original to the house, with peeling wallpaper everywhere. A long, sagging rod spanned the whole length of the closet, and there were 2 shelves on top. The ends of the shelves and the rod were impossible to reach and use.

Closet 2 was a smaller addition from the 50's or 60's. Less depressing, but also horrible.

After much "discussion" with the fiance, I opted for fragrant red cedar lining, ipe trim, and special-ordered metal hardware. An easy project in concept, it turned out to be painstakingly time-consuming. As anyone living in an older house would know, no two walls in my house are square, so each piece of cedar had to be measured and cut individually. After much work, here are the completed closets.

Closet 1 (above): Cedar lined and with cedar shelves. We put double bars on each side (his and hers) which increased our total hanging capacity and allowed us to "walk" in to reach the high shelves at the top. Even though the space in the middle is sort of wasted right now, it's much easier to get to the clothes and we actually can fit more in. Eventually, we'll either put a long mirror in the middle, or build a shallow system for purses, belts, shoes? We haven't decided on that part yet.

And Closet 2 (right): We put several 1" thick solid cedar shelves for sweaters and folded clothes, and a hanging bar for dresses/pants. The closet is wonderfully fragrant and keeps the moths away!

There are a couple more touches to be added still, like the full length mirror inside Closet 1, but overall, we're very pleased. It's now a joy to open those doors and put our clothes away!