In my 'Ask Deb Nelson' column I was asked about painting built-in cabinets. We're used to seeing built-in's in a warm white, cream or ivory colour, like in the room above. Typically it's done to coordinate with the trim and other accents in the room ...
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ASK DEB NELSON: ADDING STORAGE
In my column, Ask Deb Nelson, a common theme people write in about is adding more storage, or creating a better use of space. When space and storage is limited you want to take advantage of every nook and cranny you have. Look for vertical space, and building things upward to add extra storage. It seems like everyone has more 'stuff' than 'space', so the first part of the equation is to get serious about editing and organizing. The next step is to look at your own space and see what you change or where you can add more storage. It got me thinking about my own house, I added floor to ceiling cabinets to add a coat closet and pantry by a side door. This is a great amount of storage and is extremely handy to have by the door. There are a number of lower cabinets under the windows too, I use these for shoes, recycling bags, tools, etc.
These are some images I had for inspiration, and I personally really like the look of a cabinet going right to the ceiling and creating more of a built-in effect. In my case I used inexpensive, 'big box' pre-made pieces that had to be customized to fit around beams and are actually 'built-in' and are attached to the wall.
Some inspiration shots below:
And in my house, when the cabinets went in, it looked like this:
And from the other direction:
