As we were building the cabin it quickly became clear to me that I would have to find a way to store my clothes.  When designing it, we tried to keep the layout as simple as possible because we didn’t plan on living in it too long, maybe a couple of years.  Well, a couple years has turned into 6.  And we’re still counting!  So I’ve had plenty of time to figure out the best clothes-storing method for me sans a closet.

When we first moved in we hadn’t built the loft yet.  Our furniture consisted of 3 different sized futons we got from Nathan’s (my boyfriend) parents & a coffee table.   We used the largest pull-out futon as our bed.  Our belongings were spread everywhere.  I still had some clothes at my parents’ house, Nathan’s parents’ house & some with me.  I resorted to storing them in those big plastic storage tubs you can get pretty much anywhere.  You know what I mean.

   These things!

Not the most efficient.  Looking back, I could’ve at least gotten a clear tub so I might’ve had some idea of what was even in it.  I was constantly digging to the bottom trying to find a specific shirt, or just trying to remember what I had even thrown in there.

Once we got a little more settled & got our kitchen & bathroom in working order I was able to take a step back and get the smaller things more in order.  I realized how much wall space we had.  The east wall was mostly windows but the west wall would be perfect for some shelves.  We already had a lot of old barn boards so I figured I could just get some shelf brackets and enlist the boyfriend to mount them up for me.  So that’s what I did!

                                      I found some pretty cheap brackets at Menards.

There is a window between each set of shelves so I took the left side & the boy got the right side.  Or as I like to call them, “The Girl Gap & The Boy Gap.”  Over time I’ve developed a serious addiction to what I consider a must-have if you live in a small space…baskets!  I loooove baskets.  I’m constantly searching for different styles, shapes, colors & materials.  The first type I bought, mostly because they were inexpensive and practical, were these:

You can find these at Target or Kmart & I’m sure at about any other similar store.  (Side-note: Ettie Mittens loves to use these as a claw sharpener.  Whomp.)  Ikea is another great place to find some super cute baskets that usually aren’t too expensive.  Here is one I have from there that was only $8.00!

 

And here are the shelves currently:

The Girl Gap

The Boy Gap (slightly less organized…still working on it)

I’m able to store all of my clothes, except some sweaters and sweatshirts, in the baskets above.  And I know exactly what is in each basket!  I wasn’t able to do this right away.  I came to realize I had accumulated way too many clothes, most of which I was hardly, if ever, wearing at all.  I’ll get into how I downsized my wardrobe to just the necessities in another post!

 

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