Besta shelving unit as linen closet

I’m very pleased to report that our linen closet no longer is a big hole in the wall but very neat and glossy storage unit: Quite a departure from the original structure, don’t you agree?:After ripping the original old shelves out, we went to Ikea and got this shelving unit to insert into the niche instead. It fit the space almost perfectly. As you can see, it was a bit short at the bottom; we used leftover Ikea kitchen cabinetry legs (that can be adjusted to the desired height) to lift it up: And just like with out bedroom PAX but only at the bottom, we closed it off with a white plank and a bit of caulking: The glossy door was on sale to our luck so we got it too to close off the future mess inside:): I haven't finalized the inside organization yet. For now it's just shelves. But I am very tempted to play around with other Besta system interior fittings. Like this mirrored shelves that can be used as a bar, maybe? Or these drawers that can be added later on? Love the endless possibilities and the convenience.
Once again, thank you, Ikea:)

Nursery: PAX corner wardrobe installed

Last week I shared our storage plan for the nursery, this week I’m showing you the end result. The piece (or two pieces) fit in like it belonged in that corner. The inside drawers and shelves are exactly what I wanted and where I wanted them to be and  this whole set up saves us the need (and $$) to get a dresser for this room:  What I love the most about this wardrobe is its permanence. We are determined to have this piece for as long as we can to accommodate the growing baby and use until it’s time go off to college!:) For now, there is enough space to fill in, but if we ever need to, we can always add more sections either to the left or right sides later on.
Since our corner unit is only 201 cm high (as opposed to 236cm option), it only came with one shelve. I wanted to get one more to install in the middle but Ikea doesn’t sell them separately. We’d have to get crafty and cut one out ourselves one day.
The corner looks pretty different than before and it's a big relief to get one step closer to having the room ready:

Another great media shelf solution

Every time I mop the floors in our living room under these guys, I’m so greatful that we attached them to the wall – makes mopping so much easier! So easier that it was enough to convince one of our friends to have a similar media set-up in his cozy condo: Unlike us, S had a little more space to play with, so he was able to choose deeper Besta shelves that are more capable of storing things: To polish off the look completely, he also added this glass top, which helped unite three units better: Very minimal and modern, great solution, S!

Nursery plans: PAX corner wardrobe

This weekend, V and I took care of storage. Storage is our main concern considering we only have 600 sq. ft main floor. We have another few on the lower level where stuff can go (and it does, unfortunately) but on the main level, we are pretty tight. We try to keep things simple and not stock up on anything. But with the baby in the future, there will be things to store. As much as we plan to keep those belongings under control and limited to the very necessary basics, there will be things: toys, clothes, shoes, gear, etc.
Back when we were renovating the future "baby" room, we decided to get rid of the closet that was in the room originally: Well, it wasn’t so much of a closet as much as a thick wall sticking out of the main wall and taking up space. It had one shelve, one metal bar inside and two old sliding doors on the outside. It wasn’t functional, it wasn’t built-in and it had to go: V demolished it in seconds and we felt so much better after it was gone (isn't his face expression just priceless?): We figured out that once the time comes, we’d get something instead of it. Now that we are impatiently waiting for the space to be occupied, we decided to fill the corner that we’d freed up with a store bought wardrobe. Ikea’s corner PAX seemed to be so right for the spot. Since the bedroom event is on right now, we went and got one this weekend (V’s assembling it these days): It takes up less space and has lots of storage potential. We can hang some clothes and store seasonal ones without packing them away and bringing downstairs. For little items, we’ve added a side panel on the left that holds shelves, drawers and my all time favourite - basket, which is great for storing shoes. In order to save a little on this investment, we didn’t go for the tallest option but settled on the smaller one and opted out of the high gloss doors. Even though we love them so much on our bedroom PAX, they didn’t seem necessary in the child’s room. (not to mention super pricy)

What do you think? Would you install a corner PAX in the kids room?

Ribba frames, anyone?

Starting today and untill Dec 24, Ikea is selling picture frames at half price. I don’t know about you but with such deal, I’m sure I’ll find what to frame in them:)
Hope your week is going smooth in spite of all the holidays pressure and bad drivers out there.

Media shelf solution for small living room

Considering the space we had, these shelves were a gift from…well, Ikea. 
For us, the very best thing about these particular shelves is their depth – 7 7/8". Anything more than that, and we would loose the valuable space. As I mentioned before, we needed something that won't be in the way of getting to the back door that leads onto patio. Having an option to mount shelves on the wall was another great advantage – keeps the floor surface free. As for storage - these won't hold in much, as you can see, but we also don't have much - so works for us - the minimalists:)

Oh, and I just have to thank one very resourceful blogger, Nataliya from “Style-ing with children” for the advise on the shelves (and many others)! We wouldn’t have found them on our own for sure.

Vanity’s in!

Look at this all white, glossy and super accommodative Godmorgon vanity in its pride. I can't wait to fill in those drawers with my "oh-so-minimal-to-the-point-of-obsolete" beauty products:) But jokes aside, I'm glad there is this much storage as we don't intend to have a medicine cabinet or any shelves in this room. I was worried that it would be bulky for our tight space but once we put it up, it fit in like it was meant to be there. V adjusted the legs so the vanity is up to our desired height and is in a perfect alignment with the subway tile on the wall. There were some issues with water pipes being in the way of the drawers and in order for them to close properly, V had to cut the main pipe and shorten it. It was a bit of a hassle but all worked out in the end, and we’re now one object closer to being done with this room!
Oh, yes, the other major piece got installed this weekend – the toilet. I swear, I was hoping that I won’t have to blog about it, but I kinda feel I have to so whoever reads this won’t make the same mistake we did. Always, always MEASURE the rough-in for your toilet before you purchase one.
We didn’t. It just didn’t even occur to us to take measurements(duh, right?). So this beautiful, dual-flash, modern and minimalistic one had to be returned due to our own negligence (Live and learn!).
It simply didn’t fit between the wall and the sewage drain. So we had to go back to the store and look for one that had an exact 10” rough-in. The only one available with that measurement was this fella that I’m not crazy about.
I guess I’ll have to make my peace with this piece. After all it isn’t really a matter of how one looks but more importantly - how one works, and so far - just fine:).

Fiddle leaf fig plant from Ikea

I am so in love with this plant! How can anyone resist its big, cabbage-like leaves? I can't wait to give this little guy fresh shower, new soil and fresh pot:).
Hurry up to your local Ikea to get your own while quantities last. $16.94 taxes in.

Pantry clean-up

Boy, did I have a productive weekend! I cooked, did a bit of sewing and cleaned the house. Got an incredible satisfaction from doing simple "wifey" chores:) I also finally got time to do a proper pantry cleaning and reorganization:

I came across these President's Choice containers while at Loblaws one day. And since I'm always on the lookout for things that will enhance order in my house, I picked up quite a few.

They’re a bit pricy for plastic containers, I gotta admit, but I love the bamboo lids and their rectangular shape and height are perfect for our pantry. Plus they are very lightweight, which was another selling point for me, since our pantry is made of metal drawers that simply won’t hold multiple, filled with grains glass containers.

I also got a few of Ikea containers for bottom basket drawers. They’re great for storing root vegetables, especially onions - with their messy skin:

 Or for general organization of things in the kitchen:

All and all, I think the pantry is in pretty neat shape, don't you?

Hope you had a productive weekend as well!