Reader Inspired By My Closet

I got these cool photos from a reader named Sommer. She was so inspired by the IKEA closet system I have in my bedroom - she decided to put one together for her home office. I absolutely love my closet, it comes in handy living in NYC! What do you think of hers??

                                                                         Nice right?

Above is the closet in my room & below is Sommer's IKEA closet system.

Love the marbled paper she used. You can find them via paper mojo.   

If I ever decide to change the animal print paper in my drawers - I'd choose something like this. The gold hardware we both used can be purchased at My Knobs.

- top 2 images by janis nicolay
- bottom 3 images by sommer parvino

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My NYC Closet

Hi everyone! This has been a busy week - I'm very much looking forward to the 3 day weekend. 

Thanks once again for all your support & kindness. My husband says he is going to take me away for the weekend to do something fun - he tells me I need to clear my mind & relax. I feel overwhelmed with work - in a good way though.
  

Speaking of work - our apartment is featured in the new issue of Style At Home magazine - it's the organization issue available in news stands all over Canada! Supposedly this issue will be available in new stands until next year, very cool! I have gotten many emails asking about our apartment here in the city & since the apartment is now featured in the magazine, showing you photos isn't a problem. Here we go!

So excited! Let me start with my wardrobe.

 I say "my" because only I use it (for the most part). Below is what was supposed to be 'our' bedroom closet. Even though it's bigger than most NYC standard closets - it wasn't going to fit all my things. 

It was certainly a challenge trying to find an apartment with good closet space here in the city. Living in Las Vegas & having a huge mini-boutique as a closet, was great.  Unfortunately, I had to give all that up to make it work here.

So, we thought it was best to go to IKEA & buy something relatively inexpensive and similar to what I had in LV. This time I chose a closet with doors & all white. This IKEA closet system is called PAX wardrobe, the doors are white BERGSBO.

 

I love the white wardrobe, it's so bright & pretty, but a far cry from the space I used to have - don't you think? Now, instead of in a closet, my wardrobe opens up to our bedroom. I can't say I love having doors on my closet, but I definitely LOVE the way the doors look!

  

oh chandelier, I miss you! 

In order to make things interesting, I decided to give these IKEA drawers a more hip look. I lined the inside of all the drawers in a leopard wallpaper.  The same wallpaper I used in LV wardrobe above.

Then I added my jewelry - neat huh? I love how much more interesting it makes it appear!  You can add any color or style of wallpaper - just as long as you don't glue it. I recommend using double sided tape, it should hold just fine.

My friends always point out the hardware - they tell me it makes the inexpensive IKEA wardrobe look high end. I'd agree. In fact many of them didn't even think it was IKEA! The brushed gold pulls are the same ones I used on the floating shelves here. The hardware can be purchased at myknobs.

images below by janis nicolay

I donated several items of clothing & handbags before I moved out here- I only kept the ones I knew I would use. Do you keep extra handbags & never use them?? 

I am trying NOT to do that anymore.

Check out the newest issue of Style At Home magazine where more of my apartment is featured as well a great organization tips! Next week I'll show you our living room! 

So, now you know how I made my IKEA wardrobe look CHIC.

cover image via decor happy

Have you had to downsize your wardrobe?

Let me know what you think of my NYC wardrobe.

Thanks to my husband for building the whole thing, he's amazing. Stay tuned!

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A Stylish Dressing Room

The lovely Mai - a fellow blogger who blogs at A Cup of Mai, emailed me photos of her new dressing room! She put it all together on a budget & WOW is it it pretty or what!?!  It's super girly & fun! I really like how she incorporated the shopping bags into the frames!  I think I saw this first on Moth Design & was so impressed with this idea! I love name brand shopping bags, don't you?? 


It really gives Mai's dressing room a boutique sort of feel. She said she put the whole space together on a BUDGET & that the most expensive piece (which she purchased at full price) was the mirrored vanity! 


Let Mai know what you think of her space! Leave a comment! 

Source List:

Mirror Vanity Table- Pier1 Import
Louis Chair- gift
Storage Shelve- Home Depot
Clothing Racks- Target
Owl Tray- Urban Outfitter
Hand Astrological Jewelry Stand- Urban Outfitter
Frames- Ikea and Michaels
Floor length mirror- Home Good
Chevron Rug- RugsUSA

Walls- Benjamin Moore Feather Grey

Art Print - Holstee

-all images via a cup of mai

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Real People, Real Closets: Gloria's Closet...

Hello everyone! I'm still here.....and guess what?!? 

I have another cute closet sent to me....this time by Gloria from A Little Paint blog. All things considered, Gloria has a pretty small closet. However, she managed to highlight things by painting the walls a blue color & adding some turquoise hangers for interest! And....how pretty is that chandelier??

Here's Gloria explaining a few things about her closet:

It definitely is not a Mariah Carey, but it works for me. It's completely average in size, so I worked some magic to get it to function to its fullest. I found some old drawers, painted and mounted them onto the wall and its the perfect spot to stash my belts and other accessories. 

My favorite part about it is how girlie it is. I love that it is MY personal space and I didn't have to be conscious of my husband when putting it together. As far as what's inside... It's the dresses that I love the most. 

It may not look like it, but I have about 75 dresses crammed in there. Okay, wait, it's definitely a tie between the dresses and the chandelier.

Do you have a closet you'd like to submit to Made by Girl for consideration?? Email me here.

 -images by Gloria 

 

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Camila's Closet Space in Brazil...

Camila lives all the way in Brazil & it's so cool to see what others from across the ocean have done with their closet space!  Camila says that she recently did a RENOVATION in her home & told us that her closet was one of the most important parts of the re-do! 

She decided to take advantage of every inch of space by placing her office & closet within the same area. It works out quite nicely - don't you think?? Looks super cozy too! 

Get to know Camila a bit more by heading over to her blog: I Am Leaving Today! 
 

This configuration would be extremely convenient in SMALLER apartments where the space is very limited! 

 

Thanks Camila for sharing your wonderful closet space with Made By Girl!

-images by camila

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The benefits of built-ins and fitted furniture done right

There are many advantages to choosing fitted home furniture. One of the biggest advantages of this type of furniture is the amount of space that you can access compared with free-standing furniture. Many people are increasingly pressed for space in their homes, with items of furniture that are full to the brim. This means that any extra items that need to be stored often end up causing clutter on the floor or being left on the top of wardrobes and desks, getting covered in dust. This is of course impractical, as it leaves you with less surface area and also negatively impacts on the appearance of your home, making it look messy and uninviting.

A Real Transformation
Fitted furniture, however, transforms the look of your home, making use of every inch of your room for storage, unlike free-standing furniture which will almost always leave huge, wasted spaces in comparison. With fitted home furniture, not only do you get to eliminate the excess clutter for a much cleaner, tidier appearance, but the furniture itself also makes your home look more seamless, with wardrobes that stretch from floor to ceiling. You benefit from furniture with smooth lines and no ugly gaps. This can be a particular issue when you are looking for furniture for a room that is of an awkward shape, for example one that has tricky alcoves or that is impeded by a sloping ceiling, the latter obviously a frequent issue for renovated attics.

Since I work from home, a nice home office is a must. When I finally settle down and decide to live somewhere for more than one year, I will definitely be investing in an awesome desk and shelf system. I LOVE built in bookshelves.

What a gorgeous entertainment room - rooms which are often so hard to make gorgeous!

If my closet were half this orderly and efficient I'd be a happy girl.



Versatile Furniture
Fitted furniture can also be incredibly versatile. Remember that this type of furniture can be made to measure, meaning that you do not have to settle for the shape of furniture that you see on the manufacturer’s website! There are many fitted home furniture designers who can create ingenious solutions for your room so that space can be freed up in ways you never thought possible. This allows you to create a solution for each room so that not an inch of space is ever wasted in any part of your house. The space that becomes available as a result actually makes each room look bigger, along with being much more appealing due to the outstanding individual designs you can request on custom-made furniture.

A wide range of fitted furniture can be purchased, meaning that you can make your home look truly seamless by introducing the same style to different areas of your house, from bedrooms and box rooms to loft conversions and guest rooms.

disclosure: this post is sponsored by Neville Johnson

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