$100 Room Challenge Week 2 – DIY Farmhouse Storage

Hey everyone! It’s week two of the $100 Room Challenge! If you missed week one, I shared what the room looked like when I decided to take on this challenge and went over what I wanted to accomplish in the space. This week is all about storage, mainly for DVD/Xbox games and getting rid of those unsightly cords behind the TV.  Here’s the before:

 

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What a mess! First, we can get rid of the speaker because we don’t even use it anymore along with some of those wires on the floor. Second, I pulled out all of the DVDs and sorted them into keep and donate piles. That eliminated a lot. I actually found an old VHS tape in there, LOL.

I planned on storing the DVDs and games in these crates. I picked them up at Michaels with a 25% off coupon on top of the sale price so they were only like 8.00 each with tax. I love using crates and old boxes for storage like in our mudroom makeover.

 

 

To get the most out of the space in the crate, my husband added a shelf in the middle with thin plywood we had left over in the garage. He attached it with small brackets on each side.

 

 

I got ahead of myself and started staining them before he added the shelves.

 

 

I finished up staining them using Minwax stain in Espresso mixed with a bit of Watco Dark Walnut stain. Full disclosure again, this was time consuming but they turned out pretty.

 

 

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Originally I was going to place the crates back on top of the blanket chest but decided that I really wanted to try to conceal the electrical components. I purchased a gorgeous hutch on craigslist for $50 to use the buffet portion of it for this project but it just felt to heavy in the space. She’s a beast! Don’t worry, that’s a project for another time. 🙂

 

 

So, plan B. I have this old wash stand that I picked up at a flea market years ago that has been kickin’ around my house in different rooms for years. It was in our dining room for the longest time but was just replaced by the new painted hutch I did not too long ago.  We had moved it to the basement and I happened to walk by it one day and thought I could use it for an end table. Then I realized we could use it to hide the components.

 

 

The first step was to remove the top drawer to make room for the electrical pieces. There was no shelf there so we had to make one. My husband used the same thin plywood he made the little shelves for the crates with. Before we could put it in, he had to cut off these little dowels using an oscillating multi tool.

 

 

Once those were removed I slid the shelf right in. I glued it in place with wood glue and covered up the raw edge with a left over piece of pine my husband had on hand and cut to size, which was the same material as the brackets for the crates.

 

 

He also cut a hole in the back for the cords.

 

 

Once the shelf was in, it was time to paint.  I had already stripped the top because I wanted to stain it a darker color to tie in the top of the coffee table and the wood end table already there.

 

 

This thing has been several different colors over the years and although I really like the current sage-y green, it doesn’t really go in this room. I decided on black because of the gray cabinet, the dark gray of the print in the curtains, and the new light fixture (coming soon).

 

 

It looks navy here but it’s black. I distressed where it would normally wear by the handles and some of the edges and then gave it a coat of dark wax.

 

 

Truth be told, I need to re-stain the top and give a coat of poly. I rushed it and didn’t get the exact finish I wanted. It’s always better to take your time. 🙂

Since the wash stand couldn’t hold all of the DVD/games and I didn’t want to stack the crates on top of it, I needed a place for them. All I had to do was move the Industrial shelf that we made from the other side of the room and adjust the shelves up to fit the crates on the bottom. The stain matched perfectly.

 

 

Tip: Use surface protectors on the bottom of crates or baskets that sit on shelves to protect the paint or wood.

 

 

 

Here’s the corner all put together.

 

 

I love the way the black ties the tv with the wash stand and industrial shelf.

 

 

Don’t want to see the DVD’s/games? Turn the crates around…

 

 

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Here’s the breakdown of the budget so far:

• Crates- $16.00
• Surface Protectors – 4.27
• Wash stand – had it
• Industrial shelf – had it, previous project
• Stain – had it from table makeover
• Black Paint – had it from hutch makeover
• pieces of thin plywood – left over from closet makeover

So far, so good. It really does pay to look around at what you already have in your home and think outside of what it currently is to what it could be. Ask yourself, would it look good in a different room,can I use it in a different capacity or should I paint it?  Next week we’ll tackle the wall decor!

Happy DIY’ing!

Col

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Check out some of the other $100 Room Challenge Rooms: