Early last year we decided to accept reality and allow our dining room to become the art room/ workshop ~ an intentionally creative space.
In the meantime, it has also become the playroom.
This means that I can work with Rowan alongside of me, engaged in her own work of play.
This also means that it gets cluttered VERY quickly.
(I can't show you pictures of that, my mother might see!)

One of the challenges of the space is the collection of boxes and totes housing my less used supplies such as yarn, wool scraps and scrap tees. I want them handy, but hate looking at them!
And the fabric. The ever growing stash of fabric!
Last week I decided to tame the fabric stash by adding a shelf and putting them on makeshift bolts.
When I went to the basement for the shelf, I spied the doors.
The pair of unfinished bi-fold closet doors.
All glorious, slatted, 8' of them.
*choirs of angels sing*

Perfection!
The slats are giving enough to hold fabric, draped in such a way that I can see what I have in stock at a glance. And the height and hinge-iness (yes, it is a word! isn't it?) make them perfect room dividing screens for hiding the boxes.

A quick trip to the hardware store.
A lengthy debate with Rowan about colours~ somehow she assumed she had a say (who taught this child to have a mind of her own?!)!
I knew I wanted turquoise.
I fought for plum.
But carnival pink won out (and I do like it!).

We purchased:

• 2 quarts of paint (one would have done it, if we stuck to one colour) (semi-gloss latex)
• foam and standard brushes (the foam worked way better on the slats)
• 100 grit sandpaper

How we did it: 
1) Prep the Doors. Our found doors needed a good cleaning/ dusting. I also removed the hardware from the top and bottom of the doors (from being hung) to make them stand more securely and to avoid scratching laminate flooring.


2) Sand the doors lightly, all over.  If they are a wood with a grain you expect to rise upon painting, seal with a coat of shellac, sand it, and then begin painting. If they are already painted, sand well for best adhesion of the paint.  Ours were unfinished so a quick buff was all they needed.

3) Paint 'em.  Our painting day turned rainy and humid so we spread our two coats over 2 days to ensure proper curing of each coat.  The slats are very time consuming and fussy (be warned!).  The lower flat portions are perfect for short painters (IE. your child).  This was a great project for teaching Rowan (almost 6) basic painting skills!
First coat finished:

4) 'Install' them! We let the doors cure for 24 hours and then we placed them in the room~ what a great change! It brought a much needed large splash of colour (the neutral room is full of colourful things, but none in a solid presence like the doors).  I had just received a large fabric order, so it was a joy to hang it all on the doors (and instead of filling a couple of totes, it barely made a dent in the storage space the doors afford).

Don't laugh at my big chair with the doily! That chair is ideal for reading stories~ lots of snuggle room and two great big arms for children to perch upon!

What creative storage solutions have you got? Please do share!♥♥
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