DIY SHELF – WARDROBE ORGANISATION – CREATE MORE SPACE

Needing more space to get organised? Well this little project may well be the project for you. 

The area I decided to recreate was the walk in wardrobe in our master bedroom. It lacked personality, was boring as hot chips without chicken salt. It also needed a little more organisation and storage. The first project I worked on in this space was the creation of a shelf in our very empty area at the top of the robe. We have a super high ceiling and lots of wasted/empty space. I also wanted to incorporate a new shade/colour scheme and elected to go with a raw wood and black look to ensure flow with our bedroom. 

The shelf was super easy to make, and to install, and a cheaper option than engaging  a cabinet maker. I chose a premium pine from Bunnings, and some Porta Pine to create the brackets. The reason I went with this option is that I had a 2m plus area to work with, and no support area in the centre; and wanted a minimal look. 

I cut all my own wood at home as I have all the tools, however you can either measure up and take the measurements to your local Bunnings and get them to cut your wood to size or use either a circular saw or jigsaw to cut your wood to length as required. 

What you will need cut:

1. Premium Pine for the shelf for the length of the area you are working with. Ensure a snug end-to-end fit.  
2. Porta Pine in 3 pieces. The left and right piece to match the size of the width of your shelf. And a single longer piece to sit along the entire length. Mine required a length of approx. 1m.

I only needed to give the shelf a very light sand, as I wanted a raw finish look to the wood. I used my Ryobi Hand Sander- a great little tool for small projects. I used a 180 grit sand paper. If you don't own or have access to a sander, there is a wide range of hand sander tools you can get your hands on, otherwise the old fashioned way of sand paper wrapped on a wooden block and some elbow grease will do the job! Otherwise check out the hand sander options here 

How to:

1.I pre-drilled some holes into the wooden brackets. The drill piece was a touch smaller than the screw I used. Then two drill holes on each of the smaller ends,and three on the middle one.

Note- I recommend that you use a stud finder to find the studs and if possible place the screws into studs

2. I then measured the height all of the way around the wall where the brackets needed to be mounted. I did this the super easy way to make sure it was exact all the way around by using my measuring square as pictured below. 

2. You may need a second hand to screw it all into place to keep the wood straight/level, otherwise if you are more experienced on the tools just grab the drill and get on with it. 

2. Once all screws are in place, place the length of wood on top and voila! PS- Don't forget to check it is level with a spirit level.
3. Optional- to secure the shelf onto the wooden slats you can always pop on a bit of wood glue , and don't forget to wipe off any excess that oozes out
4. Finish off with some screw caps if you desire

 Materials for UNDER $50 summary:

- Premium Pine $34

- Porta Pine for brackets

- Screws we just used some that were laying around at home, otherwise you can easily pick up set screws at your local hardware store 

- Sandpaper (Start at as little as $1 a piece)

Optional/home supplies:

- Black Screw caps ($5.80) Also come in various other colours

- Varnish or coconut oil 

- Drill or Phillip's head screw driver

- Jigsaw or circular saw

- Electric Hand Sander

- Spirit level

I trust you have enjoyed this easy DIY shelf project and that you will enjoy the rest of the transformation of our wardrobe to be a more functional, friendly and stylish space. 

I hope I can help guide and inspire you in making your wardrobe a lovable space and I can't wait to share many more projects with you! Please reach out if you need help or would like to chat about a project.

Big love

Ange x