They did a study once where they scanned customers brains before entering The Container Store and then again leaving (with all the organizational goods) and found that dopamine levels had spiked – and not just because of shopping (which as we all know, does give you a high) but they concluded it was due to the hope/prospect of a more organized version of yourself is just so thrilling. Now, that might be an urban legend, but it rings true to me. Take this, for example – we have the most rundown garage ever (close to 200 years old and not maintained) and then a “hoarding house” next to it full of so much stuff (the goods and bads) that it can’t possibly stay organized. So while this garage rehab was quite the business investment, the value that I’m getting out of it is not just good for business, but incredible for my emotional inner world. I’M SO EXCITED. If you want to be a gold star reader, you could watch the Youtube that we made (Gretch and Marlee are killing it at this!!) and please, please, please like and subscribe (it’s so good for the algorithm which helps other people see the video – it’s rough out there!).
Where We Came From… The Before
The befores are pretty spectacular – “rundown” being a wild understatement. So my brother’s company (Afore Construction) set off to restore it, using the same footprint, the same structure, most of the original wood and posts (shout out to old growth wood – while some were too rotten from rain and had to be replaced or scissored, a lot were solid and remained in tact). It took a few months and cost far more than I want to publish on the internet (over six figures), but she is incredible now. She is weatherproof, with functional electricity, a new concrete floor (in one bay), new doors (on all), cadet heating for winter, and super sealed up. Spider proof!! (We hope… those harmless yet terrifying wolf spiders are INSANE).
We ended up cladding all walls and ceilings with pine tongue and groove to ensure that it’s a finished out space that allowed for the most flexibility, while being obviously really pretty. The end use is definitely prop/tool storage, but it’s pretty big, so in the summer, the team might work out here and certainly do DIY projects.
So, essentially, we have three walls that we could put storage on. But what kind of storage? Deep Shelves? Cabinets? Drawers? Bins? Peg Wall? So I made a list of what we really needed to store and what would be the best way to keep them organized long term, while being easy to access.
- Need to be in drawers/easy access but closed:
- Everyday tools for easy access nails, screws, command strips, batteries, zip ties, glues, tapes, sharpies, crafting tools (but not supplies – are those in bins?)
- Design materials: fabric samples, wood samples, wallpaper samples, paint (Samplize and paint decks), hardware samples
- Bath props and office props – pretty soaps, scrubbers, bath oils, pens/pads, small trays
- In bins or drawers:
- Specialty tools: drills, paint sprayer, small saws
- Table linens, napkins, placemats, (could be in cabinets: flatware, dishware, glassware, prop mugs)
- Large art:
- Need good solution – rolling rack? Small art or uframed art – lay flat in drawers?
- Pretty things for shallow shelves (too deep makes it hard to reach):
- All vases, vessels, sculptures, cute small things, vintage collections by color
- Big things for large shelving (need to be deep to stack two rows):
- Lamps
- Large vases
- Pillows?
- Bins of vintage fabric (so many)
- Bins of Fresh towels, bathmats
- Planters/pots
- Medium art?
In the big storage unit (not in this garage, the next garage): furniture – vintage and furniture line samples, rugs – big and small, camping stuff + sports stuff, all holiday, bins of memorabilia, vintage stuff that I can’t seem to quit.
IKEA To The Rescue
So I set off to shop for storage furniture that would provide both cabinets, drawers, deep shelving, and more shallow shelving, closed and open, AND ALSO LOOK GOOD. I knew that a whole room of open shelving would look busy and messy (and I’m not great at say, putting things back in bins on a daily basis), so a combination of open, closed and some with drawers was the goal – some easier access, some labeled for more specific use. I know that our needs are specific – most people just want shelving and maybe a tool drawer in their garage. I landed solidly at IKEA due to price, availability, design, and a lot of options that looked good together (non-spon or traded). But I still had to check dimensions, lay it out, price it out, and triple-check my work. I came up with the plan:
This felt like a solid plan that checked all my functional boxes while still being aesthetically pleasing. This wouldn’t be a garage with 80s Porsche posters over bins of screws – she would be as pretty as she was functional.
The Back Wall – The Prettiest Focal Point
Due to the depth possibility and the shorter ceiling, I thought this would be the best place for a wall of streamlined cabinetry. I chose the IKEA PAX closet system, but designed for shelving and drawers, not closet rods. The kicker here? The green door fronts are so pretty, and I knew they would look good with the below shelving and pop off the pine so nicely. Their online design program was an excellent user experience, and everything was added to cart, including every hinge, shelf, bits, and bobs. Incredibly easy.
I chose the 39″ cabinets (wider than the slimmer ones) and, as you can see, chose shelving on top and drawers on the bottom. I winged it a bit, opting for mesh drawers on the bottom, not really knowing why, but figured maybe something would be good to put in those (paint materials? dirty drills? prop slippers?).
Once installed, you can see how it worked IRL, which is exactly like the design. And yes, we hired IKEA Task Rabbits to put everything together (took one day, although we put on the doors later so that we could shoot it open like this at first and waited on the shelves to plan out what height we needed with specific props).
The West Wall
For whatever reason, this was the wall that I dedicated to deep shelving – not 12″ or 18″ but tall, wide, and deep for big bins and lamps. Obviously, there is a lot of flexibility here, and it’s not like I measured every lamp or pillow. I love the green and black design of this BROR unit (thank you, IKEA, for caring about aesthetics).
The East Wall
This wall is shorter, having the door to the other garage along this wall. This seemed like a great place to have a combination wall – shelving on top, cabinets on bottom. And here is where I wanted slightly more shallow shelves because I have found that trying to reach back really deep to grab a vase can be annoying (or things can break easily). So here we chose the BROR line as well, in green. I definitely considered the rolling cart/table, hanging cabinets, peg wall – all the other options in the line, but I knew that we would have a huge worktable in the middle, and I’ve had peg walls before with less success. We needed pretty open storage for my pretty things, and the BROR shelves created that.
Once installed, we spent 2 days bringing over everything we needed (and purging). I gave so much stuff away to neighbors/friends, Aurora Mills (OG architectural elements – doors, bathtub, original built-ins), Rebuilding Center (random lighting, pedestal sink, bathtub), and then a decent amount of just gross spider covered pillows or random junk had to be donated or thrown away. We stored all our backup tile, paint, and window screens in our basement since we really will only need those in an emergency. I’m VERY excited to show you the results in a couple of weeks. I find myself going into the garage in the morning with my coffee and just tinkering, rearranging, admiring – it’s such a dream and will be so good for shoots, as well as my mental health (LOL).
Again, don’t forget to watch our Youtube video all about it. It’s so fun, I promise:)
*Prettier Photos by Kaitlin Green