Closet Redo Phase One

So we actually worked on this project towards the end of the Easter break, but I simply haven't had time to post pictures yet (plus blogger has been down).  Please remember that this is only phase one (we still have lots to do in here!).  This closet is the smaller of the two guest bedroom closets.  The hubby and I are trying to slowly consolidate our belongings into the closet and get rid of the excess as we go along.  Trying to fit my dresses and coats along with his coats, suits and some of his hunting gear into this small closet was a feat in itself. 

Here is the orginal setup:

The shelves were this height on both sides originally, but when we first moved in, my hubby raised the shelf on the right so that I could fit a few formals, bridesmaid dresses, and my wedding dress:

This arrangement worked for a while with my dresses on the right side and a stack of linens on the other, but once we tried to hang clothes on both sides, there wasn't much room left to walk into the closet nonetheless take something off of the bar and remove it from the closet without taking down a few other hanging items with it (oops!), so a design change was essential.  We began by removing all the shelving and rods from the wall, which left us needing lots of putty for all the dents/scuffs/holes etc. left in the wall:

I even made a few dents myself when I first tried to remove a few nails (they were in the stud that was in the corner, so when I used the pry bar, I was actually putting the pressure against the drywall - hence the dents).  Here was my solution to the problem:

Paintbrush with a wooden handle!  Fair warning: after using it to remove all the nails (some were quite stubborn!), the handle did eventually crack and break in two, but it was okay because it was an old paintbrush.

I even had some extra sanding to do because apparently the previous homeowners did some painting once the shelves were installed, leading to this being left behind when the shelves were removed:

The lighting in this picture isn't great, but you can see the bubble of dried paint that outlined the metal piece that the shelf and the rod sat on/in. 

Another future project is to run this cable line correctly through the wall instead of having it come through a rough hole in the ceiling....

... and ending up going through the wall into the bedroom (along with a mess of too much slack line):

For now it has been pushed back up to the ceiling, so during the summer we will fix the problem (we don't have a TV set up in that room right now anyways, so it's no rush).

We also removed the baseboards, sanded them and primed them before re-installing them. When I gave the carpet a good cleaning, I realized that the room's carpet was originally pink, not beige (since the less-used closet carpet was still pink).  I guess it is older than we thought after all.  Good thing we plan to replace it!

Once all the prep work was done, it was on to the design.  In order to add more room, we removed the two shelves and racks from the wall, my hubby cut one in half and then we put them back up in this arrangement on the center wall instead:

We always re-use what we have when we can.  All we had to do with the pieces was to sand them and prime them.  Instant facelift that makes them just like new!

What do you think of the change in the shelves and rods?  Phase two includes adding more storage, which my husband is currently making as we speak ...

Phase Two pictures coming soon!