CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

Where Do You Store Your Halloween Gear?

casasugar — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:30:09 -0700

Now that Halloween is over, you've got to put your crazy costumes somewhere. Depending on your getup, you may be able to recycle it, but many of you may need to make room in your closet. And of course, some of you may not even be getting your trick-or-treat on this year. Where do your costumes go?Source

Where Do You Store Your Halloween Gear?

I toss 'em.

I recycle 'em.

I donate 'em.

In the closet with the rest of my wardrobe.

In the attic or basement.

In a separate closet.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

How Do You Store Your Shoes?

casasugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:30:38 -0700

If you're sitting pretty like Blair Waldorf, your designer stilettos are neatly stacked in your custom closet. But, if you're more like Yours Truly, your ballet flats are piled up like Legos and plastic trucks in a kid's toy box.Source

How Do You Store Your Shoes?

Neatly on my custom closet shelves!

In individual boxes.

Piled on the floor (à la Leaning Tower of Pisa).

Stashed all over the house.

On an overdoor/hanging compartment bag.

On a floor shoe rack.

Other, I'll tell you in the comments!

Would You Transform a Closet Into a Craft Area?

casasugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:45:28 -0700

I'm intrigued by this closet, which Lovely Design turned into her sewing space. It's so perfectly organized, and it actually looks like a workable space. In one issue, ReadyMade showed readers how to transform closets into office spaces, craft corners, and even bedrooms, and Lovely Design's closet looks adorable and functional. I'm now tempted to transform one of my closets into a workspace. Would you ever do this? Source

Would You Transform a Closet Into a Craft Area?

Definitely! It would be perfect for finally getting my crafts organized.

Maybe, if I had a closet I could sacrifice.

No, I need all of my closet space!

Other, I'll tell you in the comments.

Do You Have a Coat Closet?

casasugar — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:30:03 -0700

My architect friend who grew up in Florida and now lives in Los Angeles refuses to draw coat closets (or front hall closets) into his plans, because he swears no one wears a coat in those warm climates. While Floridians may not be in the habit of sporting hefty wool coats, I think even a narrow closet should be a requisite for every home. It's simply good manners to offer your guests a place to stow their gear — even if it's just a light cotton blazer. Does your home have one? What are your thoughts?

Do You Have a Coat Closet?

Yes, I have one!

No, no coat closets in my house.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Su Casa: Amers230's Closet Solution

casasugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:30:57 -0700

Su Casa member Amers230 recently shared an inventive solution to her overcrowded closet. She writes, "I recently switched rooms with my sister, and while the room itself is bigger, I lost some closet space in the deal. My bags were literally falling out of my closet and hanging off of my bookcase. I had no idea what I was going to do with them until I got the new Ikea catalog in the mail. Page 202 was my answer. It showed a girl's room with some pan racks hanging on the wall, holding various accessories."

"I also have a small entrance hallway to my room which was just dead space at the moment. I decided to go with three of the Grundtal dish racks because the silver matched other items in my room and it was a bit smaller than the other options. I also ended up buying five five-packs of the matching hooks (which I'm not exactly in love with because the hook portion is actually quite small. I may switch to regular S hooks at some point)."

To hear how Amers230's using her new closet solution,

Cool Idea: Closet Case

casasugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:20 -0700

If you were thorough with your Spring cleaning this year, you might have found yourself with a closet to spare. For some of us, storage space is at a premium, but others might just be short on work space. If you fit this profile, consider turning a spare closet into an office.
You can store your books and files on high shelves and then install a plywood shelf across the closet to serve as your desk. The greatest thing about this trick is that when guests arrive, you can easily shut your closet door to hide all that paperwork that inevitably piles up. If you already have a chair in the room which can serve as your desk chair, you're all set. And if not, you can store a folding chair under the desk to pull out when needed.
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How-To: Share a Closet With Your Main Squeeze

casasugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:45:11 -0700

If you've grown accustomed to the relative luxury of a closet space that belongs to you and you alone, it's often a reality check when you move in with a new spouse. Many times, your former sanctuary of neatly hung dresses and perfectly aligned heels is interrupted by the need to share that closet space with your honey's stinky sneakers and college sweatshirt collection. If closet space is at a premium at your home, and you're suddenly splitting one closet's space between two people, there are still ways to get around the possibly distressing mess that this closet can become.

To see my tips,

Su Casa: A Coveted Closet Renovation

casasugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:03 -0700

What girl doesn't long for a big walk-in closet? Well, Haze decided to make that longing a reality when she and her husband remodeled the child's room, located directly off of their master bedroom, and turned it into a walk-in closet. This is definitely much more than a small change, and I admire Haze's hard work and impressive results!

She writes,

I don't have the "before" photos but you'll have to trust me when I tell you that it was a mess. There was a vintage 1970s drop ceiling, paneling, and a cheap-o brass light fixture hanging from the ceiling. Sometime, before my husband and I moved in together, he had decided to "redo" the room on his own and started ripping the paneling off of the walls. The original plaster underneath was all but completely destroyed and it was down to the lathe in many places. We also needed to replace and rerun the the vintage 1930s wires to the outlets in the room.

To find out how she built it,

Cool Idea: Shoe Closet Bulletin Board

casasugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:33 -0700

Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2008 contestant Stephanie lined the back of her shoe closet shelves with cork to make use of the space as a bulletin board in her small Chicago apartment. Not only is this an efficient use of her space, but it makes the daily rush to get dressed just a bit more interesting, and can be used as a reminder to get certain activities done that day, like go to the post office, pick up dry cleaning, etc. It also keeps the sort of papers, business cards, and souvenirs that you want to keep, but not necessarily display, private and out of your guests' eyes. Otherwise, a bulletin board in the kitchen or at your desk might look cluttered, or reveal unpaid bills, etc. that you don't quite want to share with the world. Are there any nooks in your home where you can recreate this idea?
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How-To: Organize Your Hangers

casasugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:45:43 -0700

Organizing your closet is not an easy feat, but one small change that'll rock your world visually and functionally is organizing your hangers. It also doesn't have to be a particularly expensive change, but it can be if you get picky and fancy. Since squeezing into your skinny jeans is already enough of a hassle, here are a few tips that'll expedite your daily-dressing ritual.

The Cardinal Rule: match your hangers. Matched hangers don't only create a closet that is aesthetically pleasing, but things will be equally spaced and therefore easier to find, and less likely to tangle, meaning fewer wrinkled clothes.
Use the appropriate hangers for your clothes. Use skirt hangers for skirts, pant hangers for pants, etc. Don't try to find a way around it like pinning your skirts to a pant hanger! Make sure your hangers are appropriately sized for your clothes; otherwise, they'll fall off and leave stretch/poke marks on your clothes. If you sport strappy tank tops, camisoles, or dresses, buy hangers that will actually hold them up (i.e. ones with hooks or slots). For silk tops that tend to slip off the hanger, buy fabric hangers or those with a rubber grip, so they stay hung up and not in a ball on your floor.

To hear more of these tips,

Open House: How Do You Ready Your Closets For Spring?

casasugar — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:18:55 -0700

Spring is finally here. That means, among some other Spring projects, it's time to examine what's in your closet and shed some layers. So for this Open House, I want you to tell me all about your plans, if any, to update your closets for the change of season. Do you box and store your Winter wardrobe to make room for your lighter apparel? Do you leave all of your clothes in your closet year-round? Do you store your ski gear and bring out the surfboards as the snow melts and ocean temperatures rise? Do you haul your snow tires to the attic? Do you move your wool blankets to the back of your linen closet? Do you keep your out-of-season items in a cedar closet? Do you toss receipts that are so last season? Do you pull out your melamine picnic plates? Do you shed the junk you've collected (and hoarded) during the year? Will you be making a trip to the Container Store to stock up storage boxes? Or, is the idea of "Spring cleaning" your closet of no interest you? Fill me in on your plans by commenting below.
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