TRENDING DIY INSPIRATION – DIY CUBBy BENCHES
Having a place to stash your stuff is key to staying organized. Entryway cubby benches are very popular for storing items when you get home to keep the clutter out of the rest of the house. Get access to the Style Library for storage resource guide based on your traffic flow. There are a lot of great DIY posts for either building your own or converting a vertical storage cabinet to a bench. I love our mudroom cubbies as shoes are readily available (usually a haphazard pile) while out of sight. Exactly the concept I needed for B-Boy’s room!
DIY BY STYLE TWIST ON CUBBy STORAGE BENCHES
I have found that organization for kids revolves around two things:
- A designated spot for items
- Easy access to those items, which usually goes hand in hand with a quick way to put it back
Our boys are three years apart, so we have cycles where they do or don’t share the same interests. At the time B-boy was ready to graduate from a twin to a full-size bed it was a don’t, meaning that I also needed to find a storage solution in his room for things that were no longer being shared. Repurposing a vertical storage cubby to a bed did the trick. I chose these particular cubbies by BHG because they were more substantial to hold a growing boy’s weight and deeper than most so that the open span between the side cubbies would be smaller.
I secured a wood rail to each of the side storage units, so I could attach the wood spanning the empty space keeping the top of the wood spans at the same height off the floor as the cubbies. Full size beds are longer than they are wide, so the end unit is shorter than the side units. With the standard sizes offered, this left two corners of the mattress at the end unsupported, but they are small enough to not be a concern.
The cubby storage bed units do not have a back which means that items could easily find their way to the black hole under the bed. My solution was to add some sort of container to each cubby area. This provides a tidier visual along with an opportunity to add texture or color to enhance your whole house color scheme.
FEMININE BED FROM REPURPOSED STORAGE CUBBIES
B-Boy was very close to being ‘Jaelyn’. While I am not a girly-girl type, I often find myself looking for ways to adapt my DIY ideas to a glam style to demonstrate how just a change in color, embellishments and types of material can personalize any inspiration. This cubby storage bed in purple adorned with some intricate wood appliques (and maybe a luxe bed cover) takes it from simple boy to a feminine touch. Just make sure to prime the laminate before painting.
Want more storage ideas for the bedroom? See a great two-for-one upcycle here!
Leave a Reply