I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don

On Jan 24, 12:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

You could simply hang a length of dowel rod typically used for closets.
You can buy it in any length. Get a metal bracket that hangs from the
wall and also gives a place for a shelf. Or, hang a dowel rod directly
from the ceiling from eye screws or toggle bolts attached to a chain
which is wrapped aroung the rod.

On Jan 24, 12:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

You could simply hang a length of dowel rod typically used for closets.
You can buy it in any length. Get a metal bracket that hangs from the
wall and also gives a place for a shelf. Or, hang a dowel rod directly
from the ceiling from eye screws or toggle bolts attached to a chain
which is wrapped aroung the rod.

On Jan 24, 12:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

You could simply hang a length of dowel rod typically used for closets.
You can buy it in any length. Get a metal bracket that hangs from the
wall and also gives a place for a shelf. Or, hang a dowel rod directly
from the ceiling from eye screws or toggle bolts attached to a chain
which is wrapped aroung the rod.

writes:

I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

Ikea would probably be happy to replace that.... Perhaps they had a
defective run of board.

I too have had fabulous luck with Ikea products.

--
Todd H.
http://toddh.net/

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don


Something like the following?

http://www.officedepot.com/textSearc...binet&x=23&y=8

On Jan 24, 12:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don

I would certainly contact Ikea about the broken unit.

I know some of the stuff is very flimsey and difficult to move without
something pulling out.

You could get one of the hanging rods on wheels (Kmart , walmart, etc
have them . )

Kmart used to have some cheap wardrobes in their furniture area.

wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don


There are lots of antique wardrobes, made for the days without closets,
but they do not hold very much.

You might be able to adapt a TV cabinet, with doors above and drawers
below, but that again doesn't hold much.

Kitchen cab. mfgs. make cabinetry suitable for bedrooms, offices, dining
rooms, etc. You could use them modular style, put a platform base with
casters or gliders.

You could also hang a draw drapery on the ceiling and enclose a plain
old coatrack. Or, use the same idea and just build a simple frame to
support the closet rod, perhaps a shelf across the bottom.

Think about shopping antique malls and barns.

We received an armoire from my grandmother-in-law that is 3+ ft deep,
10 ft long and 7 ft tall. It consists 3 separate areas - 2 "closets"
for hanging clothes on each end and a 5 shelf storage area in the
middle, each with it's own door. It is a massive, solid wood knockdown
unit from the early 1900's. It's a beauty!

Perhaps you could find an antique that will fit your needs.

On 24 Jan, 13:59, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don

You should be able to find a real wood one online. You might need more
than one though, they do tend to be small.

On 24 Jan 2007 10:59:45 -0800, wrote:

I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!


Come on... this is alt.home.repair, not alt.buy.it.in.a.can.

Build one.

Out of plywood and planks.

On 24 Jan 2007 13:06:06 -0800, wrote:

You should be able to find a real wood one online. You might need more
than one though, they do tend to be small.


If it's gotta be shipped, it's gonna be small. Another argument
for building one on site.

On Jan 24, 12:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for
non-permanent closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don

You can get an antique wardrobe for about $500 - $1000. As others have
said, they vary in size, most are about 4 ft. wide by 20 inches deep or
so. If it's an old house, that's how big the closet would be if it
were there! The nice thing about an antique is it's real wood and
should last, and incidentally not be so dang heavy as a particle board
one. If someday you move and don't need a portable closet any more, it
could become an entertainment center, or a way to keep the dust off the
winter clothes in the attic, or whatever. Or it could be sold back to
the antique store.

On Jan 24, 4:51 pm, Goedjn wrote:
Come on... this is alt.home.repair, not alt.buy.it.in.a.can.

Build one.

Out of plywood and planks.

Wuss. I would build it out of cinder block and use rebar for the hanger
bar.

You don't say where you are...
A decent furniture maker can put exactly what you want together for a
reasonable cost (and he can use real wood...). If you are anywhere near New
Hampshire, I would be glad to offfer my services (see
http://home.comcast.net/~j.duprie/NWM.htm for my website

--JD



wrote in message
s.com...
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

I found an ikea wardrobe that fit across one wall perfectly- approx 18
in deep and 6 ft wide. But the particle board shattered when I stood
it up. Say what you will, but no ikea product collapsed like that for
me before. the screws just popped the particle board right out like it
was made of potato chips.

So Ikea is out, but I cannot find a similar retailer who has a wide
wardrobe/armoire/storage type product. All the wardrobes I find are
"entertainment centers."

I've got recommendations for installing kitchen cabinetry, but has
anyone done something similar or have recommendations for non-permanent
closets in a small space?

I am having trouble finding online resources for this problem.

thanks!

Don

On Jan 24, 1:59 pm, wrote:
I have a bedroom in my house, approx 12x12 that doesn't have a closet.
It's also not large.

Be careful: from a real estate and assessment standpoint, if it doesn't
have a closet, it's not a bedroom.

As to your question about solutions, it would help to know how you plan
to use the room. Is it going to be your bedroom? A child's bedroom? A
guest room? Do you want to store clothes? Hanging? Flat in drawers or
shelves? All are important considerations.

If you don't mind the look, a simple and low-cost way to go is a closet
organizer kit installed on one wall. Alternatively, if you want
something freestanding you could buy those metal shelving units at a
place like Lowe's and install hanger bars using 1x3s and plumbing caps
to hold the bars in addition to using the shelves (something I did at
seminary as my particular dorm room didn't have a closet).

The problem I foresee with kitchen cabinetry is you can really only use
the full-length pantry-style cabinets for any hanging. Though, I will
say, the idea of refitting an Ikea 18" wide pull-out pantry cabinet to
have a hanger bar instead of shelves is REALLY intriguing.

Do you have enough space to build a permanent closet with a door? If
so, that might be the best way to go, especially if this is going to be
a more-often used bedroom.

Thanks for all the responses. I know I tread on thin ice by posting
about furniture here, but over all this is the most active and
intelligent of the home message boards. I got 12 responses quickly.
So I appreciate that.

Ikea refunded my money, by the way. I had two of the units shatter so
either I'm not competent to put it together or there was an issue with
their materials. The doors and other hardware were great, but the
particle board couldn't handle the weight.

This is a child's bedroom.

Because the room is small, around 12x12, I was hesitant to convert
something that would remove 18" + from one wall. Even without a
closet, these rooms are considered bedrooms in our city. A friend has
an older house down the block and every upstairs room is called a
bedroom- 7 of them!

I had seen a room 30 years ago that had cabinets ringing the ceiling.
It affected the feel of being in the room, but otherwise could work.

I am hesitant to install metal racks or closet organizers and cover
with a curtain. I think that's a recipe for an unattractive room
particularly when I imagine a 9 yr old refusing to pick things up.

I'm not seeing the wide wardrobes at antique stores, so I'm still
looking.

I paid a woodworker a bargain amount to build bookcases a few years ago
and would do it again. I'm around Washington, DC and could work with
someone in NoCarolina who had an online site and delivered.

thanks,

Don

On Jan 26, 3:15 pm, wrote:
Thanks for all the responses. I know I tread on thin ice by posting
about furniture here, but over all this is the most active and
intelligent of the home message boards. I got 12 responses quickly.

Yea this board I follow and have learned a fair bit. You are not
really on thin ice cause folk around here are fine with ingoring posts
they don't like.

A nice chest of drawers is an alternative to hanging things and far
more space efficent. Most things that can be hanged can also be folded
esp childrens clothing. I am looking a a nice chest myself as an
alternative to hanging.

If you own the property then I would suggest you consider building a
closet in the room. It is a very practical upgrade to any bedroom
which is almost certainly worth the trouble.

Also post to rec.woodworking with description of the problem AND where
you're located. Have seen many responses offering to help by building
what is needed.

On 26 Jan 2007 13:15:31 -0800, wrote:

I paid a woodworker a bargain amount to build bookcases a few years ago
and would do it again. I'm around Washington, DC and could work with
someone in NoCarolina who had an online site and delivered.

On Jan 26, 4:15 pm, wrote:
[snip]
Because the room is small, around 12x12, I was hesitant to convert
something that would remove 18" + from one wall.

I understand completely, having just spent half this weekend looking
at teeny-tiny rental houses in Hagerstown, Maryland, where my wife and
I are moving for my new position. A room 10.5x12 is just too small for
anyone over age 3.

A thought I had since you mention you're in the Dee-Cee area: a few
years ago my wife and I bought some very nice upright chests from SCAN
Furniture (three stores in D.C. area and one in Columbia) with drawers
on the right and a door on the left. I took out the shelves and used
some maple 1x3 to craft braces to rest on the shelving pins which
would hold a hanger bar. The whole chest is fairly compact - 4' high
by 3' wide - but holds a great deal and the top is treated with
polyurethane to resist (for a while at least) that wet drinking glass.
Might be a possibility?

Even without a closet, these rooms are considered bedrooms in our city.

Even by the real estate and tax assessment laws of your county/
township? Wow, I'd hate to try selling your friend's seven bedroom
house when only a couple rooms have closets! Yikers...

"Kyle" wrote in
oups.com:

On Jan 26, 4:15 pm, wrote:
[snip]
Because the room is small, around 12x12, I was hesitant to convert
something that would remove 18" + from one wall.

I understand completely, having just spent half this weekend looking
at teeny-tiny rental houses in Hagerstown, Maryland, where my wife and
I are moving for my new position. A room 10.5x12 is just too small for
anyone over age 3.

A thought I had since you mention you're in the Dee-Cee area: a few
years ago my wife and I bought some very nice upright chests from SCAN
Furniture (three stores in D.C. area and one in Columbia) with drawers
on the right and a door on the left. I took out the shelves and used
some maple 1x3 to craft braces to rest on the shelving pins which
would hold a hanger bar. The whole chest is fairly compact - 4' high
by 3' wide - but holds a great deal and the top is treated with
polyurethane to resist (for a while at least) that wet drinking glass.
Might be a possibility?

Even without a closet, these rooms are considered bedrooms in our city.

Even by the real estate and tax assessment laws of your county/
township? Wow, I'd hate to try selling your friend's seven bedroom
house when only a couple rooms have closets! Yikers...



really old houses did not have closets;people used wardrobes,a big cabinet
you hung your clothes in. Antique stores will have them.
Back then,people did not have so many clothes as today.

(they didn't wash as often,either!)


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

This is a child's bedroom.
Because the room is small, around 12x12,
without a closet

When we built our house a couple of years ago, we wanted to maximize the
space in the two smaller (12x14) bedrooms by not building in closets.

One of the rooms is my home office, so I have a bookshelf, my desk and a
bank of wall cabinets over the desk to store additional supplies. We also
have a piano and a treadmill in the same room with plenty of room to spare.

The other bedroom is my daughters room, and I built a pair of armoires to
sit on each side of her window. The one on the left holds her games, toy's,
and other similar items. I have a divider in the one on the right, giving a
rod to hang long clothes, and two rods to hold shorter clothes. In the area
between the two armoires I built a window seat with four drawers underneath
to store socks, underwear, and that sort of thing. She even displays her
dolls and stuffed animals on top of the armoires. This gives her much more
storage than a closet and dresser would have, and takes up very little
space in the room. They're basically just cabinets, and any cabinetmaker
should be able to build armoires to fit the space. I would recommend doing
as we did and make the shelves, closet rods, and center divider removable.
You never know what you'll want to do with the room in the future. Once my
daughter moves out, I can take out the closet rods on that side and install
more shelves. It'll probably become my wife's craft room.

Since your room is a childs room, you might want to consider drawers and/or
cabinets UNDER the bed. Beds take up most of the space in a room, so why
not make use of that space. Depending on how high you make the bed, you
could store a lot in that area. I've seen ready to assemble systems that
include small closets and even a desk under the bed.

You also might want to search around for "dorm ideas". College dorms are
usually very small and people have come up with lots of creative ways to
make the most of the limited space.

Anthony

Since your room is a childs room, you might want to consider drawers and/or
cabinets UNDER the bed. Beds take up most of the space in a room, so why
not make use of that space. Depending on how high you make the bed, you
could store a lot in that area. I've seen ready to assemble systems that
include small closets and even a desk under the bed.


SOmething like this?

http://www.kistefosmobler.no/uk/16-ned.htm

On Jan 30, 1:07 pm, Goedjn wrote:
Since your room is a childs room, you might want to consider drawers and/or
cabinets UNDER the bed. Beds take up most of the space in a room, so why
not make use of that space. Depending on how high you make the bed, you
could store a lot in that area. I've seen ready to assemble systems that
include small closets and even a desk under the bed.

SOmething like this?

http://www.kistefosmobler.no/uk/16-ned.htm

That bed is Amazing. Anyone work with that company?

Don