Maybe it’s my upcoming garage project with Strickland’s and their gorgeous new custom garage organization line, or maybe it’s the fact that it is finally warm enough of to start pulling out the beach gear, either way, lately it seems I’ve got garages on my mind (cue Ray Charles…)
This winter marked a year and half after moving into our house, and the garage was the very last space for us to tackle. And let me tell you, we had our work cut out for us (as you will see in the photos I’m about to share). My husband and I took a day off, cleared our weekend plans and finally tackled this behemoth.
In my Garage Dreamland all of our shelving would be replaced with cabinets (remember my words of caution about open shelving in the kitchen? The same rule applies for garages); But for now, we were able to completely transform the way this space feels and functions simply by using what we already had in place, a few cans of spray paint, and a gallon of “oops” paint from Sherwin-Williams.
How did we do it?
Click on the video to find out!
Tip: If the color doesn’t matter that much, be sure to ask about the “oops” options at the paint store: we got a gallon of really nice white(ish) paint for less than $10.
The Results
Here are few ways our lives have improved since tackling this space:
We Know what we have
No more poking around through piles and boxes searching aimlessly for that wrench that’s around here somewhere… I think.
We Know where to put things back
This is critical in the garage. Without a plan, things wind up, well, wherever they wind up! This adds to the frustration when searching for that darn wrench.
WE park both cars in the garage
When we bought our house it was listed as having a two-car garage, but we didn’t really think that was possible. It turns out, once we did some purposeful space planning, we could easily get both cars in (which is really nice when you arrive home during one of Wilmington’s notorious torrential downpours).
We No Longer cringe every time we push that little button on the remote
This was more of a relief for me than my husband. He wasn’t as bothered by the stuff as I was. In fact, he was the one who parked in the garage most of the time because I would rather park in the driveway than come home to that mess every day! Not only can we both park in the garage now, but I also don’t mind leaving the garage door open while working on projects, even if the neighbors drive by.
We Feel Welcomed HOme
I intentionally created a little happy space by the door leading into the house so that we could be greeted properly upon entering our home. Seeing that cute little whale and Duchess’s leash and harness remind me of walks on the beach and sandy sunsets rather than my looming to-do list, which puts me in a much better mindset when walking through the door.
Creating Sustainable Systems
Worried that you’ll go through all this work and have it looking a mess soon after? I’ve found that if you include everyone in the decision-making process and each person who uses the space is clear on where your items “live”, it’s pretty easy to keep the system going. I took the “after” photos you saw in the video this week, four months after we did our initial overhaul. Neither of us wants to waste another gorgeous weekend organizing the garage, which further fuels our motivation to keep it up.
Tip: If you have several people sharing the space, especially children, labeling each designated area is very helpful.
There’s still time to show your garage a little love before the heat and humidity of summer roll in. And if you need help, you know where to find me!
Until next time...
