Yikes, Jamie, that must have been the original model way back when! It sure does look shabby and old! Mine doesn't have the added feature of the ironing board, which I'm sure, turned out to be something no one used. Being oak, like mine, though, I'm sure it's one VERY heavy dust-catcher ;^D Terriks, I'm glad that you added that pic here, too. I love your idea and I LOVE that it was a DIY project. I'm really hoping to find ideas that DH & I (and anybody else here) can do ourselves. Bumblebeez, what kind of containers do you keep your shoes and purses in? Yesiyesi: sorry, but I'm afraid to click on your link. I have a strong feeling that it's SPAM (which is not allowed here) and that's where a person can pick up all sorts of nasty trojans, etc. Torsade: I'm excited for you, too. Please keep us posted on your closet changes and I'm anxious to see the final outcome. It sounds like a great idea. You might even consider adding a shelf above your new seating area to take advantage of any extra space. Oofasis: I, for one, am not laughing . . . that's a good question. But again, only speaking for myself, I'm so desperate for a good, reasonably priced solution for my many shoes that I'd happily deal with any dust them . . . but that's just me ;^D KSWL: all great ideas, thank you!!! I agree that someplace to sit is so handy. We keep our convertible chair/step stool in the chair position for that reason (and because it's too heavy for anything else!). I've been wondering about those telescoping rods you mentioned and am glad to hear that they are a good investment. I'm now going to try and incorporate a couple into our closet reno. Sasha'sM: You know, ever since I posted that one pic from the ClosetFactory's website, I've been trying to locate that kind of super-susan made for clothes. So far, this is one of the only places that seem to carry something similar: "Ovis Cabinet Organizers" I don't know if one would work in our closet, but it seems to be a good, practical idea for some people. You definitely can get one if Closet Factory does your closet, though. Bharensi: Your closet sounds wonderful! I know that I speak for many of us when I say that we'd LOVE to see pics of it if you ever want to share them with us. Good idea about using a dehumidifier. Here in New Mexico, we don't have a humidity problem, but for areas where it's a problem, that's a good, practical idea! I also like that yours is a DIY project. Using the GW dresser and all of your other ideas are good, reasonably-priced solutions that we all can use. TFS! Lynn

So many people with issues with parents...sad. I was loved, I had toys and gifts,dresses, dolls, books, sport stuff, games,I lacked for nothing . But as I got older, I think I tried to "recapture" my childhood. As an adult, I loved antique shows, flea markets, garage sales. Any time I saw something we had in our house growing up, I had to buy it. I even bought too many rose bushes and planted them in my garden, trying to re-create my Grandma's rose garden. I now have a linen closet stacked with doilies and tablecloths I'll never use, sets of fancy glasses too fragile to use, things like that. Oh, and on the funny side, my daughter cleaned out my bathroom just yesterday. She found eleven bottles of Listerine. I don't know, I hate the stuff, it burns... I remember buying one bottle because it did everything, whitens teeth, freshens breath, makes gums healthy, strengthens the enamel. I'm just always looking for something to make me happy.

Different look with raised cabinets. This needed a photo! About the ref, pantry and what you posted - the surround for the refrigerator can be drywall and you don't have to have a cabinet to have a pantry. If you use plywood instead of 2x4's to make the surround for the ref and pantry, you end up with a much thinner wall AND it can support a bunch of weight anywhere. All of the plans are interesting. I'd be hesitant to give up a pantry - even if it was only 24" wide. Some of the plans above are large enough to consider a cooktop with separate ovens. Personally, I might stack a speed oven and larger conventional/convection oven. A speed oven does triple duty (micro, thermal or both). When you look at them, go stand in your current kitchen and think about (1) the orientation of the chef while cooking (which way are you facing and where would you prefer to be facing), (2) whether you need to worry about another person doing cleanup, (3) do you need to support seating in the kitchen at all? (4) given the plan, will you ever use the dining room, (5) You are already thinking about storage requirements... There is a certain quantity of stuff that each cook needs at hand and it's somewhat personal by also somewhat controlled by space available nearby for infrequently used stuff. Different people will have different answers as to how much storage is enough and every answer may be different. The same person in two different physical spaces may answer that question differently or in different ways at different points in their lives. One of the things we did with fascinating results was to pack up everything while under construction except for things I really needed to run a temporary kitchen. When we were finished, we only unpacked what we needed when we needed it. The stuff that STILL remained packed two years later got shipped off to Goodwill. If your partner/family are good sports, you could purge now. It will give you a really good feel for how many square feet of storage you'll need.

What a waste of space and money! I’d pull everything out and start over. Larger fridge freezer area with full depth over fridge cab the whole width/depth fitted with full extension pullouts and cutting board/tray storage.