Comments | joyeuse13: Out of the Closet

joyeuse13

Out of the Closet

Dec 28, 2006 11:16

One of the few things I dislike about our house is the closets. Our apartment in Decatur had walk-in closets, and boy, did those spoil me. Now all we have are reach-ins with bi-fold doors, and the flimsiest, klugiest design you've ever seen. The closets in the master bedroom are one single long space, open in the middle, but with a bit of wall ( Read more... )

elfa, shopping, closets, house

Comments 12

dellaran December 28 2006, 18:43:38 UTC

I would also suggest IKEA, especially if you're looking at wire (rather than wood laminate) shelving. They don't offer as much hand-holding as the Container Store does for Elfa, but the difference in price is pretty amazing. Their wire-shelving line is called Antonius, and you can look at it here online.

joyeuse13 December 28 2006, 18:45:56 UTC

The hand-holding may be worth it. I'll have to wait til I get a price estimate.

castiron December 28 2006, 21:23:42 UTC

I've had Elfa shelves in my closets for about, hmm, six or seven years now? They've been sturdy so far, although I still don't let my son climb them . As long as that top bar is firmly anchored (getting at least a couple screws into studs is wise), it'll be fine for clothes.

Elfa is pricey, yes. But you can add to it gradually and spread out the cost over time, and you can move or add shelves easily as your needs change. (That said, something like Closet Maid at Home Depot or whatever Ikea sells might work just as well and cost less.) If I were doing it over, I'd skip the drawers; they're the priciest part, and I could do just as well with an inexpensive chest that fits in the chest, or some cheap boxes on the shelves.

My one piece of design advice: Having two bars, one above the other, for hanging shirts and shorter skirts is a really good use of space.

joyeuse13 December 28 2006, 21:47:08 UTC

I will almost certainly go for shelves over drawers; I find them easier to keep neat. Besides, we already have a chest, bureau, and lingerie chest in the bedroom, so more drawers aren't really needed. It's hanging space I want to optimize.

mmegaera December 28 2006, 23:16:28 UTC

[The other recommendation I've seen is to check out Ikea. Based on what I've heard from skellington and partytrick, this is in the nature of a holy pilgrimmage crossed with a decathalon.]

That's the best description of Ikea that I've heard, anyway. And they're having their bi-annual sale right now, too.

skellington December 29 2006, 01:56:47 UTC

Configurations by Rubbermaid (available at Home Depot) appears to be an Elfa competitor.

And we'll be happy to join you on your pilgrimage to the Blue Box.

joyeuse13 December 29 2006, 04:58:54 UTC

Thank you! The Rubbermaid stuff looks to be exactly the same thing.

abovenyquist January 2 2007, 03:12:40 UTC

The way you described Ikea is the way I felt about Fry's once I finally made the trip there...

tygerr January 8 2007, 22:04:01 UTC

I must confess I'm an Ikea heretic. To my mind, it's not "OMG amazingly affordable Eurostyle furnishings" so much as "higher-quality, overpriced versions of the DIY-furniture-in-a-box I get for a fraction of the price at Target or WalMart".

I just don't "get it".

I'm with Aaron about Fry's, though. The Geek Mecca of affordable electronics!

joyeuse13 January 8 2007, 23:02:08 UTC

Well, for one thing, it's Elfa, not Ikea. I haven't yet been to Ikea. :)

The stuff you get at Target is Closetmaid, which is what we used to have. You have to bolt a whole lot of shit to your wall, without much reference to where the studs are, and it eventually comes down. Elfa only requires 10 screws along the top track, and if I'd been a better screwer (leave that alone, young man), it wouldn't have been the traumatic experience that it was. The actual installation of the shelving and stuff really was as amazingly simple as they say.

It's definitely not amazingly affordable, but the 30% off sale does bring it down to "reasonable," or at least "competitive." Part of the extra expense is the personalized attention you get at the store, and their amazing customer service policy--but I wouldn't get it at full price.

tygerr January 8 2007, 23:22:53 UTC

I know nothing of Elfa except what you've written. But you did also mention Ikea in the original post, as an alternative, and *that* I do have an opinion about.

*purrrr* You called me *young*. Heh. Flatterer!

joyeuse13 January 9 2007, 00:06:34 UTC

Well, I'm pretty conversant w/ Target's home furnishings dept--and I've seen skellington's Ikea furnished house, and I can say for certain his furniture is much nicer.