Reader Space: A Glistening Garage

'Tis the season to clean out the garage!  As you know, it is on our list of projects for the summer and I am actually quite excited to make it a space to smile about!  I have always believed that a garage should be treated as an extension of the home {although ours definitely doesn't reflect that in its current state}, because it is often times the first space you see.  And with a good setup, it can contribute to happier days spent outdoors with friends and family.

Aniko from Place of My Taste, recently organized her garage.  I am not gonna lie, it is pretty gosh darn amazing.  She really paid attention to detail and made it a space to love; perfectly pairing function with charm.  I know I would be giddy to drive into such a glistening garage each day, and I am sure she is as well.  For those of you working on your garage space this summer, you are not going to want to skip over today's feature.  So much goodness ahead!

Let's take a peek at what she started with.

Looks sort of familiar to my own garage.  Here she is now to share how she made her space glimmer.


What is the main function of the space?

"After all the hard work we put in to our garage makeover it is truly a functional space now.  It organizes a lot of items that we just threw in the middle of the garage before.  If you look at the before picture you will see what I mean.  We had a huge mess and the piles were just growing.  Now I love knowing where everything is."

Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?

"Now that everything has a place, the key for us is to constantly put things back into their place.  If the kids are out with their bikes, they know that after being done with them, they need to be parked back to under the shelving unit instead of leaving them in the middle of the floor. 

The bins hold things that we don't need to see on a daily basis (extra paper towels, empty jars, seasonal decoration etc.) 

The pegboard holds tools, nails, hammers that can be easily reached.  In my opinion, pegboard is the best organizing option for a garage. 

We really needed to add a work surface. We like to work on several projects at the same time and having the work surface right under the pegboard makes is easy to reach tools.

We hung the bikes on a monkey bar bike rack and I would say this was one of the best choice we have made.  Easy to install and to hung the bikes is a piece of cake.

I have so many spray paint bottles as I think I can make everything pretty with a little spray paint (wine bottles, thrifty lamps, flower planters, painted vases and even a dresser) so I used an old shoe hanger to organize them.  Love it!  Helps me find the color I need in a second!

The big round bins to keep water toys, blankets and yoga mats are wonderful."

What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?

"When we planned our makeover we knew we needed some sort of storage rack.  I like to hide things in bins and we thought having a huge shelf unit will definitely serve our needs.  It turned out amazing; it's humongous and holds a lot."

What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"?

"I love pretty things in my house and it's not different in my garage either.  I love colors and I especially love happy colors.  We chose grass cloth green as a main color to add personality to the garage.

 
Mixing it with the blue bins made the look that I was aiming for!  We used the same color for our pegboard and stairs as well."

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"Almost the entire garage was a DIY.  I found a great tutorial to build the storage wall unit and my pretty handy husband build it from scratch.  I took on the painting"

How has it impacted your life for the better?

"We spend a lot of time outdoor as the boys love to race on the drive way with their motorcycles.  The garage door is pretty much open from the moment we get home to the end of the day.  Seeing it pretty and organized make me feel accomplished.  It was a long time dream to have a happy and organized garage!"

Isn't it fantastic?  So amazing what some DIY storage and paint can do to give everything a place and make the garage look like a million bucks.  That storage unit?  Brilliant!  It acts as a mini-garage for the kid's riding toys while providing extra storage for bulky baskets and bins.  And how darling are those labeled buckets on the wall?

They can easily come down to be toted around the yard, yet have a place out of the way when play time is over.

I couldn't agree with Aniko more, pegboard is one of THE BEST organizing solutions ever.  So simple, so smart, so versatile.  And I just love how they painted it to make it to define their tool storage area.  And we still love our Monkey Bar system, and are excited to put it to use for our bikes as well.  Love seeing it getting her stamp of approval.

Speaking of paint, what a difference just a little paint made to the entire space.  It really adds a nice finishing touch and shows that the space is cared for and appreciated.

We just finished up organizing our garden shed {post coming tomorrow}, which I am over the moon with.  The garage is up next, and this was that extra dose of inspiration I needed to really go after it with excitement.  Thank you so much Aniko for sharing your garage that glistens!  To check out even more, you can find her original post here.

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life, big or small.  They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room.  Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, and I would heart to feature them right here on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!