A few weeks ago I had a coffee date/business consultation with a friend/adviser and we were discussing the strengths and weaknesses of CULT; where it stands and where I want it to go. She gave me a lot of great insight but in particular she pointed out that there was something really important missing from my brand: me! I had deleted myself from the picture; I never spoke about my interests or inspirations, I never included any details about my own life, I didn't even have a photo of myself on the website. I guess I thought that staying one step removed seemed more professional; more luxury and less DIY. But the truth is, it can be both. CULT is both high-end and handmade because that's my style and at the end of the day, I am my brand. This felt like an "a-ha!" moment but also a "duh!" facepalm moment because the idea that our style, like our minds, can contain multitudes is at the very heart of this business (I even talk about this at length on the about page). In any case, here I am, Whitney Edenfield, making myself visible, taking up space, and hopefully giving you all a better understanding of what I do and what I love.
With that in mind it only feels right that I should begin this journey with one of the things I love the most; a home renovation project!
THE TINY CLOSET
My daughter's room is the smallest in the house and the worst part about it is the closet. It's the smallest closet I've ever seen. It had several of those awful wire rack shelves on the sides only and the entire back wall was covered with a painted sheet of plywood for some unknown but distressing reason. There was no way to use it as an actual closet so it inevitably became a repository for clothes the kids had grown out of, extra diapers, and other random items. It was time for a change.
Here is the before picture:
As you can see, not much functionality and zero style. So the first thing to do was remove the wire shelves and the plywood wall to discover what mystery lay behind it. Which was...
A HUGE HOLE! HOORAY!
Apparently our previous owners had some plumbing work done on the hall bathroom and decided that it was easier to just throw some plywood over the hole rather than fixing the drywall. This discovery also lead to the most exciting part of the project, when our 17 year old cat Kiddo climbed into the hole and disappeared UNDER the bathtub where we had absolutely no possibility of retrieving her. Naturally, chaos ensued; I was alternating between hollering and cursing the cat, but also trying to sweet talk her to lure her out, all the while the children were crying saying that she would have to live in our walls forever. But as soon as I made the first cut into the drywall to try to get a better look at where she might be, up she popped and I snatched her out by the scruff of her neck. It is always something around here
So the next step was to just go ahead and cover that hole right back up with beadboard. If it ain't broke, amiright? Also, having an easy access point to your plumbing isn't necessarily a bad idea anyway.
This was a little tricky because the closet is both narrow and shallow so getting a full 8 x4 ft piece in was going to be nearly impossible. I decided cutting it down into three sections was the best idea and it was still very difficult to get it in but the beadboard is flexible so I was able to finagle it. Then I caulked and painted with Behr Cameo to match my walls.
Next came the shelves which is when it really starts to feel like it's coming together. I built them out of MDF and 1x2's (though I would actually recommend 1x3's as I forgot the 1x2's wouldn't entirely cover the cleats). You can't really tell though in the closet so nbd.
I painted them in Behr Crystal Cut to match my trim and I also added the stained wood dowel and bar holders for the clothing rod. Never buy anything labeled as a clothing rod or you'll pay triple the cost of just a regular wooden dowel that you can then paint or stain.
Looking pretty good at this point! I already put a couple storage bins up on the very top but I wanted a few more. I needed the bottom shelf to be high enough that my 2 year old couldn't grab stuff off of it but low enough to fit the bins and hanging clothes. I could have gone a little lower except I wanted to do something special underneath for the kids. They were always getting in the closet and playing games, even with all the junk in there, so I thought we should just make it official.
So here it is, the tiny clubhouse closet!
STAY SHINY
I got a few coiled rope and leather bins from Target to keep her diapers and blankets in and I already had this braided seagrass basket for baby powder and what not. The lights also actually sync to music which is super fun. The pillows I made a few years ago but don't really love and the tassels are an old birthday banner we had laying around. I thought about making it a little more stylish, more Pinterest-y, but honestly, why? It's always tempting to try to make things "perfect," but if there is one phrase I tell myself over and over again when working on my house it's that "perfect is the enemy of good." Sure, there are visible seams on the beadboard, I used those 1x2's instead of the 1x3's, and all the shelves look slightly crooked even though they're not because the damn door frame isn't plumb. But do you think the kids would have more fun in it if those were fixed? Or if there was a muted pink, organic cotton pompom garland and hand stitched, perfectly coordinated pillows? Probably not. In fact, I'd say if anything they would love it less because kids love shiny, tacky, rainbow colored stuff. And honestly, who doesn't?
So what I learned through this (and every) project is that nothing will ever be perfect and trying to make it so will only dull all the best parts. Fill your space with the things you love, trust your instincts and stay shiny friends.
*Shout out to my friend Leela Robinson for helping me see the path ahead more clearly. If you're interested in creative business consulting check out her website www.therainbowvision.com