How Adding Extra Storage Space Enhanced Our Media Room

This post is sponsored by Extra Space Storage.

Hi friends!  Remember when I shared this blog post and my design plans on how adding extra storage space enhanced our media room?  Well, I wanted to share some images of the before when this room was a blank slate almost 2 years ago.

Here is it just after our move in October 2016…

It was originally intended to be a movie room with dark walls… Hence the dark gray walls and ceilings.  Of course, with any new space, it takes living in it for a time to see it’s potential.  During the kids first school year in our new home, we quickly realized that they needed a dedicated place to do their studies.  The kitchen island was becoming a landing zone for papers and school projects, making it extra chaotic with the usual dinner prep, routine, etc.

It took awhile to save up for this project, but I knew the wait would be worth it!  If you caught my Extra Space Takeover Stories last week on Instagram, you may remember the story I shared about this process.  During the planning of this built-in, we accidentally discovered extra attic space, but couldn’t access it due to a locked window.  My husband needed to cut a hole in the garage ceiling to add a window blind that was missing.  When he did this, we found a crawl space (without sub-flooring) that connected to this room!  This was an extra bonus for us and so the plans were altered to add a 4-foot door in the media room.  I didn’t want the access door to be visible in the room, so we brainstormed a way to hide it behind cabinetry and make the built-ins symmetrical.  The time came to present my rough draft drawing to a professional architect.  He drew up a more accurate layout of the space and I began getting quotes to have it built.

Here’s a blueprint of the plans…

They’ve been somewhat tweaked from the original to accommodate more storage, but all in all, it flows the same.  The left and right sides show open shelving in this layout, but we decided to close those off to avoid it looking cluttered.

The project started in mid-May and was complete in June.  The added storage has been a game changer and all the extra decor laying around or shoved in closets finally has its own place.

We added five pull-out drawers on the far left to hold our movies, school supplies and craft supplies.  The adjustable shelves next to this house our board games and small Christmas decor.

We added two desks for our kids with filing cabinets in the middle and pencil drawers above each knee space.  The six shelves across the middle are also adjustable.  We use these for baskets, books and small decor accessories.

The mounted wall sconces above each desk were a must for overhead lighting.  They are so convenient for working at night.  I love to sit here and do my photo editing and blogging.

The 4-foot door access to the attic crawl space is still incomplete.  Once the weather cools down, we will lay sub-flooring and frame out the door.  Here is it now, just to give you an idea of the added storage we acquired.

This opening is wide enough for Sterlite containers and Christmas tree boxes.  It gets very hot in here during the summer months, so this will only be used for storing heat safe items.  No pictures, books, candles or any other decor that could potentially be damaged from the extreme heat.

Here’s an overall view of the before and after…

Pretty amazing, right?  We can’t believe the transformation!  We recently added shiplap to the ceiling and now this light fixture just pops!  Can’t wait to show you the updates of that soon!  I hope our experience of adding extra storage space in our media room helped you!  I’ve heard from so many of you that have a similar space in your home and you’ve been stuck on what to do… Please use this blog post as inspiration!  To find more storage solutions, make sure you visit extraspace.com/blog for great ideas and inspiration!

 

Blessings,

 

This post was sponsored by Extra Space Storage.

All opinions are my own.