4 Smart Toronto Condo Remodel Ideas

We all know that condo living has its advantages and disadvantages and one of the latter can be having enough space.

Organized Interiors has been dealing with getting the most out of small and unusual spaces for more than 40 years now. Our custom design expertise really got a workout on this condo remodel in Toronto.

The project involved redesigning a few areas in this small condo space.

condo remodel reach-in closet

This closet makeover in a Toronto condo adds built-in drawer and shelving storage and attractive sliding glass doors.

4 condo remodel ideas we used for this project

The following condo remodel ideas were used for this project:

  • a custom built-in wardrobe was added
  • a small home office space was created
  • sliding doors were installed in multiple closets
  • three bedroom closets were given makeovers

Let’s walk through each step that was taken for the condo remodel and explain how we dealt with some of the design challenges that were encountered.

Custom condo wardrobe

condo remodel wardrobe and home office

A built-in custom wardrobe and home office space were part of this condo remodel project.

Because closet space is often at a premium in condos, adding a wardrobe is a smart way to increase your clothes storage space.

A new wardrobe closet was needed for the condo’s entrance area. The tall cabinet section in the photo above shows the wardrobe that we built, complete with lower drawers.

You can see that the wardrobe drawers and doors have no pulls visible, so you may be wondering how they are opened. Touch-latch hardware was used. By avoiding installing handles or knobs on the wardrobe’s front, the clean lines of the design are preserved. The doors and drawers simply need to be pressed lightly and they pop open. 

We used LED strip lighting across the wardrobe top (facing the ceiling) to provide some ambient lighting for that corner, as the condo’s overhead light fixture in that area is a little further away.

On the immediate left of the wardrobe is the original entrance closet, which had sliding glass doors added. That closet is half-occupied by a stacked washer and dryer, with the remaining half being used for storing cleaning products and linens.

Home office space

Having a home office was useful even before the pandemic. Now a home office has become even more of an asset as working from home becomes the norm for many of us.

Along the adjacent wall to the wardrobe, we built a home office space. It includes a desk with upper drawers and larger file drawers down below, which both use the easy-open touch-latch hardware. An overhead cabinet with lift-up doors provides additional storage space.

As you can see, creating a useful office workspace at home doesn’t require much room. Having a dedicated part of the home you can use for work and studying helps you be more productive and avoid having to use areas like the dining room table to get work done.

The home office is situated between the condo’s entrance and an open kitchen. We used high-gloss white laminate for the custom cabinetry exteriors (including the wardrobe) to match the finish of the kitchen cabinets. 

Sliding closet doors

condo closet sliding doors

The existing builder-grade sliding mirrored closet doors were replaced with our glass sliding doors. The left closet has a drawer tower and a short hanging rod and the right closet is designed for hanging wardrobe storage.

There were two narrow master bedroom closets on either side of the entrance to the en suite bathroom. All the condo closet doors were builder-grade sliding mirrored doors, which were replaced with our aluminum-framed white laminated glass sliding closet doors.

The challenge with adding doors to these two closets was that we wanted to increase the access to the closet interiors, without affecting access to the bathroom in between.

The solution: our top-hung bypass doors. Using the same door profiles and glass as our regular sliding doors, we used top-hung hardware to create a single large panel for each closet. Each door slides completely to the side in front of the bathroom door, to reveal the entire left or right closet.

The top-hang feature means that there is no floor track in front of the entrance to the bathroom, so you don’t have to step over it each time you enter and exit. If anyone is in the bathroom and someone else uses a closet and forgets to close its door, the doors have the same grip on the front and back so they can be opened and closed from either side.

Sliding doors aren’t just meant for closets in a condo. Using sliding doors as a room partition is ideal for enjoying an open space, while also giving you more privacy when needed.

The Toronto Star included sliding doors (especially in open-concept living spaces) on their list of the home trends that will be popular in 2021.

Condo closet makeover

drawer tower in open closet

Deep drawers, easy-to-access shelving, and two hanging rods maximize this small closet’s storage space.

There was another small reach-in closet in the second bedroom. Once again, we added our sliding closet doors, this time with a standard bottom track.

For the interior, we used the same type of design that the left-hand closet in the double master closet has. To maximize the small closet’s storage space and functionality, the drawers are built extra-deep. The shelves above them are shallower to make them more useful higher up. Short upper and lower hanging rods were added as well.

In both closets, the drawers are designed with scooped fronts to once again avoid handles. In this case, it was to ensure any handles did not interfere with the sliding doors.

Talk to us about your house or condo remodel needs

If you’re planning a house or condo remodel, talk to Organized Interiors about what we can do to transform your living space.

Whether it’s giving one of your closets a makeover or you’re considering a bigger scale project like this that involves multiple upgrades for your home, we can help.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to make it happen.

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This Custom Built-in Wall Unit Multi-Tasks and Looks Beautiful

built-in wall unit with tv, fireplace, wardrobes

Why are you better off buying a custom built-in wall unit instead of freestanding cabinetry that you assemble yourself?

Well for starters, you won’t need to contend with the aggravating “assemble it yourself” part.

There’s also no comparison between the two in terms of how they look and can be tailored for both your living space and functional needs.

One project we worked on involved designing a multi-purpose built-in wall unit that includes several wardrobe closets, a laundry hamper, a built-in fireplace, and an entertainment centre.

Storage, a laundry helper, a mood setter, and home entertainment all brought together in one beautiful solution – what’s not to love? 

This built-in wall unit is perfect for this bedroom space

Let’s face it, not all of the features in this wall unit are things you would exactly associate with one another. The TV and fireplace together make a lot of sense. For many people, however, perhaps including either the laundry hamper or closet spaces wouldn’t work for their needs.

That’s the beauty of custom cabinetry. It allows you to break free from the limitations of what stock, one-size-fits-all furniture that is designed to appeal to the most number of consumers offers.

For this client’s specific needs, the all-in-one wall unit is perfect. They don’t have to buy several furniture pieces that may be difficult to stylistically match with each other, nor do they need to worry about how well everything will fit within their living space.

Improve the shape and function of your rooms

One of the many benefits of a built-in wall unit is that it takes up a smaller footprint in a room than freestanding furniture.

This custom cabinetry piece integrates seamlessly with the rest of the room. With its complementary décor and wise use of the space, it truly looks like a part of the room’s original design.

Details like that matter. As an architect wrote in a Houzz article titled The Hidden Benefits of Built-In Storage, “thoughtfully designed storage can improve the shape and function of our interior spaces”.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the design features that went into this one-of-a-kind built-in wall unit.

Built-in wardrobes

built-in wall unit wardrobe

Ample shelving and drawer wardrobe storage space can be used as a bedroom’s primary closet space or supplement a traditional closet.

Four separate full-height closets on each end of the built-in wall unit provide plenty of wardrobe storage space in this master bedroom.

These closets are designed with adjustable shelves and lower drawers, but you’re not limited to this type of setup. We can design built-in wardrobes to include hanging rods and various closet accessories, too. This wall unit could also have been designed with one larger wardrobe on each side instead of two.

Because the drawer boxes are concealed behind the doors in this wall unit, they have simplified fronts. We’ve employed “scoop” handles, which allows us to make the drawers full-depth without compromising the depth with protruding handles or knobs.

A built-in entertainment centre

Since the wall unit was being installed in the master bedroom, a built-in entertainment centre with room for a television and additional media accessories was required.

As you can see, the built-in TV above the fireplace is mounted relatively high. That location makes it ideal for watching the TV while in bed. The wall unit’s design allows wires and cables to be discreetly kept hidden.

Above the television are a couple of open spaces where a soundbar, streaming device, cable receiver, or PVR can go. Taller open shelving display spaces could also be used for placing books or personal effects like photos or knick-knacks.

The layout can be configured for your needs. The open sections up top could instead be included at the bottom of the unit in place of the two banks of drawers (one of which is actually a well-disguised laundry hamper, as we’ll explain shortly). This would make adding something like a Blu-ray player more practical.

Electric fireplace

custom wall unit

An electric fireplace and TV boosts the room’s comfort level.

Along with the TV, an embedded electric fireplace forms the centrepiece of this highly functional wall unit.

Electric fireplaces are great for several reasons:

  • they can be used year-round to boost a room’s ambiance and comfort level
  • some electric fireplace models can provide ambiance and function as a supplemental heating source
  • they’re energy-efficient
  • compared to using a traditional wood fireplace, they’re much safer and involve virtually no maintenance or extra work like cutting or hauling firewood
  • they’re super-easy to use and have options that allow you to change the display colour to match your mood or complement your décor

A laundry hamper and matching drawers

pullout laundry hamper below electric fireplace

A cleverly disguised tilt-out laundry hamper sits beside a bank of real drawers.

When is a bank of drawers not a bank of drawers? When it’s the front face for a tilt-out laundry hamper!

To keep the overall structure symmetrical, we matched the adjacent three drawers with a false front composed of three faces pieced together. Locating the hamper right below the fireplace simply made the most sense, as you wouldn’t want it positioned too high.

Since the wall unit functions as the bedroom’s master wardrobe, having an integrated space to put dirty clothes makes a great deal of sense.

The hamper’s cloth bag is designed to be easily removed when it’s time to do the laundry and can be cleaned when required.

Additional design features of this built-in wall unit

This custom wall unit is constructed using one of our most popular finishes, a colour called Antique White. It’s a fairly universal colour, in that it is readily available in the various types of laminates that we use in our custom cabinetry construction.

Flat components, in this case comprising the structural parts like the cabinet’s sides and shelves, are achieved using melamine on board.

Pieces that have some shape to them (the baseboard, crown moulding, and door and drawer fronts) are shaped in MDF with thermoplastic (sometimes called thermofoil) laminate. Thermoplastic is more flexible than melamine and wraps in and out of the curves and around the edges.

Finishing touches include adding decorative pulls and over cabinet lighting for additional visual appeal.

Customize your built-in wall unit

This creative blend of home storage and décor solutions is just one example of what’s possible when you customize your cabinetry instead of buying a mass-produced wall unit.

Yes, a custom built-in wall unit does cost more. However, you can rest assured that it will fit your space perfectly, have a high-end look that complements your room’s style, and be tailored specifically for your storage needs.

Schedule a free consultation with Organized Interiors to start planning your built-in wall unit’s design.

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2 Clever Kids Bedroom Built-Ins That Maximize Storage Space

kids bedroom built-ins

Finding the right storage solutions for kids is usually a challenge. Children can be notoriously picky and as they grow, their needs will change.

Choosing a custom storage solution that endures and appeals is essential and a project one of our designers worked on does just that.

That storage solution involved creating kids bedroom built-ins for one Toronto couple’s son and daughter.

Kids bedroom built-ins were perfect for this project

Our client had two adjacent bedrooms for their children. In typical Toronto housing style, each bedroom’s closet was nestled against each other.

This limited the storage space available in each bedroom, as the other bedroom’s closet essentially backed into the room. The client had their contractor remove the defined closet spaces by taking out their walls, which freed up more space for functional storage in each room.

Bedroom built-ins were ideal for this project. By installing built-ins for each child, we were able to not only make more efficient use of the space, but the staggered depths of the built-in cabinets helps prevent the space from being taken over by the custom cabinetry.

This project illustrates the benefits of working with a design professional who can address the unique needs of a remodelling project. It also showcases how incorporating custom built-ins into a room’s design can create a seamless appearance that makes it look like a part of the room’s existing architecture.

Let’s take a closer look at these kids bedroom built-ins and how we customized the designs for each room.

Built-ins for a girl’s bedroom

For the bases in the daughter’s room, the wardrobe toe kicks and the side of the drawer pedestal under the desk are recessed. This helps keep people from stubbing toes and also adds visual interest.

As with many older houses in Toronto, the walls and ceilings jut out a little bit. While our custom cabinets are square and have right angles, maybe your room doesn’t have the same layout.

The cap shelf applied above the wardrobe cabinet helps minimize the fact that the ceiling slopes upwards towards the wall on the right in the photo below.

The exposed wall area behind the desk was painted out by the client to complement the walls adjacent to the custom cabinetry, creating additional visual interest. A glass desktop allows for their daughter to display some of her favourite things on her desk while she does her homework.

For the son’s and daughter’s wardrobes, we installed slightly different interior configurations that were tailored to the kids’ needs.

girls bedroom built-ins

Recessing the toe kicks prevents stubbed toes and adds visual appeal. Using a cap shelf across the tops also adds visual interest.

Built-ins for a boy’s bedroom

In the other bedroom, we mostly replicated the design with a mirror image of the layout that includes a custom built-in wardrobe, desk, upper cabinets, and a shelf above the desk. For the boy’s bedroom, a different colour scheme was selected, naturally.

As with the girls’s room, the exposed wall area behind the desk was painted with a complementary colour. The built-ins for both kids feature factory-painted exteriors, which is a great choice for any built-in.

Pick a colour and our manufacturing facility will add the finish to your custom cabinetry. Not only do you get a gorgeous finish, factory-painted cabinets also offer more flexibility to perfectly match a room’s decorative details like trims and mouldings.

The son’s cabinets were painted Chelsea Gray as a bolder contrast to his wall colour, while the daughter’s cabinets were painted Chantilly Lace as a softer contrast to the bright hues in the room.

Pullout drawers and shelves in each bedroom’s wardrobes provide easy-to-access storage space.

built-ins in boy’s bedroom

Creative colour selection for the exposed wall above the desk adds depth and visual appeal.

Choosing paints and finishes for these kids bedroom built-ins

Aside from the exterior colour, the other main difference between these two kids bedroom built-ins is what happens inside the custom cabinets.

As with any factory-painted built-in, it’s commonly just the parts of the cabinetry that are most visible that get painted. This includes the doors, sides, trims, drawer fronts, and any exposed shelves or surfaces.

For the interiors, we usually use a standard melamine finish (white in this case), as that keeps costs down. As the interior surfaces get more contact from use over time, melamine will wear better as well.

If you look closely at the photo below, you’ll notice that we did paint the leading edges of the shelves and side panels, as small aspects of them are visible around the doors and would otherwise stand out.

open wardrobe closet in bedroom

Kids bedroom built-in solutions for sleeping

If you’re looking for additional kids bedroom built-in ideas, the room’s sleeping space is a great area to upgrade.

Built-in bedroom storage that is designed around the bed maximizes the room’s storage space by making the bed multi-task.

Custom-made underbed drawer storage is a nicer, more efficient storage solution than using those flat plastic storage containers with wheels that are covered in dust when you roll them out from beneath a bed.

Incorporating cabinetry around and above the bed improves the room’s functionality and adds a stylish décor upgrade, as you can see below.

bed with built-in storage

Learn more about our built-in storage solutions

Kids bedroom built-ins will make it easier for your children to keep their rooms organized, while also making the décor in these parts of your home look more appealing.

Our built-in cabinetry offerings aren’t limited to just kids bedrooms – we also design and manufacture built-ins for mom and dad’s bedroom and closet, home offices, laundry rooms, the living room, and additional areas of your home.

Schedule a free design consultation with us and let’s start discussing how Organized Interiors’ built-in storage solutions can enhance your home’s functionality.

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3 Creative Bedroom Storage Furniture Ideas to Lighten Your Closet’s Load

bedroom storage furniture ideas bed surround

The key component in keeping an organized bedroom is to have a closet space that’s well-designed and highly functional.

A well-managed closet can keep clutter from spilling out into the rest of the bedroom, but a closet won’t always be able to handle all of your wardrobe storage needs.

That’s when it’s time to consider some bedroom storage furniture ideas to help lighten the load in your closet a little.

Bedroom storage furniture ideas you may not have considered

Perhaps you’re looking for some supplemental storage systems for the bedroom for the following reasons:

  • your bedroom closet is too small
  • you own too many clothes and can’t find the time to properly thin out your wardrobe
  • you want to make better use of the storage space in your bedroom

A dresser and nightstand/bedside table are some obvious examples of bedroom storage furniture most of us use.

If you’re looking for some additional outside-the-closet bedroom storage furniture ideas to keep things tidy, here are a few outside-the-box suggestions.

1. Bed surround

When it comes to adding extra non-closet storage space to a bedroom, it’s hard to beat a bed surround.

This versatile piece of furniture gets somewhat overlooked when homeowners are considering the best bedroom storage furniture ideas.

Here’s why a bed surround is worthy of your consideration when you’re looking for smart ways to furnish your bedroom:

  • maximizes your bedroom storage space
  • provides a comfortable sleeping space
  • adds a stylish decorative touch to a bedroom

Let’s start with the valuable underbed storage a bed surround provides. The integrated storage drawers are perfect for things like out-of-season clothing, pillows, and blankets. And unlike a traditionally open underbed storage space, all your belongings will stay clean and dust bunny-free.

Bed surrounds can also include everything from nightstands, a headboard with cabinets and shelving storage, and even a custom wardrobe (or two).

And with a bespoke bed surround design, everything from the drawer sizes, shelf widths and depths, lighting placement, finishes, and any other available features can be customized for you.

bedroom storage furniture ideas bed surround 2

2. Wardrobe

A wardrobe (also known as an “armoire”) is another smart solution to turn to when you need more bedroom storage. The beauty of a wardrobe is that it can fit anywhere there’s free space in a bedroom.

Some people are under the impression that a wardrobe is little more than a furniture enclosure with an extra hanging rod or two, along with a shelf.

While it does function as an extension of your closet for clothes hanging space, a wardrobe can do so much more. Many of the useful accessories and features that make a closet organization system so effective can be added, too. Examples include:

  • full-length mirror
  • drawers with dividers
  • pullout shoe rack
  • a valet rod, tie/scarf rack, and decorative hooks

Wardrobes are a great storage option if you’re finding a shared closet space too frustrating to maintain with your partner. Create a separate storage space for one of you by adding a wardrobe to your bedroom.

Bedrooms aren’t the only room in a home where a wardrobe can be added, either. They’re ideal for a playroom, storage room, guest room, or any room without adequate (or any) closet space.

And just like a bed surround, going the custom route for the wardrobe you’re buying allows you to personalize the design to suit your needs, both functionally and aesthetically. With decorative touches like metal grill or glass doors, crown moulding, and stylish door and drawer pulls, a bespoke wardrobe becomes a beautiful furniture display piece.

3. Wall bed

You might not think of a wall bed when you’re considering bedroom storage furniture ideas, but it might actually be perfect for your needs.

A wall bed’s clever design is all about space-saving and nothing occupies more floor space in a bedroom than a bed. Wouldn’t it be nice to reclaim the floor space a bed takes up when you don’t need it?

Wall beds (also known as “Murphy beds”) conveniently fold up into a stylish cabinet when they’re not being used. That makes them ideal for guest rooms, micro-condos, or any room where space is limited.

You could also optimize your available space by creating a multi-purpose room that functions occasionally as a guest room and as a home office the rest of the time.

And we’re not including wall beds on this list of creative bedroom storage furniture ideas just because the bed itself can be stored away.

A custom wall bed can also incorporate surrounding drawer and cabinet storage, to really expand your bedroom storage options.

bedroom storage furniture ideas wall bed

Great bedroom storage furniture ideas to keep you organized

Organized Interiors has the highest quality bedroom storage furniture ideas and custom closet solutions for your home.

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with us to discover how our 40+ years of organization expertise can help you to improve the storage flexibility in your home.

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5 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Wardrobe Armoire

Whether you know it as a “wardrobe”, an “armoire”, or a “wardrobe armoire”, this classic piece of furniture has been around for many hundreds of years.

The wardrobe armoire has long been a popular storage solution for a number of reasons. But what should you know before buying a wardrobe armoire for your home?

Let’s look at five things that will help you make an informed decision when purchasing a new wardrobe armoire.

1. A wardrobe armoire gives you extra storage space

If your closet space is lacking and solutions like a closet organizer still aren’t freeing up the storage space you need, a wardrobe armoire is ideal.

Wardrobe armoires can be used for your everyday wardrobe, off-season clothing, blankets, linens, and just about anything else that needs a home.

Your belongings will remain organized, hidden from view, and always easy to access.

wardrobe armoire 1

2. Wardrobe armoires can be added anywhere in your home

We can design a custom-fitted or free-standing wardrobe armoire that is adaptable to any area of your home, whether it’s in your bedroom, mudroom, front entryway, home office, or elsewhere.

Free-standing wardrobe armoires give you the flexibility to be moved from one room to another if necessary. To prevent tipping and ensure its stability, the wardrobe armoire is secured to the wall.

3. Choose a custom wardrobe armoire

A one-size-fits-all approach when buying furniture isn’t always ideal, especially when it comes to wardrobe armoires.

Buying assemble-it-yourself furniture from a big box retailer drastically limits your ability to choose a furniture piece that looks and functions exactly how you want.

A custom wardrobe armoire from Organized Interiors can be designed to the exact width, depth, and height required for your space.

We can also present you with many custom options, such as your choice of finishes, decorative hardware, and other features like glass door panes, shelving, mirrors, and more.

4. Satisfy your storage needs with a custom wardrobe armoire

Our wardrobe armoires can also be designed according to what your storage needs are. Do you want drawers with divider inserts included to keep your smaller articles of clothing organized?

Are pullouts for your shoes an absolute necessity? Do you need more vertical hanging space to accommodate storing your jackets and dresses?

Our designers can make all of this possible.

wardrobe armoire 2

5. A custom wardrobe armoire can also be a stylish room centrepiece

Wardrobe armoires are more than just an extension of your closet. The high quality of our custom wardrobe armoires is immediately evident to the eye and to the touch.

This stylish furniture piece can instantly become a focal point and centrepiece of any room it’s located in. Its design can also factor in the room’s existing décor in order to effectively complement the look of your space.

Wardrobe armoire storage solutions and more

Along with our wardrobe armoire storage solutions and closet organizers, you could also consider adding create-a-closet® to any room in your home in order to give you more clothes storage space.

Schedule your complimentary in-home design consultation. One of our design consultants will visit your residence, measure your space, and provide recommendations for which style and design of wardrobe armoire will look best in your home.

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