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July 2, 2013

Turning Old Crates Into Shelves

Thanks For Sharing!

I’m making some progress on the ‘big girl’ room, are you ready for a peek? I have about 10 weeks until baby #2 is here and SO much to do between now and then, eeek!

As of right now, I have the room cleared, half-way painted and I’m slowly putting some of the decor up. I’m going with a rustic vintage look with a feminine touch, plus it has to work for a 2 year old (although it seems to be changing daily at this point)! A few years ago I picked up some old crates at a gardening store for $5 a piece. Such a steal, I wish I would have bought more. Well, over the years I have used them for birthday party decor, planters for my front porch and tons of other little projects. And today, they finally have a permanent home! Here is how I spent 30 minutes Turning Old Crates Into Shelves.

Crate Shelves by DesignDiningAndDiapers.com

I decided to turn these little crates into shelves for my daughter’s room. I have loved this look for so long and I’m so excited that I found the perfect place for them.

Crate Shelves by DesignDiningAndDiapers.com

Hanging the crates could not have been easier. We simply made sure they were level and then made some marks on the wall where I wanted the screws to go in. I didn’t want to screw through the crates, so I placed the screws in between the slots so they could rest on there. This way they would be easy to take off if I ever needed to and the crates would be intact. Since our studs were way off from the placement of the crates, we used drywall screws to hold them in.

Crate Shelves by DesignDiningAndDiapers.com

Next was styling the shelves. I have a love/hate relationship with styling. I am always tweaking things and playing around, I feel like nothing is ever EXACTLY the way I want. Do you ever feel that way?

Crate Shelves by DesignDiningAndDiapers.com

Crate Shelves by DesignDiningAndDiapers.com

 I’m so glad I found a little place for these crates. It’s a project that has been on my list for years and it took all of 15 minutes to put them up! Love projects like that, but it just makes me wonder why it took me so long!

Tomorrow you will see the little desk I put in her room, then next up is the bed (I should probably get started on that!).

I originally shared this post on Mohawk Flooring’s blog, At Creative Home.

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

Filed Under: ALL POSTS, DIY Home Decor, DIY Projects, Furniture Builds and Makeovers, Organization

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Midsommarflicka says

    July 2, 2013 at 7:11 am

    Oh, I love those old crates!
    I made some into a shoe rack ;)
    Yours look for sure much cuter!

    Love, Midsommarflicka

    Reply
  2. Jessica @ Mom 4 Real says

    July 2, 2013 at 7:38 am

    These are absolutely adorable…I just found 2 wine crates, and my have to do the same in my craft room! So sweet!

    Reply
  3. Vanessa says

    July 2, 2013 at 7:49 am

    Those are so darling Taryn!! Simple and sweet and oh my goodness that little vintage sewing machine is beyond adorable!
    Vanessa

    Reply
  4. Jessica @ Dear Emmeline says

    July 2, 2013 at 8:56 am

    oh my I love that little green sewing machine! so cute!

    Reply
  5. Rachel @ Family Ever After says

    July 2, 2013 at 3:37 pm

    yup, i was just gonna say, that sweet little toy vintage sewing machine. i sure wish that was in my sewing room. i need something like that!!! beyond adorable… the crates too! :)

    Reply
  6. Christine says

    July 2, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    I love the crates. And we have a sand timer in my daughter’s room too. See in my old spice rack photo here: http://www.houzz.com/projects/257870/A-Pink-and-Green-Princess-Room

    I am into vintage for both daughter’s rooms too. I redid all the furniture to give that affect.
    http://www.houzz.com/projects/257223/Baby-Nursery-to-Big-Girl-Room

    I can’t wait to see the finished room. Baby nursery and big girl rooms were my favorite things to work on.

    Reply
  7. JaneEllen says

    July 2, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    You’re sure having fun with your daughter’s room, lots to look forward to. The crates look great, good idea having the screws between the slats, always like to leave things so they can be reused at some future point.
    Looking forward to seeing the finished room. Happy 4th.

    Reply
  8. Gina says

    July 3, 2013 at 8:19 am

    I love this Taryn. I did something similar with wine crates in our laundry/mudroom area. Perfect for the kids to dump their gloves, hats & scarves in the winter. I am thinking of adding another one for them since their accessorizes are becoming more abundant.

    Reply
  9. [email protected] Henrietta and Clementine says

    July 12, 2013 at 8:05 pm

    I’m hopping over from tatertots and jello! I absolutely love these shelves! Cute, cute, cute!

    Reply
  10. Hani says

    July 17, 2013 at 9:28 am

    Beautiful idea.. I want to use crates as shelves too.. :)

    Reply
  11. Shawna @DakotaCreekChic says

    July 20, 2013 at 12:18 am

    Did you see the Elle Décor home tour of Ellen DeGeneres’s Ranch? These crates remind me of something she did…I love her style and I love these shelves. Come on by my blog and link up to my Weekend Beautiful party if you are interested, I would love to see you there!!
    Shawna
    http://dakotacreekchic.com/weekend-beautiful-blog-party/

    Reply
  12. Hannah says

    August 5, 2013 at 11:05 am

    I had a wooden crate as a nightstand when I was younger! I think it might originally have contained some kind of food, though, and it wasn’t as pretty as these. Nice to know that there are presentable ones out there somewhere. The final result looks really stylish.

    Do you know Kollabora.com, the crafting and DIY site? I’d love to see some of the stuff you’ve been making for Big Girl Room in the home decor section. I want to prove to my fellow crafty young adults that there are such things as cool kids’ clothes and decor!

    Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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