Swiss Army Cabinet

Sorry for the radio silence, but I've been pumping out in-home projects as quick as I can, because now that spring is springing all over the place, the garden and outdoors are calling!

But I've got some great small-house projects to show you, so expect some new posts with fun ideas!

First up: I call this the Swiss Army Cabinet. We had a desk with the computer, office supplies, craft supplies, files, etc. It was messy. I didn't like looking at it. I had a brainstorm one day and decided to start looking for a cabinet that could contain the desk, with doors that shut, so I can just close the doors and not look at the mess. (Cause let's be realistic about keeping things clean and tidy all the time, amiright?) I am also known to sew things, but doing a sewing project means clearing off the dining table and setting up shop for an hour or two before cleaning everything up again and getting the table ready for a meal. Then putting it all back, cleaning it up, putting it back...

And then, one glorious day, I was walking down the aisles of St. Vincent de Paul, between the shelves of old vases and the rows of 80s entertainment centers, there it was, a huge, double-doored cabinet. Something about it whispered to my soul, "Yes, I am the one you are looking for."

It looks like this on the outside:

 

I added an iron and ironing board holder on the right. Storage on the top.

Open it up, and on the left you have the office side:

Pull-out platforms for keyboard and paper, cork board on the left. 

On the right, hmm, what's on the right? Some drawers for office supplies...and... 

A *table* that FOLDS DOWN, and a sewing center!!!

Get out the sewing machine baby! 

I made a couple of mods: I found (at the very same thrift store no less!) a thread holder for all my spools of thread, I attached an IKEA goose neck light, and put a couple of clothes pins on the inside door so I can put a sewing pattern up to follow. A huge added bonus, there's a power strip inside the cabinet, so I can plug things in without dragging a cord across the floor and creating a tripping hazard. 

With this treasure, I have compacted the luxury of whole room (maybe two if you're lucky enough to have BOTH an office and a sewing room), into about six to nine square feet of floor space, depending on how much of it I'm using. 

And when I'm done for the moment, I can just wad everything thing up and slam the doors. 

Where's the mess? Ha ha! It's hiding!