From Idea to Hallway Cupboard with Coat Rack and Shoe Box, by Jeroen

Every year during the summer holidays, we tackle a room in our house. It's become something of a tradition, and this year it was the hallway's turn. It was desperately needed, too, because the coat rack had been hanging in the hallway from day one and was always in the way. Time for a better plan. There's a recess in the hallway with a door for the meter cupboard. That's exactly where a four-row tower of shoes always used to be. Not pretty, not practical. At the same time, that spot seemed ideal for moving the coat rack out of the hallway. However, screwing a coat rack directly onto the door didn't appeal to me; after all, appearances matter. So the search began. I couldn't find anything online that matched our measurements and taste, leaving only one option: build it myself. That began with endless measuring, drawing, measuring again, and drawing again. Finally, a plan emerged: a large container with a lid for all the shoes, chargers, and the car mat, plus a back panel for the coat rack. The entire piece of furniture had to slide seamlessly into the recess. When designing the layout, we meticulously planned everything down to the last millimeter. Everything was perfect: from overlapping planks to a small shelf at the bottom, the sides, and a piano hinge in between. We ordered everything custom-made from opmaatzagen.nl. The great thing about this is that the planks are delivered with clear labels, which made assembling them much easier. Within a few days, the whole stack was ready and waiting in the hallway. Then the fun part began: puzzling, gluing, screwing, priming, and varnishing. But bit by bit, the plan took shape, and once it was in place, everything fell into place. Literally and figuratively. The result is impressive: no more shoes lying around, a coat rack neatly out of the way, and a piece of furniture that looks like it's always been there. Everything fits perfectly into the alcove, exactly as we intended.