Simple “Secret” Shelves

Have you seen this shelving idea from Pinterest?  Using 2x4s (and 2x2s) space can be captured where an opened door meets a wall.  With 5 people squeezed in our little duplex, any way to utilize otherwise “wasted” space behind doors is a big deal!

I love back of the door shoe hangers for all sorts of organizational ideas like shoes, tshirts, and even cleaning products, read more about that here.  Another popular post is my Pantry on the Sly using the space along the wall that a door opens into.  That was inspired from the simple “secret” shelves idea I’ve seen on Pinterest from a couple different sources.

Here’s my take on it with a supply list and steps –

Supplies needed –

1. 1 – 8ft length 2×4 cut into 2 feet lengths (Home Depot and Lowes will cut this for you)
2. 1 – 8ft length 2×2 cut into 2 feet lengths
3. Paint (I had some leftover primer which was so handy!)
4. Paint brush
5. Electric drill, drill bit for holes, drill bit for phillips head screws
6. Drywall screws
7. Stud finder

Before creating your shelves and attaching them to the wall, paint each piece of lumber.  (I was lazy and didn’t paint the side that would be next to the wall.)  

Next I attached a piece of 2×2 to a piece of 2×4.  First I made sure the two ends met up and that the back of each piece was flush(the side that would be attached to the wall).  Then these pieces were screwed together.

Now I flipped this over and attached it to the wall.  Oh, and made sure the 2×2 was attached to the wall stud.  Even doing this, I wouldn’t put anything too heavy on them.  Lucky for us, these are only going to be used for lightweight things like toys.  I didn’t put too much effort into the spacing for these shelves since they are holding toys but if you have specific items that require certain heights be sure to measure this before adhering the shelves to the wall.

So that’s pretty much it!  It’s easy to pick up the needed supplies, easy to put together, and easy to attached to the wall.  I guess this Simple “Secret” Shelf isn’t such a secret any more!!! 🙂