Finishing What You Started (Even When It Gets Frustrating)

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Roeshel

In part 1 (Wanting to Quit), I shared the messy middle of this cabinet build, the part where the instructions felt overwhelming, the (too many) pieces all looked the same, and I hit that familiar moment of wondering if I should just give up.

But this part matters too: what happened next.

Not because everything suddenly got easy, but because I kept going.

This project reminded me that progress usually doesn’t happen in one big breakthrough. It happens one small step at a time.

Picking Back Up (Even When You’d Rather Walk Away)

After taking a break and stepping away for a bit, I came back with fresh eyes.

Feeling stuck like this? Start here.

Projects like this always remind me that creating a home you love doesn’t happen all at once. It happens one small choice at a time, one project, one corner, one room. If you’ve ever second-guessed every decision in a room, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why I created the Confident Room Method. It’s not about getting it perfect, it’s about finally having a simple plan so you CAN move forward with confidence. Get the Confident Room Method printable guide here.

Confident Room Method cover with interior design flatlay

That helped more than forcing myself through frustration ever would have.

Instead of thinking about the whole cabinet, I focused on the next step in front of me: assembling the drawer.

Sometimes that’s really the difference between quitting and finishing. Just choosing the next step instead of trying to carry the whole project at once.

Assembly: Slower Than Expected, But Worth It

Assembly took patience.

There were a lot of pieces, hardware to sort, instructions to double-check, and plenty of moments where I had to slow down and make sure everything was lined up correctly.

A few things that helped:

laying out all pieces first
keeping hardware sorted by label
hand tightening before fully securing screws
checking alignment before moving on

It wasn’t glamorous, but seeing it come together made the whole project finally start to feel real.

Knowing When to Ask for Help

One thing I’ve learned over the years… whether it’s home projects, decorating, or life in general, is that doing things yourself doesn’t have to mean doing everything alone.

I handled the bulk of the cabinet build myself, but for the heavier lifting and final adjustments, I was glad to have an extra set of hands.

That’s not giving up. That’s finishing wisely.

There’s strength in starting something. But there’s also strength in knowing when support makes sense.

The Best Part: Seeing It Come Together

There’s always a moment in a project where things finally shift.

The parts that felt random start making sense. The hard work starts to look like something.

That moment happened when the cabinet was fully assembled and in place.

Suddenly, all the frustration from the beginning felt worth it.

navy-pantry-cabinet, brown wingback chair

Just now noticing it needs a wipe down from assembly smudges. lol BUT seriously, I love the deep blue color against the warm wood tones in this room. It adds storage, function, and a finished look without feeling bulky.

A Reminder for More Than Just DIY

This project was a good reminder of something I come back to often:

You don’t have to finish everything all at once.

You just have to keep going.

One drawer. One hinge. One step.

Sometimes the middle feels messy because that’s what building looks like.

And sometimes the most satisfying part is simply proving to yourself that you can stay with something long enough to see it come together.

Cabinet Details + Sources

For anyone considering a similar project:

cabinet source: Kitchen Storage Pantry (affiliate link)
color/style: Modern, Navy Blue, Gold Hardware
total assembly time: It took me about 4 hours total (split into 2 days).
tools used: Phillips screwdriver, level
size: approx 41″ wide by 68″ tall by 16ish” deep
difficulty level: For the most part I found it tedious but overall not too challenging. (Difficult parts mentioned below.)

Helpful Tips:

• Particle board is not forgiving. I had a few pieces assembled, probably only at around step 1 or 2 and decided to move to a more open area. TIP: Do not shift or attempt to move what is partially built. It will shift, shred the “wood” and screws will pop out. I was able to continue to build but do have to address a weakened damaged area.

No shame in asking for a second set of hands and help:

• Assembly begins upside down and is separated into top and bottom of the unit. It will require 2 people to flip and place top section on top of bottom assembled piece.

• Remember to hold your screwdriver straight. Screws in the drawer slider kept going in at a bit of an angle. However, those specific screws need to be flush so the drawer glides on the slider/track.

• The door hinges are adjustable which is super helpful. It’ll take some small adjustments with the screwdriver to get doors level.

• For this cabinet, all pieces were included. However, on the last door with storage shelves on the door, one section of pilot holes was missing. And one of the metal dowels for the door shelves was 1/2 inch shorter than required. Just keep in mind you may have some minor troubleshooting and fixes to address.

Would I do it again? Yes. Just with snack breaks, lots of patience, and a second person on standby.

How to Finish a DIY Project when you want to quit

Feeling Overwhelmed?

If you’re feeling stuck on where to start in your own space, that’s exactly why I created the Confident Room Method. It’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you make progress without the overwhelm.

You can get it here: CONFIDENT ROOM METHOD

Blogger Stylin’ Home Tours – Favorite Room Edition {Kitchen & Pantry}

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Roeshel

Following the Blogger Stylin’ Home Tours – Favorite Room Edition? ::gasp!:: So fun! So exciting! If you love looking at ‘real’ and ‘beautiful’ and ‘inspiring’ homes then you’re going to want to catch up on the series starting with Lindsay at The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Have you just popped over from The Chronicles of Home ? Welcome, friends! I’m so happy you’re here! Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!

It’s the next to the last stop of a week long series of beautiful homes. I wish I had some sort of grand finale of “Holy smokes! They saved the best for last!” but our home is really still such a work in progress. And then there was a bonus favorite room added after me so I’m no longer last. But don’t you just want to gather all of these pretty rooms to create one big awesome house? That’s where I’ll live. 😉

My favorite room is almost always the room we most recently completed. Know what I mean? All of the blood, sweat, tears and labor of love, to the finishing touches and I could sit in that room for hours just soaking up the feeling of the reward of a job well done. And well, JUST DONE! Ya know?

I am so SO in love with my bathroom, you guys! If you saw the ‘before’ pictures of what I lived with for so many years, you understand…now it’s just the prettiest soothing spa-like room. I’d move my bed or office in there if there was room. BUT anyway, that seems like such an odd room to choose. “Roeshel’s favorite room is the bathroom! hahahahahaha!” Ugh.

Plan B: I’ll go with our open pantry. Again, another odd choice so we’ll include the kitchen too since that makes it more like an entire room. Kitchen and pantry. It’s all related to cooking & food storage, right? Right! Ready? Let’s go!

This is sort of what we had to start with (except the bamboo flooring is newer). A strange small room/hallway behind the kitchen that has SIX doorways.

Now we utilize this area for extra food storage as well as a place to house our little-used microwave. It sits right next to the kitchen. This is from when we just finished before Christmas last year…

I keep this area organized and pretty with a little decorating and we’re slowly adding dried foods to the shelves in pretty glass containers. Canned foods and boxes get stored in baskets and other ‘not-so-pretties’ behind closed kitchen cabinets.

DIY Pipe Shelving Unit: Tips for Building Industrial Shelves

Featured

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Roeshel

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Industrial pipe shelving adds storage and character while fitting your space exactly. We designed and built ours for a small pantry area, and while it looks complicated, breaking it down step-by-step made it much easier than expected. I recently shared the open pantry before and after reveal and the star of that DIY ‘show off’ is definitely the industrial pipe shelving…

What to Know Before You Start

THIS IS LONG and sounds confusing BUT if you’re making one of your own, I think being detailed will help make the plan, design and build easier along with other tutorials and tips you may come across in your search for how to make DIY industrial pipe shelving.

Planning Your DIY Pipe Shelving

The most difficult step (and not really that difficult when sketching a visual to help ‘build’ the correct size) will be your measurements and design. I’m no architect or artist, so my sketch is rough without fancy drafting software but it gets the job done and I was able to see where I needed to make adjustments. Start with measuring the space where the shelving will go. Length, height and width. I just drew the shelving (not to scale) on a piece of paper and labelled the measurements. Keep in mind that stock pipe comes in 12″, 18″ and 24″ pieces…any other size pipe will need to be custom cut/threaded (done by a Lowe’s associate).

Understanding the Construction

Once you understand how the pieces connect, it becomes much easier to customize. For 6 foot wide shelving, I wanted three supports for each shelf. Not enough support and the wood shelves may sag with weight over time. The pipe shelving frame is only connected horizontally by the wood shelving. Mine is only attached at the wall near the ceiling. I didn’t notice until assembling that my pipe cutting order was missing a piece so there should actually be another wall flange/pipe in the center top (and will be once I have more pipe cut). You could also screw it into the floor but we did not. It sounds as if it would be unsteady. Mr. DIY even had plans to add brackets for extra strength, however when installation was complete, even he was surprised by the how sturdy it is.

Each of the three built up/connected vertical pipe supports are individual and not connected to each other in any way. (Labeled on the left in the photo above as an example.)

Each wood shelf has three holes on the outer front edge (one on the left, one in the center, one in the right). Each shelf front is supported by resting on top of a tee in the front, threaded through a hole in the shelf with the vertical pipe. On the back, each wood shelf rests on an up-turned elbow. So each wood shelf is not anchored or screwed down in any way. It’s simply locked into place by the front pipe pieces through the holes in the shelf. Each shelf rests on a three tees in the front and three elbows in the back.

My (vertical) measurements are rough but I knew that I had a 107 inch cap (the height from floor to ceiling) and could not go higher. Adding the measurements visually helps with adding up the numbers. I estimated my fittings (the flanges, tees and elbows to be 2 inches – they’re actually smaller but it gave me wiggle room in my design so I knew my shelving would not be higher than 107″ and coming in a few inches lower is ideal). The wood shelving thickness does not come into play because it doesn’t add to the height of the unit. On my drawing, starting with the bottom of the shelving unit, I drew in the flanges and the number 2 for 2″. Then, because of heat vent placement, I knew my first shelf needed to be above that. I drew in the 24″ pipes. Then a tee (2 inches), then my next pipe length 12″, another tee (2 inches), 15″ pipe to accommodate our microwave height, another tee (2 inches), another 15″ pipe, another 2″ tee, a 12″ pipe, a 15″ pipe, 2″ elbow. Adding those up, my rough shelving unit height measured at 107. Exact in theory, but due to the varying heights of flanges, tees, elbows and pipe threads when assembling, actual finished shelving unit height came in at 102.5″ (so, overestimating measurements in the plan ensures that shelving unit will not be too tall for the space).

Horizontal: My wood shelves are 20″ deep. As shown in the photo above, in the front the shelving rests on 3-way tees, in the back, it rests on an upturned 90 degree elbow. I chose 16″ pipes for connecting the horizontal 3-way tee to the upturned elbow. (Because the tee sits 1″ in on the 20″ shelf, measures 2″, then 16″ pipe, then a 1″ elbow totaling 20 inches, meaning once threaded it won’t touch/rub/scratch the wall. Keep the total horizontal support measurement shorter than the shelf depth.) For my top three horizontal frame supports (only 2 shown in photos for now), I added an inch (17″) to reach threading the wall/flange.

Horizontal pipe pieces:

3 for each shelf (15 total for 5 shelves)
3 for top of industrial pipe shelving frame

Note: You may want to adjust pipe lengths to fit your own design. Maybe all one size or staggered shelving or a desk area. But once you understand the construction, you can customize each shelf’s height to fit your space. I used black iron pipe because the cost was a bit lower. Galvanized or maybe even PVC would work as well. All of my pipes and fittings are 1/2 inch. A Lowe’s associate made cuts and threads on pipes that were not an ‘in stock’ size.

Shop: Make a list of plumbing supplies by counting up each tee, pipe, elbow and flange in your sketch.

Materials

For a pipe shelving unit measuring 72 inches wide x approx. 102.5 inches tall x 20 inches deep.

Wood + Finishes

(5) 1 x 20 x 72 inch stain grade pine planks
Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain (I purchased 1 qt.) (color is Kona)
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane (matte finish)

Pipe + Hardware

(6) flanges (be sure to get the correct fitting size for 1/2 pipe)
(18) 90 degree elbows (be sure to get the correct fitting size for 1/2 pipe)
(15) 3-way tees (be sure to get the correct fitting size for 1/2 pipe)
(3) 24″ pipes
(3) 17″ pipes (custom cut/thread)
(15) 16″ pipes (custom cut/thread)
(9) 15″ pipes (custom cut/thread)
(6) 12″ pipes
screws and walls anchors
7/8″ hole saw bit (perfect circle cut for 15 holes)

What We Did (Step-by-Step Overview)

Prep the Pipes

First step will be to clean the pipes. Because oil is needed for the cutting process, they will be filthy, dripping with oil and there are likely going to be pieces of pipe that have that annoying super tacky glued price stickers protected by packaging tape that will need removed. Since I used iron pipe, I could not let the pipes soak in soapy water (they’d rust), so I used grease-fighting Lysol wipes, paper towels and lots of patience.

Paint: Next I spray painted all of the plumbing pieces Oil Rubbed Bronze. I did not use primer. Because I chose black iron instead of galvanized, scratches or poor coverage aren’t an issue.

Prep the Wood Shelves

We cut 1 inch off of our 72 inch length so we’d be able to open the half bathroom door the entire way. This doesn’t affect anything. Decide where you want the holes (for the pipe supports) to be placed. I decided about 1 inch in from the front, 2 inches in from the sides. I created a template from a piece of cardboard. It looks like this:

I simply lined up the edges of the cardboard with the left front edge of the wood shelf and marked my circle/cut mark with a pencil. Flip the cardboard and do the same for the right front edge. I measured the center of my 71″ length and pencilled in the circle/cut mark, lining it up with my template/stencil. I did this with each wood shelf.

Cutting/drilling the holes: We drilled a tiny hole into the center of each penciled circle (made lining up the hole saw easier). We used the 7/8″ hole saw bit for perfect clean drilled holes. It made creating 15 holes all the same size a breeze! I lightly sanded and cleaned around the holes and our cut edge.

Because we have exterior wiring/conduit going up the wall behind the shelving, we had to create a notch on each wood shelf. We used our Dremel Multi-Max to to this.

Staining and sealing each side of each wood shelf is the most time consuming part of the project. I love that Rust-Oleum’s Ultimate Wood Stain dries in about an hour. I only applied one coat…isn’t the color pretty? I did one side then flipped and did the other (the edges and inside of the holes too), applying with a foam brush and wiping off (rubber gloves and lots of rags are a must!). Watch for drips! Then I applied 5 coats of polyurethane to the top side (after this much work, you’re going to want to protect the finish on these shelves!), allowing to dry 2 hours between each coat. Again, watch for drips! No sanding between coats required. Once the one side was dry, I flipped the shelves and repeated brushing two coats to the bottom side, drying between each one.

Assembly

Level & Adjust

I was super nervous about this part. The size of the room did not allow for us to connect and lift the shelving into place. So we propped up the first shelf using a hamper and books and assembled in place.

I can’t believe how easily and smoothly assembly went. I started by attaching flanges to the first three pipes. Then added a tee to each one. The tee should be placed in a direction with one opening facing up, another opening facing horizontal towards the wall. Next, attach a length of pipe (mine are the 17″ ones) to the horizontal facing tee. Attach an elbow at the end of the horizontal pipe. You’ll want the elbow to face up for supporting the wood shelf.

Hold that piece into place under the hole in the wood shelf. Thread the next length of pipe vertically (So starting order at the floor is flange, pipe, tee, wood shelf then next length of pipe). Continue building the shelf in this way. We kept the bar stools and books for support until the very end of the assembly process and securing the shelving to the wall.

Work with a level on the wood shelving to ensure everything is square and level. (Adjust threading as needed.)

Securing to the Wall

The top: securing the shelving unit. After the last shelf is in place, add the last three vertical lengths of pipe. Add an elbow to each one. Add a flange to each horizontal pipe piece and thread into the elbow. The flange should be touching the wall (threads will allow for adjusting).

Using a pencil, mark the wall where screws (into the flange) need to go. Our walls are plaster so we drilled pilot holes and added heavy duty wall anchors. If you designed your shelf to line up with the wall studs…you’re good to go. Screw flanges into place.

Sturdy. Beautiful! Ready to be stocked and decorated.

My cut pipe Lowe’s order was missing one of my top custom cut pipes so our shelving unit is only secured into the wall by the two outer pipe configurations and it’s still sturdy! But I do plan to add the top center piece to finish/secure it properly.

Final Reveal

A custom shelving unit that fits the space perfectly and looks better than anything we could buy.

What We Learned

design/planning is the hardest part
staining/sealing is most time-consuming
assembly easier than expected
fittings add up in cost

Whew! That sounds way too complicated and long, but I promise…I only wanted to include as many details as I could for your research into making your own. I was so happy that it was easier than I anticipated. The hardest part – the design and again, by drawing it out one piece at a time, even that isn’t so complicated. Trust me, math is not one of my strengths. The most time consuming part – the staining/sealing or maybe it was removing the sticker goo. But the reward? A gorgeous custom shelving unit way better than any manufactured piece. Wouldn’t you agree?

See the entire pantry before & after reveal here.

Have any questions? Let me know in the comments! Good luck!

Related Projects:

Pantry Before & After Reveal

Painted Accent Wall

Lighting Dilemma & Solution

More DIY Projects:

Pantry Organization Ideas: DIY Shelving, Storage & Styling Tips

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Roeshel

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Organizing a pantry doesn’t have to mean a full renovation. With a few DIY projects and thoughtful storage solutions, you can create a space that’s both functional and beautiful. Here’s how we transformed ours step-by-step.

Did that space actually grow larger and taller with the addition of shelves or is it just me?

Planning & Inspiration

When we removed a pantry closet in our kitchen to move the refrigerator (more on that here), it decreased valuable storage space. What were we thinking?! What to do? Well, after much thought, the solution was to utilize an odd room/hallway to create more storage space. Lucky for us, that space exists in our home right behind the kitchen. Jackpot! Kismet. Fate. Whatever – it was finally time to make it happen!

The space is bigger than a hallway but six (6!) doorways make it too awkward to be a room. There are doorways opening to the kitchen, dining room, living room, old cellar stairwell, enclosed porch (original front door) and half bathroom. We walk through that room a gazillion times a day.

It’s approximately 6 ft. wide and 9 ft. long with 9 ft. ceilings. Ever since previous owners enclosed the front porch and re-routed the front door, this poor former entryway has been feeling forgotten. Perfect for some custom DIY industrial pipe shelving and a new job description as ‘open pantry’.

Where is all started: The idea to one day call this area a pantry formed three years ago after drooling over this awesome pantry by Emerson Made on Design Sponge.

And then falling in love with this cool pipe shelving I spied at the Brick House…

inspired the transformation of this space…

Before: Pantry Space

before – boring, useless, a lamp for light

Pantry Organization Projects

DIY Shelving

We built custom industrial pipe shelving to maximize storage and fit the space perfectly.

Storage Solutions

baskets
jars
containers

Labeling + Organization

chalk labels
grouping items

Styling + Finishing Touches

decor
greenery
trays

Pantry Organization Tips

keep frequently used items accessible
use vertical space
mix storage + style
don’t overfill

Shop Pantry Organization Essentials

(affiliate links included)

Final Result

Now: a functional beautiful open pantry area…

with new paint, new lighting and DIY industrial pipe shelving. It’s a small space…no room to get a photo straight on of the monstrous pipe shelves but plenty of walking room even with 20 inch deep shelving. I love storing dried goods in glass jars too.

Before from another angle…

After…isn’t the industrial pipe shelving unit awesome?!

It’s super convenient with it’s location right off the kitchen.

The shelves were designed to fit the wall to ceiling and floor space perfectly and to accommodate our microwave as well as dried goods and baskets. I’m still messing with getting it all organized but I loooove how this once awkward unused space is now functional and pretty! Hurray!

More photos: Notice all of the doorways?

Custom design was also handy when working around the heat vent…

Why yes, that’s still a little Christmas hanging around for another week or so. Thanks for noticing!

Paint – inexpensive way to brighten up a room lacking natural lighting. (accent wall tutorial) Base wall color: Valspar Cool Grey.
Lighting – The Allen + Roth fixtures from Lowe’s were super affordable at around $57/ea. but electrical wound up costing more than I anticipated due to labor charges because there was no lighting whatsoever in the space from the get go and an outdated electrical outlet. (We did attempt DIY but it was over our heads and I’m not referring to just literally!) The exterior track/wiring adds to the industrial charm.
Pipe shelving – DIY means custom to fit our space and needs. Not a cheap DIY but still more affordable than purchasing two manufactured floor to ceiling shelving units. I’ll share how we did in in a couple of days! Check back!
West Elm Fiesta Tile Printed Jute Rug
Flea Market Distressed Galvanized Metal Clock
IKEA Burken jars with lids
Large Seagrass Basket
Petite Cow & Bull Cameo Plaques, set of 2
Grocery Sign
Galvanized letter B – Hobby Lobby

DIY INDUSTRIAL PIPE SHELVING TIPS & TUTORIAL

ACCENT WALL

LIGHTING DETAILS

Pantry Makeover Prep and #ReadyDoneClean Giveaway

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Roeshel

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This giveaway is now closed. And the winner is…

Congratulations, Jessica! I’ll send you an email to get your mailing information!

We’ve been using an enclosed porch as a temporary pantry ever since we removed a closet from our kitchen but with warmer weather approaching, it’s going to need to be moved inside for better temperature control. So, it’s time to start considering a pantry makeover.

Inspiration: I have had this open pantry image from Emerson Made saved in my inspiration files forever.

via Apartment Therapy

The ideal spot is the ‘room’ behind this back wall in the kitchen…

It’s wider than a hallway and sits between our kitchen and living room and has FIVE doorways. Time to make the most of what has always been a waste of space. The freezer will be relocated to the basement.

The first step in prepping for painting is to examine the walls and fill any holes, cracks or imperfections with spackling, letting it dry and sanding smooth. My Swiffer Sweeper is handy for cleaning up the spackling dust.

Then time for a little clean up. This area is so dark and un-used, meaning it often gets overlooked even though we walk through here nearly every day. Cleaning up before painting is important. Ever get cobwebs on your wet paint brush? No fun. A Swiffer Sweeper with a dry sweeping cloth works really well by attracting dirt and dust from virtually any surface, including walls, ceiling and baseboards with it’s 360 degree swivel head. With the long Swiffer Sweeper handle, I don’t even need a ladder to dust the 9 foot ceilings and corners.

I DO clean so I’m embarrassed by the dirt that accumulated in this dark, unused space. Yikes! This is just from the ceiling, walls and trim above 5 door frames. It’s not something you’ll want to paint over.

I can’t believe it took cleaning this room for me to actually see the dirt. Gross! Next prepare for painting by taping off trim. Then paint!

After painting, I use my Magic Eraser. It’s is so powerful that it removes more grime per swipe than the leading all-purpose bleach spray cleaner, and it has no harsh chemicals. I seriously have a basket full of Magic Erasers. With a husband who loves to cook, I use them all.the.time. for cleaning up spills and drips on white kitchen cabinets too.

It’s going to feel so good to use this space, for it to be lighter and organized! I can’t wait!

You can find all of your painting supplies, including the Swiffer Sweeper and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, at the Home Depot near you. Be sure to visit Paint Like a Pro at HomeDepot.com for a paint calculator and more great DIY painting and tips.

Ready to paint?

Get ready. Get done. Get clean. Giveaway

DIY Painting #ReadyDoneClean Prize Pack:

Swiffer Sweeper
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
$50 The Home Depot gift card

(1) entry per person: Simply leave a comment below describing your next paint project to enter to win. Giveaway starts today and ends March 1, 2013. Open to US and Canadian residents. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced shortly after.

*This review and giveaway is sponsored by The Home Depot and Proctor & Gamble, however opinion is my own and these are products I do purchase and use even when not sponsored. Read more about the DIY Show Off disclosure here.