Before and After: Utility Room Redo

I'm embarrassed to say it but I still have a few boxes that I haven't unpacked yet.  Yes, we moved over two months ago. I also haven't taken as many pictures of my new house yet because everything seems to be a work in progress.  For example, we got the basement walls done, fireplace done and carpet in but we have no furniture down there so there is nothing to take pictures of. 

However, last weekend we did get one big chunk done.  It isn't the most exciting transformation but it has really made a big difference. It is amazing what a shelf can do.  You may remember that we built a wall in the back of our basement to close off the utility area.  The hot water heater, furnace and washing machine and dryer are all back there along with a little hallway and another little closet.  The idea behind building the wall was two-fold: 1) hide the unsightliness of the necessary but not pretty need for utilitarian storage and appliances and 2) block the noise of the appliances so that my husband can work quietly in his office space downstairs.

Here was the space B.S. (before shelves):

And here it is now:

The best part of the whole thing?  Being able to close the door and ignore it all.

We got the shelf at Crate and Barrel.  It was affordable, is sturdy, and was easy to assemble (well, easy for my husband to do).