Amanda from the Edison Park neighborhood called House Specialties with an interesting idea. Her Chicago bungalow had built-in cabinets in the kitchen that included a very shallow closet that housed 2 flip-down ironing boards—one for regular ironing and a special board for sleeves.

Amanda thought that this would be a perfect place for a spice rack, and House Specialties owner Lightning agreed. They worked together to create a design that would be deep enough for spices but still allow the original door to close.

House Specialties fabricated the custom shelves in their shop and even matched the stain color.

On installation day, as Lightning was removing the ironing board mechanics, he found this handy instruction guide from the 1950s about folding fitted sheets.

Each shelf was meticulously trimmed on site to fit the exact location in which it was being mounted. The shelving was attached with pocket screws so they wouldn’t be visible or take up room in the cabinet.