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Nursery Blanket Ladder

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I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately stressing brainstorming about organizing the new baby room/nursery. He’s due to show up here in about 7 weeks and, as of 3 days ago, everything was just piled up in an extra room in the house in complete disarray … no joke … piles everywhere. So finally last week, I decided we’re probably getting close enough that we should get things somewhat situated and prepared … you know, so we can find the carseat when we head to the hospital and find the diapers once we’re home from the hospital.

That sort of crazy stuff.

I like to refer to Part 1 of the nursery organization extravaganza as The Purge. Yep. Everything out of the room. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Approximately 5 lifetimes and 6 million trash bags later, I moved onto Part 2: Denial. What if I just leave everything in piles? That’s fine, right? As long as I know what’s in each pile.

Part 3: Acceptance. No, I couldn’t just leave it all in piles. As things were, I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom, which just really isn’t a good situation at 7 months pregnant.

So I pushed on, and moved all the new baby things back into the room. But there was a small problem – nowhere to put all the things! I had the dresser that I upcycled, but no shelving or anything like that.

And that there was the moment of inspiration for the blanket-ladder-turned-nursery-organizer.

There are tons of different blanket ladders out there, but I wanted to throw a little spin on things to use the ladder for more than just blankets.

Nursery Blanket Ladder

So without further ado, here’s a quick, inexpensive project to add a little extra storage in a small space!

Download the plans here and/or follow my build below.

Lumber:

  • 1 |   1×2 – 6’
  • 1 |   1×3 – 8’

Cuts:

  • 4 |   1×2 @ 14” (rungs)
  • 2 |   1×3 @ 4’ (legs) *cut one side of each of the legs at a 5° angle so that it leans against the wall nicely

Tools & Supplies:

  • Miter Saw
  • Kreg Jig & Bits
  • 1-1/4” Pocket Hole Screws
  • Drill
  • Wood Glue
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • 5/8” Hooks

I completely made up all the measurements for this ladder based on the wood I had. Feel free to modify for whatever fits your needs!

Step 1.

After making the cuts, drill 1-1/4” pocket holes into the ends of the 1×2 rungs.

Step 2.

Measure along the legs of the ladder and mark at 10” increments (starting at the bottom) for rung spacing. I wanted to hang a blanket on the top rung of the ladder, so I spaced it at 14” from the rung below.

Step 3.

Set the 1×2 boards so the back corners are ¾” from the back of the leg and the front corners are ½” from the front of the leg.

This will give a slight angle to the ladder rungs for easier hanging … plus, points for style 🙂

Space the boards using your markings from Step 2. I measured from the bottom corner of each 1×2.

Step 4.

Attach the 1×2 rungs with 1-1/4” pocket hole screws and wood glue. Make sure to face the pocket holes towards the back of the ladder to hide them.

Step 5.

Attach the other 1×3 leg to the ladder rungs the same as the first leg.

Sand and finish as desired!

I used Varathane Dark Walnut for my finish. I looooooove using this stain. You just apply 1 coat, wait a few minutes, blend with a rag, and BOOM all done!

Step 6.

Once the ladder dries, add 5/8” hooks to the bottom three ladder rungs and hang some baskets.

For the baskets: I found three at the thrift store and simply spray-painted them gray to match the room décor and ladder style. Easy-peasy 🙂

Once everything was complete, I moved the ladder to the nursery and started loading it up!

Nursery Blanket Ladder

There you have it! If you found this helpful, I always appreciate shares and pins!

And, by all means, please leave any questions and/or comments below.

Nursery Blanket Ladder
DIY Nursery Blanket Ladder

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