Again, with that ridiculous space

We should probably be incredibly grateful for all the builders who build houses and leave big, empty spaces on either side of all those fireplaces. Because that space makes people crazy, and Jim gets to fix it by adding useful shelves and whatnot. Here's a really nice set he did for some lovely friends of ours:

So purty.

This photograph is beautiful for two reasons: First, of course, because it features these gorgeous shelves Jim built and stained to exactly match the existing fireplace. Second, because one of our lovely friends who lives here is a genius photographer who takes all my favorite pictures ever in life. So this looks like the real deal because it is.

Here are pictures Jim took of the project in process. (Jim is not a photographer, y'all.)

Before. No. This will never do.

During. And now we're getting somewhere.

Jim has done this to fireplace spaces before, and he will probably do it again, because people just keep on building fireplaces and leaving these spaces around them. Here's another post about that ridiculous space around fireplaces, just in case the topic is of special interest to you.

Repeat performer

Jim gets invited back a lot. He builds a thing, and then people want him to build another thing. And the next thing you know, he has tricked out the whole dang house. Which brings us to this elegant master bathroom vanity:

I can see you, Jim Fortune.

This is a beautiful thing Jim built for some terrific people who had already had him build them several other things.

Then, since they were totally redesigning their master bathroom anyway, they decided their master closet could use some of Jim's attention. It wasn't much of a closet, really. Kind of crammed into a hallway, with some slidey, annoying doors and a very low ceiling.

So Jim built them this in its place:

Man, I love a good closet.

This is a spectacularly useful and pretty closet. It goes ALL THE WAY UP, which fulfills one of the most important principles of Jim's Law: Use all available space.

I have never seen a closet this pretty in real life before.

The other principle of Jim's Law on display here is: Trim all the things. Jim is a master at crown molding and baseboarding and all things detail and finish-oriented.

I honestly do not think there is anything left in this house for Jim to renovate. These people have pretty much singlehandedly paid for our kid's braces. Thanks, y'all.