Five closets. You’d think there would be no organizing problems with so much storage space, but mudroom organizing with so many closets nearby has it’s own challenges.
Starting out, it was a blank slate. Two former end tables and a row of hooks wasn’t going to get very far for this busy family of five. Here’s the before of this little mudroom alcove:
It didn’t happen immediately after they moved in, but the build out was really what we needed to utilize all the space AND make it look nice. Like most modern homes, this is the main entry to the house.
Building in a closet unit certainly used the space a lot better. You can use the full vertical space, and you can hide the essentials that aren’t so pretty. A custom closet company like this makes it easy. Hat tip to Stephanie Hug of Closets By Design.
Think of a mudroom system like this as furniture for one of your most-used rooms in your home.
Custom builds are nice, but there’s a classic mistake I see over and over. You know what I always say:
Months after installation, we purchased two more shelves from the closet company, no big deal.
We also purchased these lovely fabric bins from Target. A combination of polyester and cardboard, they felt like a better choice, but now I’m realizing that we could have gone with cotton bins, metal, or wood to avoid the plastic altogether. Still, they do look smart and are sturdy enough to hold up for years.
I’ll show you some different details, but here is that same corner, no longer an alcove:
Did I mention there were five closets in all with this project? When I started, ALL of them had toilet paper in them. I don’t think I need to tell you why. 😉 #PandemicLiving
This family was not taking any chances, and it was literally delivered by the truckload. Cases were ending up in every closet. It’s a good thing we’re not having guests over these days. Guest coats have been replaced by paper goods. It’s easy to forget what you have if it’s still in the cases. Unpack it right away before storing deliveries at home.
If your house feels like a warehouse, it might be all the cardboard boxes that need to be unpacked. When cases are all emptied and things in them are put away, you can see how much cardboard is just building up in your house. Who needs that?
Here’s the original mudroom coat closet before, which also had a mashup of personal paper products, dog food, and pantry goods.
The after of this closet is a thing of beauty. If a stockpile of TP makes you feel secure, this is going to make you swoon.
What about that giant built-in mudroom cabinet? That’s where all the important things go that keep the household running! Batteries, cleaners, dog stuff. It’s gotta go somewhere. Here’s what we started with:
Maybe you can see what I see…there’s an enormous amount of space in between the shelves that needs to be put to use. This is how the cabinet on the left is set up. You can’t really read the labels, but even from here you can see what belongs on the shelves.
Notice this tiny little shelf? Perfect for bins of batteries!
This little shelf is perfect for soda. No need for a fancy product or removing each can from the cartons. Just tear off the flaps and folks can grab and go, while everything stays organized.
The cabinet on the right of the coats and shoes has room for an entire case of paper towels along with all the mops and brooms, nicely hung to stop them from fighting with each other.
Remember to use all of your space, including the space on the door for easy access to the dustpan!
Now it’s not only pretty outside, it’s pretty inside, too.
Even the dog was happy! All of her treats, leashes and brushes were all in one, easy-to-reach bin. Happy dog butt alert!
Shoes? Coats? Check! The view looks great from the kitchen.
Will it stay this perfect all the time? No. That’s not reality. The family will be able to find what they need when they need it, and the housekeeper and everyone else can put things back where they belong because now everything has a spot.
Need other mudroom ideas? Check out this very similar mudroom built-in I designed way back in 2011. My own “mudroom” is just a couple of feet wide inside my kitchen.
If you are counting, I’ve shown you just four closets. There is a pantry just on the other side of the wall, and I had the joy of organizing that one, too, in the same afternoon. Actually, we had organized that three years ago, so it just needed a little touch up and a few new labels. I’ll show you that another day.
Not all of us can be lucky enough to have this many closets or a beautiful built-in like this. If you are looking for an upgrade and need help with the design or organizing it, please give me a call.
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