Closet to "Mudroom" Transformation

I've mentioned before how much I hate our front entry and closet. The space is just too small to work properly - that and the closet door opened into the room further bottle necking traffic.

Could have sworn I had a better picture. I'm standing in the front door frame to take this and there is no space to the left. The closet door opened to the right into what is the size of a doorway leading into the living room.

Well, we solved that problem. Awhile back when Beth at Home Stories A to Z was talking mudrooms, I told her my dream was to turn my closet into a a pseudo-mudroom, and I finally did it!

First we took the bi-fold door off and removed the track. Easy peasy. We knocked the shelf out and removed the hanging rod.

The inside was painted to match the rest of the room and the holes left by the rod where patched and sanded. 

Bad pictures! Sorry.

Mateo used scrap wood cut to fit the holes and then some putty and sanding to smooth it out.

The harder part was the bench. The back of the closet near the floor is angled because it sits over the stairs to the basement. So Matt had to build around that and close it in so it was hidden. He also wanted it to be strong enough to hold the monkey boys who were bound to climb up on it.

Some priming, caulking and painting, and viola! the bench was white. We added five double hooks for hanging coats and whatnot.

The sign was a gift from my parents. It reads: Please excuse our messy house, the kids are making memories.

I'd like to get a different basket, actually, something a bit smaller so I can have two. I'll use those in the winter for mittens and hats and whatever other odds and ends need a home.

The basket is angled and sticks out a bit too much. It's hard to see in the picture.

I did not remove any walls, and yet it feels so much more spacious at the entry. It feels usable now too. The bench can hold purses or other items. Using a hook is so much faster than a hanger, so it should help flow issues.

Color info: The walls are Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore and the Trim is Mayonnaise by Benjamin Moore (but I actually had that color matched at Home Depot in Behr paint).

Switcheroo

Our room layout wasn't working for us. Matt and I are both clutter-y people and a bit lazy. But I can't stand messes, so I'm always trying to come up with new organizational tricks that help out while just working with who we actually are.

Remember when there were all those organizing shows on TV awhile back? Yeah, I love organizing, but no matter how great a system is, if you have to completely change, it's never going to last.

 We needed  hooks for clothes, and the old layout didn't allow for it, so clothes were left wherever, just looking messy. The truth, when I wear a pair of pants to church for a couple hours, or when I wear a pair of jeans, I'm not going to wash them right away (it's really hard on your clothes), but I'm too lazy to put them away too. So, many years ago I realized hooks were the way to go.

So all that over-sharing was leading up to switching the bedroom around. We were worried that furniture might only fit well the way it was, so here's a little trick if you want to move furniture without moving it.

Make a scale drawing of the room and cut out scaled paper models for the furniture. Then you can rearrange the room to your heart's content without any heavy lifting.

Occasionally I think an arrangement works on paper and then I don't like it in real life, but overall it's a nice little helper. Plus the kids will be entertained for quite awhile too. :)

In this case, it worked out really well.

We actually like it better. We have our hooks now.

The spacing is a little tight between the dresser and the bed, but it's not bad at all. The drawers can still open fully and I can walk normally through the space.

(Tight spaces don't cause much fuss for us. In Boston, we had an apartment with a long, skinny bathroom and you had to turn sideways and shuffle past the tub to get to the toilet.)

I keep debating about whether to make an upholstered headboard or a wood-slat headboard. One day I'll decide and get 'er done. I know exactly what I want for new bedding...I saw it two years ago...and of course I can't find it now! So, I'm just waiting to find something I love.

(Please note how messy Matt's dresser is. Yeah, there is no hope. I've been trying for 11+ years now. Really, I've given up and just come to terms with it. It's who he is.) :)

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