garage entry re-organization

After three years in this house the total-lack-of-a-mudroom finally got to me. We recently got a quote for turning the laundry room closet into a row of lockers but until we decide to actually make that happen, I wanted to try to figure another solution out.

I bought some hooks a few weeks ago at Home Depot and finally worked up the courage to get Matt's power drill out yesterday. There were a few frustrating moments, but I figured it out and feel pretty good about the added coat/snow pant/backpack hanging space. (There is no "before" shot but you can just image a whole bunch of nothing plus a giant recycling bin).

Once I got started moving stuff around, I couldn't stop. I've been inspired by some organizing blogs lately and as I'm re-organizing the house I'm finding some added fun in trying to re-use things I already own. Besides the hooks ($3 each) and a wire basket I found at Hobby Lobby on clearance ($17), the rest of the items were things I already had. Brilliant.

And not only does the new system free up some space in the house, but it also (hopefully) keeps more of the dirt/snow/slush outside because the kids now have a space where they can leave their snow stuff and boots outside.

Some of their coats are still inside as well as some of their shoes and their hats and gloves. The bulkier stuff (like back packs) now has a home out here as well as some of the stuff that doesn't get used as often.

The black rug, bench and white cubby shelf were already in the garage, they just got moved around a little and put to better use. The blue rug, plastic drawer (which holds less-often used snow gear, umbrellas, etc.), small basket and barn stars were saved from a life of storage in the basement. The hooks and basket under the bench are new. The containers on the right side hold our PaperGator stash, pop cans, and general recycling (all within reach from the door). The hanging shoe rack was there when we moved in.

I also straightened out the rest of the garage, added a couple of hooks for the kids' bike helmets, and swept the whole thing out. It might seem a little silly to put this much effort into your garage of all places but when you think about the fact that it's a space you go through a couple times a day and the first thing you see when you come home, it makes sense to put at least a little bit of effort in. I think a couple of hours of work out here was well worth it!