How to transform your entryway from messy to functional organization.

Let’s face it; sometimes living in Minnesota is like living on another, less hospitable planet. In January, we seem to have been whisked too far from the sun.  Six months later, it’s almost like we are living ON the sun. And yet a characteristic that connects all of us here is that we love to be outdoors, wet or dry, cold or hot.

Because we also like the organization and comfort of our homes, having a designated area to gear up and gear down is a necessity. Localizing functional entryway organization in a mudroom makes the most sense.

The above entryway was typical of many homes… basically just a big pile of mess.  The new design creates functionality in the home entryway. Built-in individual cubbies are perfect for storing backpacks, shoes, boots, and coats.  Durable, easy-to-clean flooring, which is tough enough to stand up to the winter grit and salt. Shelves and baskets above the cubbies to store hats and gloves. A workstation to collect and process mail. And even a new powder room, conveniently located near the back door.

An effective “airlock” of this sort allows us to prepare to enjoy the elements of the outdoors and then return to a controlled interior environment in an orderly way.  Plus, it gives all of our winter gear a place to call home so that it doesn’t end up on the floor.

Forethought Not Afterthought

Yet many of us make do with an unplanned, de facto area near the door where stuff just starts to pile up.  A mudroom, or choreographed entryway, can be so much more than just a place to chuck and grab stuff on your way into and out of the house.

Do you live in an older home where the space to add a completely separate mudroom is simply not there? By adding storage, seating, and durable flooring to an entryway, you can make the already existing entry space more functional for the same purposes.

As the pictures show, adding a well-designed, well-constructed mudroom or creating a more functional entryway organization area, in addition to promoting a livelier connection with the outside world, can be a beautiful extension of the home. Here are some entryway design tips that will add functionality and clear clutter from your entryway.

Creating functional organization doesn’t mean you have to remodel the entire front entrance of your home. Start small by adding in built-in shelving or individual cubbies for organized storage. Together we can come up with a plan that will maximize your entryway space, while also helping you and your family contain the clutter.

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