The Mini-Mud Room

If you are like most people you could use a little organization in your life.  What is the most stressful time of your day?  For many people it is weekday mornings.  Getting kids off to school while getting yourself ready for work.  Sometimes a little organization can minimize that morning chaos.

If you can find a couple of square feet of unused space near the garage entrance to your home, you can create some targeted storage that may work better for you than the standard reach-in closet.  Here is a short list of the items you may need to store:

• Coats and jackets
• Hats, gloves and mittens
• Shoes and boots
• School bags and brief cases
• Umbrellas
• Storage for off-season items

The photos show a number of different approaches to the Mini-Mud Room storage unit.  What works for you depends upon how much space you can devote, size of your family and, of course, the size of your budget.  Here are some of the features and construction methods you can include:

• Use of stock cabinets
• Coat hooks
• Baskets of various types or other storage containers
• Drawer units (also stock cabinetry)
• Storage compartments
• Open shelves
• Seating for removing shoes and boots
• Racks for key storage

The beauty of this kind of storage is that it is individualized.  Everybody has their own space for their own personal items.  A combination of open and closed storage provides a way to keep the space from looking too cluttered.  Padded seats can add a measure of comfort.

The open access is the key for this idea to improve on the function of a simple closet.  It’s an idea that can easily be worked into a new home build or as part of a remodeling project.  It’s also a project that can be tackled by the do-it-your-selfer.

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