Everyone needs a place to throw their shoes and jackets, but that space is usually either a boring closet or an unorganized messy area that takes way too long to find a matching shoe or the jacket you are looking for because everything gets dropped with disregard… Any way, our point is that most homes have a space that can be easily transformed into a nice looking storage for shoes and coats, with a little bit of creativity. Our tips are to pick a relatively central area in your home, near the outside door that you use most frequently. In that area we find that 5-7’ is an ideal amount of space to create good organization for all of your things. The three pictures below show the different levels of…..ummm  “built-in-ness’’? (not sure about that one).

1. Built in with fine detail to finish trim.

We built this project to look like is was part of the house from day one, its involves a lot of fine finish trim work that blends into existing trim. The hardware used for the coat hooks and even the register cover that we chose blends with the era of this home. It features a solid maple bench top with actuators to provide a soft close.

2. Semi built in with light finish trim work.

This project was built into a standard hall closet to eliminate those pesky bi-fold or sliding doors to create a clean, organized and let’s be honest, pretty cool looking space. We used True reclaimed lumber that we sourced here in Lancaster County  Pa. for the bench and shelf, but you could use any variation of lumber. We used beefy steel brackets to secure the shelf, and built cabinet grade  “boxes” to secure the bench. And finally we included some finish trim work at the baseboard to blend the whole project into the rest of the house for a very finished feel.

3. The D.I.Y Mudroom

This last one is a very easy one that anyone can do at home if you have the space to use. The simplest way to create a mud room feel with a little budget and a short amount of time is to position a coat rack on the wall above a bench. Then use baskets or apple crates for shoe organization.  Benches can be found second hand all over the internet or at yard sales and can then be painted and distressed to meet your exact feel.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what can be done in three different types of spaces so you can begin your next project… Or, just give us a call and well be glad to get it done for you!