Kind of a Mudroom

I’ve always wanted a mudroom. And once I had five kids, I really wanted a mudroom. I’m so tired of shoes covering the entire front entrance and the coat closet overflowing. Our garage door enters through the laundry room and for some reason I had never envisioned using that area as a mudroom. Instead, the space was filled with our gigantic dog crate {to house our gigantic bulldog} and too many odds and ends. It looked miserable.

A number of weeks ago, a friend was giving away a cubby unit that her family had outgrown. I jumped at the chance to have it and suddenly envisioned my very own mudroom. I spray-painted the cubby unit {this is the only “before” photo I have, taken at the beginning of the spraying} …

… and today I removed the dog crate and all the other junk and put the new cubby unit in place. Voila – an almost mudroom! Each child has their own cubby. A place for shoes on the bottom, a hook for a jacket, and a basket for junk miscellaneous items. The wire boy and girl above the shelving unit will be used for photos, notes, and reminders for the kids.

I’m so thrilled with my little makeover that I’ve walked in the room at least twenty times just to look at it. This new cubby may save my organizational sanity. {And just in case you’re concerned … the big ol’ bulldog didn’t lose his space. He’ll just sleep on his cushion instead of inside the massive crate.}