(P.S. My clients’ foyer redo was voted Most Inviting Entryway on HOUZZ. See the before and after below!)
Courtney Warren is a Texas-based interior designer whose work has been featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Apartment Therapy, and Today.com. She is a frequent consultant on Fox 4 TV’s Good Day program in Dallas, was ranked in the top 3 percent of interior designers in the US by Houzz.com, and starred in the Dallas episode of TLC’sFour Houses. She delights in helping overwhelmed clients create beautiful spaces—and will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie or Diet Dr Pepper.
Backpacks and shoes and sports equipment, OH MY!
(Yeah, and keys.)
Where does that stuff get dropped at YOUR house in the afternoon? Where in the name of Marie Kondo do you go scrambling for it all as you’re running for the door in the morning? Oh, to have a spot where those items can land and later be FOUND!
Sound too good? Maybe it’s possible!
I’m telling you, getting a mudroom/drop zone off the kitchen at my house was like heaven for this busy mom.
A place to put jackets, shoes and bags and STUFF as we come in the door gives me almost as much joy as a pedicure, a massage, and a Diet Dr. Pepper combined.
What is a drop zone in a house?
I use these adjacent hallway storage cabinets for EVERYTHING.
Can you think where you could carve out a space in your home for a mudroom?
Think about this: with the right cabinets and hooks, even a wall in the garage would work!
Maybe some re-arranging of cabinetry and adjacent closets will get you a mudroom in your utility room.
Maybe switching (for other, good reasons) to a tankless water heater would free up some real estate that can be appropriated for this useful setup.
Short on space at your place?
Smaller scale but still effective, we created this drop zone from an entry wall in a compact uptown apartment. So there’s hope for us all!
Some baskets under the bench and on the shelf could help corral (and hide) some stuff while keeping it accessible.
Or try this: a console table with a big dish or basket could handle keys and mail as you come and go through the front door. See Exhibit A below.
You might even rejoice to use your front door if you were greeted by Exhibit B here!
(P.S. My clients’ foyer redo was voted Most Inviting Entryway on HOUZZ. See the before and after below!)
No foyer? Even a strategically placed piece of furniture, like this colorful dresser-turned-console table can serve as a landing spot for needed out-the-door items.
If your family is like mine, you’re always on the go. Anything that makes your life run more smoothly is right up there with, maybe, a free Saturday night to binge watch The Crown. Let’s talk and see if we can figure out a mudroom or drop zone for your house–or solve any other design problem you have!
Have some questions? No problem! I offer a complimentary, no-strings-attached phone call consultation.
Email me to book a call time–and let’s start making design fun!