unfortunately our mudroom is big enough for the doors to the garage and the house, and the washer and dryer and little else. it is a closet and there is no room for hooks and bags in there without claustrophobia setting in daily. so i was going to have to find another spot. our front closet is barely big enough for 5 coats and the bar is too high for the kids to reach, not a daily help mommy and hang up your coat option. we usually resorted to hanging the coats on the banisters to the upstairs which always looked cluttered an unmaintained. not to mention that the coats and backpack weren't together which is an issue in the hurried mornings.
so i wanted to hang up a set of double hooks, so they each would have a bag and coat hook. when i was picking those up at the local everything store i also spotted this wall mounted three bin wire basket do-jobby (real name "3 Pocket Wall File" by katie brown at meijer). that immediately went in hand as i had been wondering about some sort of baskets to herd hats and extras. power tools and studs were involved in the following transformation.
i really wanted to keep it slim and un-busy, this is the main hallway of our house. i managed to get the before and after at about the same angle so you can see it doesn't eat up too much of the hallway. this is all mary's fault by the way. i've never hung anything in a hallway, ever, until she sent me the print framed there.
a view more straight on from in front of that octagonal window. the only printed pictures i could find of the kids for over the hooks are from 2.5 years ago, but it got across the idea. i want to get self adhesive removable photo frames but haven't settled on a set (they loved the old pictures by the way). depending on the sticker frame set i may add a family picture or two above or to the right of my daughter's hook. maybe something seasonal or a quote, akin to mary's mantel, in landing pad form.
that door is to our first floor powder room. the dry erase removable dots are by The Board Dudes and i picked them up at target for around $8 if i remember correctly. on the spots we can leave the kids notes and reminders and my husband and i can send dorky love notes to each other on the third one.
each kid gets a bin for extras like gloves and hats and things and then the middle bin is for them to put their school folder in when they hang up their backpack. it is now their job to put it in their backpack in the morning. i like having both their school to home folders in one place. in the middle we'll also store my daughter's weekly book report-like assignment that we are not allowed to return until the next friday. we complete it the friday it comes home so we don't forget and i had been keeping it in her backpack but something was said and the kids are saying they aren't supposed to do that anymore. i had been having a terrible time finding a good place for it so we wouldn't forget it. it can live there now.
the husband had been a bit skeptical but is a big fan of it now that it is done. the spots really pulled it together, so that was an awesome find. our doorbell speaker is mounted on the wall right above this area so we can stash the pen to hide it from the kids. they already asked to draw, i vetoed. no markers on my walls. there is another area i may do some chalkboard paint for them, it needs a little something.
this was my october opam. it's not completely perfectly done yet, but the major construction is done and that's what counts in my book.
we will ignore what i cropped out. all the drill bits and tools still on the floor infront of the front door.
