Creative Ways to Give your Mudroom Makeover a Lift

Image via: Seattle Custom Cabinets – Photographer – Tim Schultz

Embrace Home Organization in your Mudroom

If your mudroom is small, a few brilliant ideas may provide the solutions you need to revamp it. Add an entryway table or wall shelves to create a central area to keep wallets and keys as you step into the house. This will also help save time when running out the door in the morning! You can incorporate drawer organizers into the mudroom which will help you to declutter it. They are perfect for keeping items contained in one place, avoiding unnecessary space wastage. Mudroom organization can be a challenge but can be kept under control with these easy tips.

In case your space is not enough for shelves, consider magnetic boards in your mudroom makeover which come in handy for hanging items. Multipurpose furnishings are also perfect for small spaces. A small bench fitted with shelves underneath can accommodate different objects. You can also alter the space at the bottom of the stairs to function as a locker room, a storage area, or a stair closet.

Get Creative with Small Space Storage Ideas

Baskets are a must-have if you plan on increasing storage and reorganizing your mudroom. They provide beauty and are convenient in that they put clutter out of sight. Shoes, toys, hats, and small umbrellas can fit in strategically-placed baskets, enhancing the home organization. You can also subdivide your mudroom space from floor to ceiling and allocate it to different family members to ensure easy cleaning and maintenance.

A decorative shoe rack can easily organize your shoes while adding beauty. Its size will depend on the space available. If you entertain a lot, you know it’s wise to make use of every available space. We love these mudroom makeover organization ideas from Wayfair.

Add Mudroom Seating for a Comfortable Spot

Adding a seating area to your mudroom makeover, regardless of the size, is a great idea. It will be convenient for young kids who need to sit as they put on shoes on their way out. A creative way to provide seating is to use a folding stool which can be easily stored when not in use. An altered cabinet top can be used as a bench. It can be modified further such that it can be pulled out for use or pushed back when not in use.

Use Hooks and Cubbies for Quick & Simplified Organization

As you focus on home organization, consider your children. Low hanging hooks your children can reach will help them to store their coats, bags, and hats easily. Magnetic or adhesive hooks on walls and behind the door are great ideas. Hooks can organize keys, gloves, hats, and belts nicely because they take up very little space. Wall pegs can also function as hooks, providing more storage in your mudroom. Cubbies arranged against a wall make a good storage area for books, shoes, and sports equipment.

Designate a Space for Everyone in the Family

A great way to manage a mudroom makeover is to create a space for everyone. If all family members have their own private area in the mudroom, it becomes easy to locate items and enhances the family organization. Kids learn how to stay organized through storing things carefully. Vertical spaces provide more room and can incorporate many items at once.

Add Pizzazz to Your Mudroom Makeover Decorating

Creative painting and small space decorating ideas, beautiful hardware, wallpaper, and attractive light patterns add life to your mudroom. The type of colors and the color patterns in the room will determine the transformation. An antique wall clock can also inject beauty while adding function. Select flooring objects that are resistant to dirt and easy to clean such as tiles. A rug will not only capture dirt but also prevent it from spreading to other areas of the home.

A mudroom makeover can make use of better space in your family home as well as keep you organized. Use these mudroom decor and organization tips to transform your entry and help keep your family lifestyle enjoyable instead of chaotic!

For more organization ideas on Stagetecture, look through our archives.

Festive Holiday Front Door and Entry Ideas

Your front door sets the tone for your home throughout the year, especially during the holidays. Too often this focal point of the front of your home is simply forgotten. However, you can bring the front door into the holiday spirit by remembering to trim the door along with the tree.

Christmas Decorations: Pine Wreaths are Perfect!

A lovely pine wreath will add warmth to the porch and let everyone who comes to your door know that you are feeling the holiday spirit. However, you don’t have to settle for a basic wreath. Liven it up with some colorful, wide ribbon in a shiny and luxurious satin or deep, elegant velvet. Add some battery-powered lights around the wreath so it will show up at night. Another option is to add some large pinecones to the wreath for a natural look that will stand out and draw attention.

Looking for more holiday wreaths? Visit our wreath site – How To Make a Burlap Wreath for holiday wreath ideas and tutorials.

Image via: Etsy – Pine Wreath Ideas – Designing Creations

Christmas Decorating – Garlands

These strings of natural pine boughs aren’t just for staircases. Mounted around your front door it becomes a focal piece that will make the entire area feel more impressive. Match the decorations on the garland to the wreath that will grace the center of your entry door.

Holiday Front Door Ideas – Who Doesn’t Love Jingle Bells?

Add an old-world feel to your home by hanging jingle bells in place of a wreath. Available at the local hardware store, traditional sleigh bells mounted on a leather strap can be dressed up with colorful, dramatic ribbon or added to a wreath. Complete the look by leaning an old-fashioned toboggan against the wall near the door. Need more creative front door ideas? Southern Living features creative Outdoor Christmas decorating ideas, too.

Holiday Front Door Decorations: Add Festive Decor

Match the star on top of your tree with a beautiful star on the front door. Choose one with vibrant colors that will stand out, and then finish off the door by putting a pine bough around that is adorned with smaller stars. Try adding a pair of vintage skates! An excellent match for the old toboggan you’re pulling out of the attic, hang a pair of vintage ice skates on the front door. Paint the skates to match your holiday color theme and include some colorful, matching pompoms on the laces. Fill the skates with small, wrapped gift boxes to complete the holiday feel.

Front Door Ideas – Why Not Add Some Stockings?

There are so many beautiful stockings now that can add interest and spark to your holiday decorating. Put one outside the house on your front door. Hung with a large bow behind it, the stocking is a fun decoration. Fill the top with greenery and berries or overflowing, wrapped gift boxes to complete the look.

Visit our Burlap and Succulents Shop for personalized stockings to decorate your holiday front door!

Christmas Door Swag Ideas

Pick up some large pinecones at the local craft store and attach them to long strings of festive ribbon or cording. Tie them to the front door with a large bow, allowing the ends to hang down alongside the ribbons. It’s an elegant and understated door decoration that could be the perfect finishing touch. Add a simple Christmas swag like this one from Etsy Shop – Chickadee Lore for a unique take on a holiday wreath.

Image via: Etsy – Christmas Door Swag – Chickadee Lore

There is no end to the amazing things you can do to make your holiday front door stand out this holiday season. Coordinate any wreaths and swags you use for a refined look and don’t be afraid to have some fun with the decorations. This is your guest’s first impression of your home and it’s your chance to show off some of your personality.

For more holiday season ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Mudroom Organization: How to Organize this Winter

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Remove Unnecessary Items

When it comes to organization, de-cluttering should always be the first step irrespective of the area. Move items that are off-season or things you rarely use to your closets and other storing spaces.  Also, move piled up mails to a table or a desk so that you can actually deal with it rather than walking over it.

Install a Set of Hooks

Image via: Organized Chaos Online

We are less likely to put away hats, coats, and jackets if we have to reach to a closet and use a hanger. Whereas, a hook that’s visible and accessible is a quick and easy spot to toss an overcoat. Consider installing a few hooks per family, enough to put away their backpacks, sweatshirts, purses and more.

Solutions for Shoe Pile-ups

Prevent your family’s everyday shoe pile-ups with smart storage solutions in home’s most used area. Shoe racks or a boot tray on the floor provides temporary storage until they make it back to home in the closet. Make sure to include a bench in your mudroom in order to make it easy to take off or put on the shoes when coming or leaving the house. But rather than using valuable floor space by opting for single-purpose bench, consider a design with built in storage under the seat.

Image via: BHG

Organize for Different Seasons

When it comes to mudroom organization, it’s very important keep the seasonal activities in mind.  For instance, if your kids are active hockey or soccer players, they are more likely to have extra gear during fall and winter months.

While these easy mudroom organization tips will help to keep the mess at bay it’s important to identify the types of things your family members tend to come home with. Accordingly provide storage solutions for each of those items so that there is no excuse for anything to end up on the floor.

How to Save Money on Back to School Supplies

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Shop at home first

Believe it or not, you might already have a lot of school supplies lying around the house. Things like rulers, calculators, pencils boxes and backpacks do not need to be replaced every year. You can easily use last year’s school supply if it’s still in good shape. So, before you head out to shop, take a walk around your house; closets, basement bins, and desk drawers might have hidden treasures that can save you some money.

Only buy what is essential

Image via: Confetti Sunshine Blog

Once you start shopping, all those fun extras can take your fancy-colored pens, superhero notebooks, locker accessories and the list stretches on. But in order to avoid overspending, it’s important to keep the supplies to useful and necessary versus fun and fancy. Determine in advance that how you will handle your kid’s requests for those non-essential items.

Consider quality

Don’t just get carried away with the cheapest item available. Take time to find more about the quality of the product, and then pick the ones that you think will last long. For instance, consider backpacks with a lifetime warranty, and bindings and spirals with durable plastic covers. Pricier options can eliminate the need to replace the cheaper items multiple times during the year.

Image via: Houzz

Buy in bulk

The back to school supply list is usually only meant to get the kids started. They will need refills on notebooks, crayons, papers, pencils, and more all year long and buying in bulk can save you a great deal. So, stock up for the entire year, but put away what’s not needed at the moment.

Buying back to school supplies at the end of the summer is an unavoidable task. But, it need not be an expensive one. Along with the tips above start planning ahead of time and take advantage of every weekly coupon and online deal that comes your way.

Do you have any back to school shopping tricks that can help to save money?

The end of August arrives with a flavor of holidays and some strings to be back on track. Especially for the children, readjust the bio-clock to return to school may not be an easy task. When getting back into the back to school routine seems stressful, a little planning helps parents and children make the process – which includes sleeping and waking early and eating at correct times – lighter.

Often children and adolescents have difficulties to get into the rhythm school after spending the long summer vacation away. However it is very important that your child start the year well motivated… with 3 simple steps!

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1. Review your Old Routine

Getting back to the old routine might be challenging. Some days before the classes start, set again an early bed time and start to get the routine back – this will help the transition to be smoother. Don´t do sudden changes because the children suffer the most radical changes. Go decreasing gradually daily the amount of time they can play video-games for example until it goes back school routine. The same goes for the hours of sleep, wake up time, time to play… Do everything slowly, so that your child does not feel that simply stopped having fun because classes are back.

2. Get your Children Ready

A must-do is to calm your child as a new year usually causes anxiety. “Will my friends be there? And if not, will the new classmates like me? Who will be the new teachers? Will I like the new subjects?” These and other questions are at the head of the young kids when the time comes to go back to school and you must answer them the clear way possible in order to help them to get ready. Also help the kid to remember all the good time that he had last year: talking about the school trips or friends can increase the kid´s willingness to go to school. A fun part of this process to all children is organize supplies for school. Let’s have a try together unique school supplies on Blooming a lovely website that I discovered “while browsing for back to school supplies”, and find a good solution to begin the children journey back to school!

Image via: Pottery Barn

3. Plan a New Routine

Once the classes have started, it is important that both you and your child create a routine of activities that must be followed to the end of the year. This is because during school life, their homework, exams and events will become increasingly frequent, requiring from the students organization and planning. The lack of a pre-established routine often compromises your child’s school life.

Be firm. As much as your children may whine, or do not want to wake up early do not give in. The adaptation to the routine depends on your stance as a mother or father.

For more back to school ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

It’s hard to believe but it’s that time of year again – Back to School time!  Just like the famous office supply commercial says, “…it’s the most wonderful time of the year…” No, not Christmas – back to school! As parents rush to and from one store to the next gathering backpacks, books, and binders, we are filled with a bittersweet mixture of happiness (for some much-needed peace and quiet) and sadness to see our children growing so quickly before our eyes; another year older and grade-level higher.

Image via: LDa Architecture & Interiors

As the school days commence, our mudrooms seem to quickly implode with papers, shoes, back packs, and sporting goods. Suddenly it seems we need a mudroom/entryway overhaul, so here are some tips to quickly organize your mudroom and find a place to stash everything.

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De-clutter:

The first step for any room overhaul is to purge the room. If possible, take everything out of the room.  Assess all the items and put them in piles of “keep”, “donate”, “keep but belongs elsewhere”, and “trash”.

Image via: Two Ellie

Shelves, Baskets, and Hooks:

Now that you have de-cluttered, it’s time to bring in some great organizing tools such as baskets, trays, hooks, and shelves. One neat idea is to find an old set of metal lockers. These lockers look great with a new coat of paint – maybe chalkboard paint to write children’s names on the outside – and they are VERY functional for hiding backpacks, shoes , sporting equipment, and coats.

Image via: Pinterest

Hooks also come in handy. A visit to your local hardware store will reveal a plethora of hook styles. They can be a great way to organize hat collections, antique baskets, scarves, and coats.

If your mudroom also holds your laundry room (like mine) considers hiding your washer and dryer by hanging floor to ceiling curtain panels.  Grommet curtain panels hung by a heavy duty tension rod work great and can easily be closed to hide your unsightly laundry mess.

Essentially, decorate your mudroom like you would the rest of your home; making it a pretty and welcoming place to enter after a long day at work or school.

For more mudroom ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Every part of your home should standout according to its purpose. Your foyer is the welcoming room that sets the tone for the rest of your home.  If your foyer is dark and unwelcoming there are ways to bring in color and light. One of the effective ways to enhance this area is by adding colors to brighten it up. Here are ideas to make your dark foyer brighter.

Image via: Montgomery Roth Architecture & Interior Design

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Combine similar hues

This idea aims to have a bold impression in your foyer. For instance, consider having different shades of blue for your walls, furniture and accents. This will make a stunning foyer with a cool ambiance brought about by the shades of blue. You can also try other shades you like for your foyer.

Choose bold and bright colors

Vibrant colors bring a dazzling look in your foyer. This is an exciting way to enhance the looks of your foyer. You can have pink, green, yellow and orange for walls or corners. A patterned design can create a great effect in the interior. Well-designed pattern can also provide wonderful illusions like wider space and higher ceilings.

Image via: BlueStone Construction, LLC

Consider rustic colors

Having rustic colors gives you a vintage look at your foyer. Among the popular rustic colors are brown, mocha and black. You can also have silver, gold or platinum for this idea. The vintage looks of your foyer will definitely take your guests back in time.

Any of these ideas can truly make a difference in your foyer. Just think of the best colors that would perfectly fit your interior theme.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

The front entry is one of the vital areas at home. Not only that it is the first spot where visitors come to see but also serves as a storage counter. For instance, the front entry can cater your shoes, umbrellas, mails and other everyday essentials.

Since this area is used as storage, it is very important to properly organize everything. This way, you can maximize the space you have and at the same time make the area look pleasing. Organizing your front entry involves thorough planning and appropriate implementation.

Image via: Anice Hoachlander

Here are some effective ideas on how to organize your front entry:

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Deal with your paper trails

Make sure that you manage properly your mails, bills, notifications and other forms of paper trail. This can be done by having a paper tray on top of your furniture to handle the papers. You can also have the hang-on mail holder to save space. Avoid piling these papers and dispose them properly as soon as they are settled.

Consider under cabinet storage bins

These are storage bins that you can pull out is you need and hide if not. These bins can also become bench if needed. The multipurpose storage bins are used to cater newspapers, magazines and other items that can be placed in the storage bins. Make sure to sort out your items and stow away those that are unnecessary.

Image via: LDa Architecture & Interiors

Hang your items

This is a space saving idea that effectively organizes your essential items. There are items that need to be hanged like umbrella, billboard, boots and so many things you use every day. Hanging your items enable you to access and organize your items easily.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to organize your front entry. With these few steps, you can make a difference in your front entry and impress your guests.

For more home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Best of 2012 – #5

How to Create Useful Storage in your Home’s Hallways

Image via: Shelterness

If you are remodeling or building a new home, it would be of great help to you to know how to create useful storage for hallways so that you can make the most of the space & how you get organized in a large or small area. If you have a small home, you are sure to agree with me that space will always be an issue but only if you allow it to because there are lots of ways you can create storage space even from the crannies of connecting spaces, especially if your home has a hallway. Listed below are some tips to help you out.

Image via: Shelterness

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Creating Tall Bookcases:

All you need in this instance are shallow but very tall bookcases and getting them lined up close to each other in the space under the hallway. If the contents of the bookcases have visual appeal in the case of photos and books, you can leave the bookcase open or install sliding glass doors. If the contents are not attractive in any way, you can suspend curtains or fabric from the ceiling to cover the bookcases. These fabrics serve as coverings and at the same time, add a unique type of colour splash within your hallway.

Using Storage Benches:

There are various designs and sizes of storage benches that are available out there. You can go for the ones with movable tops or built-in shelves. They should not be too long or large so that movement around the hallway is not inhibited. With this bench, you have where to sit and remove or wear your shoes as you enter or go out of the house and at the same time, store some of your items.

Image via: Pinterest

Corner Shelves:

Finally on how to create useful storage for hallways, if your hallway happens to be very narrow, you can install corner shelves and hooks all through the full length of the wall. This is one sure way of creating storage in your hallway without inhibiting movement. You can even pad the top of the lowest shelve so that you and other members of the family can sit on it to wear or remove shoes.

Remember to have it at the back of your mind that in your bid to add extra storage, you should not unknowingly take up most of the space in your living room. Also, ensure that the storage plans you have for the hallway are not such that would negatively alter the décor or style of your home.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Check back throughout the week to countdown the Best of 2012 posts on Stagetecture!

There is hardly any home that would not do with a small mudroom and this is what brings us to the issue of creating a mudroom in a small home office, entryway or apartment. A lot of persons would agree with me that it makes your home look cleaner and takes less time to keep in order when you have a space where the muddy and wet boots, jackets, umbrellas, rain coats and other similar items are kept. In some instances, the mudroom has even to a large extent, served as another viable storage area for certain homes. It could be that your space is very small but even at that, you can always create a space where you and other members of your household can drop off wet items of clothing before going into the living space. Mudrooms can be located in Contemporary Home & Garden Offices or small apartments and rental properties. The trick is finding out how to make the best use of them.

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You don’t really need to have a large space before you can create a mudroom because even with something as small as a closet, you can create such room. With even the little space that exists by the wall of another room, mudrooms can be created. So, keep your tight budget and your limited space apart and by the time you know it, with the tips listed below, you will be able, with some creativity and quality time, create an awe-inspiring mudroom within your home. Check out these tips on how to create a mudroom in a small space. They are:

Consider who will use the mudroom:

This will play a major role on how the space is designed. If you have kids in the home, then the hooks in the space should be installed at a level where the children’s hands can easily reach them to hang or take their coats. This will make the space not to be packed with coats that could not be hung.

Install shelves:

This is another way you can create space for more items in your little mudroom. With the shelves installed, there should be clear markers of the purposes of such shelves and who owns which shelve.

Put in a bench with storage space:

Since it is necessary to have a seat where you can comfortably sit to remove or wear your boots, in order to make most of the limited space you have, the bench you put into the space should come with storage space under so that even you use it as a seat, it also houses some important items that could be loitering in the mudroom.

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Make it clutter-free:

You don’t have to put in items you no longer need inside the mudroom since this can make it cluttered and take up the little space you have in there. Keep items that are no longer of use, like undersized and worn out booths, broken umbrellas and others, away from the room.

With these tips for creating a mudroom in a small spaceyou are really going to have fun creating mudrooms from your limited spaces and also, making the most of them.

For more mudroom ideas on Stagetecture, click here.