Mudroom Mess: Where it all went

So part of the mudroom project was the arduous task of organizing everything we had jam packed into that small space. The closet, cubbies & cabinets were brimming with useful, but random items that we had collected over the years. To give a taste of what I'm talking about some of the lovelies I discovered including things like pocket hand warmers, landscape light bulbs and a even a fire extinguisher purchased in 1992! Not to mention a enough hats & scarves to cloth an entire snowman version of the Dugar family (that is way too many snowmen folks).

In order to keep the newly redesigned room clean and functional, I had to declutter and find creative ways to rework other storage areas of our house. We are lucky to have two coat closets flanking the front door in our foyer. For the past three years Hubby & I each claimed single occupancy of one of these closets while the kiddos shared the mudroom closet. With the mudroom closet turned into shoe storage the kiddies closet was eliminated. The new mudroom hooks would hold a few coats, but they still needed closet space to hang dress coats, vests, windbreakers etc.

After a little shuffling, what use to be solely my coat closet now houses the aforementioned coats, our winter boots & a shoe cubby system that was originally in the mudroom closet.

Hubby's closet is still largely his and was reworked to include another shoe cubby and two bins containing his baseball caps.

As for our winter gear, I sorted through and removed duplicate or worn out items. Then I brought up two sets of square storage ottomans that use to live in the playroom. They are great for storing items that will not be used on a daily basis, but still need to be within easy reach.

I nestled the pair of ottomans under the mirrored parsons table in the foyer. As for their appearance, lime green isn't quite what I had in mind. I am thinking of reupholstering them down the road or perhaps even painting the fabric (saw them do that on HGTV once). I'm also contemplating skirting the table so that would make their color a non issue. For now though I like the weight they bring to the bottom of the table plus they match my Easter egg topiaries. If only I could leave those out year round.

Back to organizing (see what a tedious task it is). While weeding through the piles and piles of stuff amassed in that room I came across quite a few tools. All of these, with the exception of a hammer and two screwdrivers, were relocated to the workbench in the basement.

This box of extension cords went to the garage.

Of course life doesn't work out perfectly, after I put together the entire puzzle I found one last piece…the vacuum. Not quite sure where it will end up, but for now the dining room works just fine.

And that Ladies & Gents is how I managed to squeeze our mudroom rejects into other areas of the home. How about you, do you enjoy organizing? Or are you like me and get easily distracted? And those Dugars, what are your thoughts? Just imagine the mudroom they need. Tomorrow I'll share what "necessities" I brought back into the space.