Home Trends from Anna Alemi

TURN A CLOSET INTO A MUDROOM

The doors to your home open into a very crucial space: the entryway or mudroom. This space is functional as it holds all the necessary daily items like coats, bags, shoes, umbrellas, etc. and it also helps welcome visitors when they arrive at your home. However, not every home is set up with the space for an ideal mudroom. Sometimes, as a homeowner, you need to get creative and one such way to do so it to turn the coat closet into a mini-mudroom. Start by removing the doors and any pre installed shelving. Patch up any holes left over and then paint the interior walls a light colour to make the closet feel larger. Now, how you organize the interior depends on the size of the closet, your needs and budget – here are a few ideas: • Include a bench with storage underneath. You can either build the bench directly into the walls, or you can purchase a pre made bench that fits within the space.

Storage is key as you can keep out of season items tucked safely out of sight. An open space under the bench can be a useful place to store shoes and boots as well – decide which works best for you. Include shelves to hold all the little items. Depending on the size of your closet turned mudroom, shelves can be added to the top of the closet or on the side beside the bench. Shelves can hold bags, keys, reusable grocery bags, keys, etc. in various baskets or bins. Coat hooks are a necessity. It is still a closet after all, so instead of the coat rod that was there before, install hooks above the bench. Keep in mind the average height of an adult sitting on the bench and place the hooks slightly higher. A traditional coat rod may also work if space permits or you can use a tension rod if you prefer.

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