In the northern parts of the country, a home needs a central spot to house boots, mittens, coats and everything else needed to deal with cold and snowy weather. Some lucky homeowners have a mudroom, designed for just this purpose. If you have need of a mudroom and aren't fortunate enough to own one, convert a handy coat closet. You'll still have access to your winter coats, but you'll also be able to easily find all the rest of the winter accessories you need instead of having to dig in the back of a dark closet. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Unscrew and remove the closet door and the attached hardware. Store the door for use in another project.
2. Paint the inside of the closet a bright white or other light color. Add colorful stripes or a bright border to match your home decor, if you like.
3. Attach two stick-on battery-operated lights to the ceiling in the closet, which will add additional lighting to brighten up the interior.
4. Place a plastic tray in the floor of the closet on one side. Fill the tray with smooth river rocks. Use this tray as a boot tray, to allow wet boots to drip dry without getting water all over the floor.
5. Place a plastic or wicker laundry basket on the floor of the closet on the other side. Store loose mittens, hats, spare scarves and gloves in this basket.
6. Install decorative wall hooks all across the back wall and around the two side walls. Place the hooks about 10 inches apart. Make one line about 5 feet off the floor. If you do not have a closet shelf, add another row about 7 feet off the floor for infrequently used items.
7. Place a line of decorative matching baskets on the closet shelf for more storage. Label each basket with one child's name or with the items that should reside in the basket, such as scarves and hats. If you don't have a shelf in the closet, hang the baskets from the wall with small cup hooks.
Tags: about feet, about feet floor, closet shelf, feet floor, floor closet, Place plastic
