Coats, Mittens and Boots … Oh My!

Getting the family in and out of the door in the winter — without making the house a wet and cluttered mess — can be a real challenge. The solution? An organized approach.

At our house, we have a conveniently heated hard-wearing tiled floor in the entryway, which features a seating area and a place to hang things. Here, we can take off wet shoes and boots and hang up our soggy coats. We have a rattan basket to hold gloves, hats and scarves. And we have a wire egg basket for dog leashes and toys.

None of these things are expensive to install. They just require good planning and space use. That is what design to build is all about.

A New Life for Their Space, A Better Life for Them

John and Judy* live in a three-story row home. They both commute to their city office jobs on bicycles. They bought their home when it was just the two of them. Now they have two children and a dog.

When their kids aren’t studying after grade-school classes, they are on their bicycles, playing ball or walking the dogs. All of this activity means this family now has a lot to store away in their compact, urban home. It’s a happy clutter, but this couple still wanted ideas about how to get it more organized, so books, bicycles, toys, sports equipment wouldn’t be laying around the small foyer area any more.

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