If it’s one thing I’ve been shown by this pandemic situation, it is that I need to make good use of the extra time while I have it. Since I plan to stay in this current home for awhile, I have been settling in more deeply, organizing and decorating my space. No house is perfect, but this one had the layout I wanted and it was only after I moved in that I realized it was missing an important element.
A back entry closet.
First, let me outline the problems that needed solving. All good storage solves problems.
Coming into the home most often from the garage, there was nowhere to hang a jacket, store my shoes (I take them off in my house - do you?), place my phone or even hang my keys. It was a constant annoyance.
I spent a lot of time thinking through these challenges and researching online for creative solutions that fit my aesthetic.
I did find this cutie to hang up my keys.
Putting up a rack of hooks for coats, would have been a simple solution, but there wasn’t enough clearance behind the rear entry door, they would have partially blocked this doorway coming into the kitchen and looking at coats etc. hanging in my kitchen would have felt off to me.
Good storage does not create additional problems.
First, I thrifted this vintage accordion rack and painted it a fresh, fun color.
I used a basket on the landing for hats, gloves, scarves and the like. Not ideal but it got me through the winter.
Meanwhile, other storage challenges emerged as a result of #pandemiclife. Nowhere to store masks, hand sanitizer and the like, I had created a mask station on a flat surface in my dining room turned art studio. And a tray for my eyeglasses and sunnies. But both were nowhere near the rear entry where I needed them to exit my house.
Back in the kitchen, adjacent to the rear entry, I did install a shoe mat, but things tended to get piled up on my dining table in the eat-in kitchen and if I ever forgot something, I had to walk through 2 rooms to retrieve it.
Finally the solution presented itself. This lovely, steel entryway rack from Open Spaces. Beautiful, very well made without single-use plastic and packaged with no plastic waste. It helped there was sale when I was ready to order. And it comes in 5 pretty colors!
The instructions to put it together were easy to follow and there were even cardboard inserts to fold and then hold the shelves at the right height, so that a single person like me, could put it together without help. Genius!
I love how sturdy it is and how much beauty and function it adds to my space. Best of all, it solved every problem I had with my back entryway. Not only can I rest my phone here, but now I charge it here too. I did move the table over a smidge and I have to say, it is perfect.
What’s a challenge in your home that could be solved by just the right storage?
Check out what Open Spaces has to offer today! I think you’ll be as pleased as I am.
#createspacetoenjoy