Reinterpreting the Hall Closet to a Mini Mudroom

Reinterpreting the Hall Closet to a Mini Mudroom

Submitted By My Kids Eat Kale

One of my biggest gripes with our home is our coat closet.  It is a very crucial area for us and all we get is a dinky closet.


My dreams are filled with large mudrooms...

So last year I thought about what I could do to maximize space in our tiny closet.  

First and foremost, we took off the door.  Didn't help it's cause when within an hour or two of arriving in our home (before the movers even showed up) a nice little hole was punched into it from the door to the garage opening and hitting it.  Nice design there.  {To see our home's layout, scroll to the bottom of this post, although it's backwards, but you'll get the point of our awkward garage entry way.}   I never filled in the hinge holes though, just painted them...can't decide if it's worth it or not....  Then I took down the standard white wire hanging shelf (that was too high for the kids to reach so their coats were constantly lining the floor), and I created 2 hanging hook racks for one side and searched high and low for the perfect shelf for the other side.  Well, when the closet is only a little wider than the door frame itself, it was very difficult.  So I made do with our old shoe rack and a couple baskets (one for hats, gloves and other *extras* and the other for the kids shoes).  This design worked out alright.  The girls could hang up and get their own coats and backpacks, but it still seemed like it could be better...especially when the kids dumped the basket to find their shoes...

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Inspired Before and Afters! Furniture Redos you must see!

I am so in awe of Jill from Live.Like You. Look how she has transformed some of these pieces of furniture from dated to dazzling! And she is thinking of one more transformation at the bottom... I say she goes for it!!

As you go through life, your style and taste is always morphing, at least for me.   What was “YOU” a few years back might not be “YOU” today.   Rather than getting rid of furniture, I like to reinvent them.  As I’ve gone from a more French inspired old fashioned look to a more modern, it’s interesting to see how some pieces have “morphed” with me.

The chair that looks like this today in it’s fairly recent makeover with Kelly Wearstler’s Emereld Cutfabric  ( I used it inside out) now feels more like “me” than before. It looked like….

..this when I found it.  It was done in muted green olive before it’s recent makeover.

This French chair lived like this for a long time, until it needed an update, and it now looks like this….

…in purple velvet.  I use it in a lot of places at home…

This flea market chair(I have two) I had upholstered in this sweet floral fabric a few years ago.  Instead of selling or donating the chairs since I liked the shape…

…I gave the chairs a revival in Kelly Wearstler’s Emerald Cut fabric and painted the legs white.

I’ve paired it with a desk that used to look like this. I loved it’s  vintage feel for a long time like this but decided to instead of buying a  new desk to reinvent what I already had.  I thought about it for a long time, because I don’t like ruining pretty paintwork.  But it was worn, and I would not make any money selling it so….

…I gave it a bright orange color with silver details.   Photograph by Geoffrey Hodgdon.

Here is a slightly messy snapshot of it, where you can see the next thing to get a modern makeover…the curtains!!

BUT AT WHAT POINT DO YOU NOT REINVENT FURNITURE PIECES?

This BEAUTIFUL chandelier is in my basement. I probably way overpaid for it at ABC Antiques in New York.  I could sell it, but for a small fraction of the purchase price.   It doesn’t work in any of the rooms in my house.  It has a gorgeous paint job, but I have to be honest I’m….

…REALLY ITCHING TO DO THIS!!!!!

To try to make it look a little bit like my dream chandelier, that’s very pricey and out of the question to buy.   Because a great red chandelier would look so fun…

….in my dining room!   Have been wanting to do it for a long time, but have been fretting over it.  But when I saw this room…

… in New York SPACES magazine last month I was inspired to do it again!!  But I feel kind of guilty spraying over pretty paint work and it will devalue the chandelier.  At the same time…why buy a new one and not use this one?  So the burning question is…

…SHOULD I DO IT??

What do you think, should she paint it? ...uh YES!

Also don't you LOVE that orange desk! I LUFF it very much!

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