Young House Love

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Laundry Room & Mudroom Organization

It’s time for this week’s installment of my strange little self-imposed “Dude Get On That Already” challenge (where I’m attempting to use or donate/craigslist all the random items that we’ve been hoarding in our full-of-stuff playroom). When I laid eyes on this old bar o’ coat hooks that used to hang in our first house’s den, I thought it might be just the thing for our laundry room. Clara’s coats & hats & gloves + Burger’s leash = lots of small things that might be easier to grab/find if we actually had somewhere to hang them. So first we made sure it would fit by holding it up where we thought we could hang it. It fit perfectly, but felt a little heavy due to the dark finish, so…

Hooks1

… you know I spray painted that sucker glossy white, right? A few thin and even coats later (I used the Rustoleum Universal stuff with built-in primer) I was left with this guy. I don’t know why I’m holding him up sideways in front of the other wall. I blame book craziness (how long can I blame normal weirdness on book craziness? Two weeks? A month? Three years?).

Hooks2

Then it was hanging time:

Hooks3

And then came Clara’s coats and hats and Burger’s leash:

Laundry Hooks Close

Ta-dahhhhhhh.

Laundry Hooks After Coats

Why didn’t we do this months ago? Now there’s no more running around to try to locate one of Clara’s coats (which used to end up in any number of odd places since it didn’t have a designated drop spot like this).

Laundry Hooks After

I can even picture her little lunch box and backpack hanging up here someday. Sniffle.

Laundry Hooks Vert

And there’s still plenty of space for tucking our laundry basket in there. This tiny 3.5′ wide room (not exaggerating, that’s literally the width) is definitely a lesson in figuring out how to get the most organizational bang for our buck. Between the baskets and bins on the shelves that we built next to the washer and dryer to our low-profile shoe caddies made from recycle bins from Ikea by the door, we definitely have squeezed lots of function into this sliver of space.

Coat Hooks Looking Down

So that’s another little project that I can officially check off the list, and one more item out of the playroom! Holla. What are you guys spray painting, hanging, organizing lately? Anyone else have random “Dude Get On That Already” challenge coups to share? Isn’t it funny how sometimes it’s the littlest projects that make the biggest difference? We’ve been using these hooks so much for the past few days that we have already wondered aloud several times how we ever lived without them. It’s the little things.

Psst- Sometimes you just need your mom, right? More on that over here on Young House Life.

Comments

  5. Maureen @ This (Kinda) Old House says

    I am in super binge mode lately. There are a couple of organizations that we donate to, and all we need to do is out the stuff in boxes, and sit them on the front deck. They come pick it up! You don’t even have to be home. This has been an invaluable tool in helping us get organized around the house. No item is big enough to stick on Cragslist, and yard saling my own items is more effort than I want to have to put in.

    Reply

  7. Molly says

    Last night I finally got sick of the furniture we moved out of the nursery just sitting in the hallway/living room/wherever we dropped it, so I rearranged the spare bedroom for all of the office crap. I feel so zen now, nothing needs to be moved to open a door or get into the pantry! Yay project DGOTA!!

    I probably would have gotten more done, but my husband FINALLY felt the baby kick when I came screaming into the room that he needed to put his hand on my belly NOW, and then we sat and cried for a little while. So DGOTA took a backseat :)

    Reply

  8. Leila says

    Love what a difference glossy white paint makes! My boyfriend thinnks I’m crazy because I want everything painted white these days.

    oh, and I painted my spare bathroom with grey and white stripes on the weekend after falling in love with the striped bathroom featured on this blog. Thanks for the inspiration and the steps on how to do it, I’m so happy with how it turned out!

    Reply

  14. Jessica says

    I just put one of these up yesterday in our kitchen next to our side door, which is the door we use most often. We used to just toss our coats on the backs of the dining room chairs. Adding the coat hooks has already made such a difference! Yours looks great!

    Reply

  15. Derek says

    I noticed that you had some deep shelves in a very small area of your laundry room. Can you tell me how you installed those, and if they are stud-supported, or managed a different way ?

    Reply

  17. nicole m says

    I’ve been meaning to do that in my back entryway too…we have the wood and the hooks, just have to assemble and paint them! It would be awesome to organize everything we have back there…dog’s leash, cat’s harness, coats, etc.

    I think i need to follow in your footsteps with this whole “Dude, get on it already” thing you have going! My house might actually start looking like a home!

    Reply

  18. Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says

    My “Dude get on that challenge” win came over the weekend. I cleared random junk out of our guest bedroom closet and organized all my craft supplies. And, for bonus points, I cleared everything out from under that bed. I’m so happy it looks clean in there again! It felt like a Monica closet. Which I suppose your whole playroom felt like a Monica closet… Haha

    Reply

  19. kristy says

    Where do you guys hang your coats? We have the most congested entryway ever. Our house was built in 1925 when apparently they didn’t need closets! Plus we live in a colder climate so winter coats are a must. We have those same hooks by our front and back doors, but they are piled with our grown-up jackets!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve got a coat closet in the dining room near the front door where we hang our coats. It’s got some hangers for lots of our coats and some hooks on the back for our most frequently worn stuff.

      -John

  20. emily says

    Quick question. Are y’all going to run the cork floors into the laundry room? I figured you would since the rooms are connected, but I don’t remember seeing that laid out explicitly.

    Love Clara’s little coats on those hooks! Before you know it, her clothes will be too big for them!

    Reply

  24. Kate says

    I LOVE little projects that make a big difference. So sweet that the rack is Clara height!

    I just redid our little coat closet. Oh how easy it is to find a (matching!) pair of shoes in the morning. Why didn’t I organize that sucker sooner?

    Reply

  25. Allyn says

    I think you can use the book excuse for a lifetime.
    Like, in 15 years, when Clara is whining about not getting a car or something, you can yell “well, I wrote a book, and it was exhausting, and you don’t hear me whining!”
    That room is seriously like a Mary Poppins bag.

    Reply

  26. Chrissie says

    Yay hooks! It’s amazing how something so simple can have such a major impact. I’m planning a row of hooks in our laundry for doggy chains and various other animal-related paraphernalia.

    We completed a sort of “dude, get on that already (it’s been three years)” project today… pulling out two small but wide trees that have been trying to engulf our path/driveway since we moved in. The front yard feels so much more open now!

    We also found the BIGGEST redback spider I’ve ever seen, which was a bit scary! I’m glad it didn’t get near any of our animals! (nb, my iPhone tried to change that to redneck spider. I’m not sure if that’s more or less scary than a redback…)

    Reply

  30. Kristin says

    I have a question, I LOVE your color in the kitchen and laundry room. Im looking for something similar for my sons room. My husband doesnt want yellow (i personally love yellow) but we settled for a more greenish yellow. Maybe more like middle of an avocado. I know sometimes color can be hard to read on a screen. What do you think the color is? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would call it right in the middle of yellow and green. In some lights it’s more golden and in some lights it looks a lot more green. If you slice open an avocado that’s pretty much the color I think. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  31. Katrina says

    I’m with you – it’s amazing how something so little can make a big difference! We hung two hooks on the back of our coat closet door. They are the perfect kid height. Our daughter was so thrilled at having it at her level that she happily hangs up her coat (and throws her shoes in the shoe basket stored in the bottom of the closet, and her hat and mittens in the drawer of the nearby dresser) instead of throwing it on the floor and waiting for one of us to pick it up and put it away.

    Reply

  32. Sarah @ Freestyle Home/Life says

    Hehe, I had hooks everywhere back in my old room at my parents’ house, and I can think of a few places in our new house where hooks would be useful. Love the functionality and space it creates instead of having coats and sweaters draped everywhere.

    BTW, I wouldn’t have even thought of putting hooks under a window would work at all, but it looks like the perfect amount of space for hats and toddler-sized jackets. Nicely done :)

    Reply

  34. Katy says

    hahaha. I know exactly how you feel! It’s like how did we ever live before X! Sometimes, I feel that way with cellphones, like once you had it, you can’t ever imagine living without it!

    ~Katy

    Reply

  35. Sara says

    So simple yet so useful and good looking. I have a gazzillion little “projects” like this that are way past the marinating stage and ready to get done. Maybe I should start with a list.

    Reply

  36. Beth says

    We need some hooks like that at our back door, too. Maybe I need to just get on that, already.

    This last weekend I installed a closet organization system. It’s wonderful!

    Reply

  38. Alyson says

    For years we had a kid-height row of hooks in our house. We finally took them down [a year or two] after the kids’ coats were taller than the height at which we’d done the hooks, and you can bet I sniffled that day.

    I was going to ask about the cork flooring too but I see you’ve answered!

    Reply

    • Kathy says

      Sherry, My older daughter just turned 18 and I still feel like it was “just yesterday” when she was a new born! That feeling/memory never really goes away for moms, I think. :)

    • Rebecca says

      I’ve been a reader since long before then too– when it was still TYH!! John and Sherry- you should do a survey asking when everyone started reading. I’d love to see the timeline!

  41. Erika says

    Isn’t it amazing how the simplest things can make such a big difference?
    Such a nice little addition to your laundry room!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, we don’t have lint issues! Maybe try using Seventh Generation detergent and no fabric softener? That’s all we use and we have no static or lint- it’s kind of amazing. It also could just be our clothes and sheets/blankets (we don’t like things that shed, so most of them are cotton).

      xo,
      s

  43. Katie says

    My “Dude Get On That Already” project is getting the area by our front door organized. The built in desk is a catch-all and is covered in a mini mountain of bills, purses, books, junk, etc. I need to get on it because my fiance keeps yelling “GARBAGE BAG!” whenever he walks by it. Okay, okay I can take a hint haha!

    Reply

  44. Shannon @ Bungalow960 says

    My “dude get on that already project” is reattaching our master bedroom door to the jamb. The screws have worked their way out over the past few months, and that sucker is going to fall on us at any moment. I should probably get on that this weekend…

    Reply

  46. Erin says

    I love coat hooks! But mostly I’m commenting to let you know I’ve joined the (slightly creepy) ranks of readers who’ve had John-and-Sherry dreams–you guys weren’t featured, exactly, but I was dream-painting a piece of furniture and thought “wait, what about primer!” “thin and even coats” and ended up priming everything in sight–the furniture, walls, basket, car…

    Reply

  47. Maggie says

    Sherry– will you tell us about your nails?? You’ve been sporting some great colors lately. What’s your secret for maintaining a perfect mani in the midst of all the DIY chaos? (and so sorry if you’ve answered this already!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- the secret is that I have to have them painted for book shoots since the polish hides all the paint/grungy stuff under my nails so our progress shots for the book don’t look crazy! Haha. Basically every few days I have to paint them again so they look ok. Wish I had secrets, but it’s just removing polish and reapplying kind of non-stop. Oh and I like Zoya and Honeybee Gardens polish since it’s eco!

      xo,
      s

    • Emily R. says

      I had the exact same question as Maggie. With all that goes on in crazytown I was shocked you find the time, but I guess it becomes a mini priority.

    • Meg@ Green Motherhood says

      I had been wondering what polish you were using, knowing you try to avoid toxins. I’ll have to check those out because if you can find time to do your nails, by god, so can I!
      P.S. are you using regular remover or have you found a
      nontoxic kind?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I found this awesome vegan/eco kind from a local green grocery store (don’t remember the name, but maybe try something like Whole Foods or google around for one on amazon?).

      xo,
      s

  48. Lori says

    So cute! We also have a row of hooks by our back door (which is the one we use most often because it’s right off the driveway). There is a higher row for me and the hubby to hang our stuff and a lower row for the kids. They learned very quickly to hang up their coats and backpacks when they get home that I rarely have to remind them anymore.
    In the winter we hang this Lidan organizer from ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50154660/)from one of the higher hooks and all the hats, mittens, earmuffs get put in there.

    Reply

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