Morning Staging Area...

It takes a lot of work to get yourself and kids out the door in the morning!  You could probably walk into any home around 7:00am on a school morning and find book bags flying, breakfast being shoved in mouths, shoes lost, screaming, spilling, and a pile-up as everyone rushes for the car.  Is anyone already burnt out on the early morning rush??  Anyone noticing that they are not all that organized??  If there is any cause to be organized for it is school mornings.  The best way to do this is to have a designated area(s) for all the morning staples.  I am sure we all don't have the money to just remodel or add an addition so lets take a realistic approach to creating a space that serves as a school morning staging area.


First, take a look at these tips from  Sabrina Soto, Target Style Expert for Home and host of HGTV's "Get it Sold," the popular show in which she uses her organizing and decorating expertise to stage homes for potential buyers. {via DIY Life} 

Organizing pro Sabrina Soto. Photo: HGTV

-- Any space will work: No matter the size, any entry can serve as a mud room as long as you assign everything a place to live and make the space comfortable and functional. "It's important to keep this space organized and tidy as it is the first part of your home that guests will see," says Sabrina.

-- Clear out your space and de-clutter: Before you start this project, it helps to clear out the entryway to define what space you have to work with and see what the limitations of the area are. Do a careful edit of what you need and what stuff has just landed there over time.

-- Build your mud room with the essentials: Carefully choose furniture that's the right scale for your space. A seating area and loads of storage bins for accessories are must-have tools for a mudroom. Sabrina suggests this entryway bench with built-in storage. The bench solves so many clutter problems in one storage piece.

-- Create a system and stick to it. Create enough storage space for every family member; color-coding is an easy way to organize bins for each family member. Don't over-clutter your mud room with furniture pieces that are too big or don't add function to the space.Maintain the mudroom to prevent it from becoming a catchall space.





And now for some real-life, real-budget examples...

{via, Entirely Smitten}

{via, Pretty Handy Girl}

{via, A Charming Nest}
**I swear, it is a do-it-yourself version!!

{via, The Frugal Girls}
*Athough this picture does not look like a mudroom
but follow the link to see how to tweak this for your needs!