the empty nook

Yep, we love our home and all of its corks.  The bonus of living in a smaller space is that we live with less stuff.  The challenge is finding ways to make each space function for our family. Hence, the evolution of our empty nook.

Getting the kids ready in the winter has always been hilarious.  On a typical day you would find me at the top of the stairs throwing boots, hats, and coats down to where our garage door is so that I could get the kids ready to go outside.  Coming in from outside was the same story.  Get everyone out of their gear and lug it all back up.  This was almost a deal breaker for me.  We needed a dumping place.  Our empty nook in the family room became the inspiration for our mini mud room. It was waiting to be defined!

 Here is a quick before and after of what has saved my sanity!

Before

Our lower level family room is the way we access the garage.  The nook is between the bathroom and basement doors above. We mainly used this space for toys because I could never figure out what to do with it.   

The closet in this space is now used for coats.  We also thought it would be useful to remove the wall leading down to the basement so that we could hear and see the kids playing.

After  

1. wall color...eagle rock-Benjamin Moore
2. hooks...Pottery Barn
3. rug and frames...Target
4. bench color...simply white-Benjamin Moore
5. art...I sprayed tin squares from Hobby Lobby and then sanded them to give them some texture

linking up with....The Shabby Nest & Not Just a Housewife & Osie Moats

*I'm smiling and my heart is singing...thank you Wendy for featuring my space at The Shabby Nest!!*

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