Much as I don’t want to accept the fact my kids are heading back to school this week, they are. Actually, the boys head back this week and Natalie heads back the week after…but still. Too early for me. Nothing dulls the pain better than a little organizing, right?

It’s interesting just how little we’ve had to do to get back-to-school ready. Maybe this comes with age? Back when they were in elementary or pre-school there was a lot of stuff on the to-do list. This year, all we really needed were haircuts, new shoes and a few school supplies. I think my biggest topic will be getting the fridge and pantry rounded out for breakfasts, lunch making and dinner prep.

Over the years I have written posts about back-to-school organization. I’ll pull them together into a single post for you guys this coming week. But a recent mudroom organization project is what I’m here to share today.

MUDROOM BEFORE

A mudroom is a useful, hard-working space, but if you have one you know how quickly it can become a drop zone full of clutter. And especially without a system or order. Beginning this spring we’ve been helping this family of four get settled in their new home. We started by unpacking their kitchen then moved into the closets and playroom. Then to the office and hall closets. We’ve organized the garage…almost there but not quite done with that space yet.

Throughout our time working here, we discovered little spaces that required thought on my part. This mudroom seemed like an easy fix…just find some bins to fill the cubbies and throw on a pretty label. But it actually took quite a bit of searching to find the perfect containment…

The two rows are cubbies are not the same size – the top is smaller than the bottom. Mom wanted soft-sided bins to keep the surfaces from being scratched. I wanted something beautiful, timeless and classic that was also functional. And they needed to be a matching set for the odd sizes.

Since I was dealing with a fixed size as well, it was throwing me because I didn’t want gapping holes on the sides or on the tops. Every product I located was too big or too small or too narrow or hung over the edge of the cubby opening by .5 inch.

MUDROOM AFTER

Would you believe I ended up finding the perfect bins on an organizing website? An organizing company. Who also sells their own line of products.

Shocking I know. (I’m being sarcastic…like, why didn’t I start here to begin with – duh!)

Anyway…your after….

When I say these bins hit every point we cared about…an understatement. We could not be more satisfied with this after…

Both the bins and labels are from The Neat Method. I’ve purchased their products before when we organized a playroom closet. The quality is unmatched and it’s beautiful. (This is not a sponsored post. Just real talk here.)

The bins come in several sizes and the labels are a strong magnet. I added the repositionable label on top of the actual label. Using a chalk pen you can write on these and wipe clean with just a little water when you need to update.

Love the end result! Clean and beautiful. And now they have a system, but also a pretty way to conceal the categories that have landed here.

Anyone else in back-to-school mode? It’s going to be a year full of memories…Aiden’s a senior. Speaking of dulling the pain, I’m going to need something stronger than an organizing hobby to get me though the emotional roller coaster. 🙂

Back soon!

xo,

Sam