I thought I’d share with you all a room in our forever home that I absolutely love. With our first self-build when you walked in through our back door you were straight into the utility and we had no boot room. I suppose storage was never on my mind with that build, so when we started to put pen to paper for our must haves in the new build, a boot room was one space I was not willing to sacrifice on. I knew I wanted a separate boot room and utility. I wanted to walk in our back door and for there to be a place for coats and shoes.
If your goal is to have a clutter free home then my top tip would be to think storage when designing and planning your house. From project managing both self-builds, I suppose I learned from our earlier mistakes and with our second build my main focus was on storage. I was always found with a pen, notepad and measuring tape. I was always thinking, planning, pricing and organising.
Our Boot Room Dimensions and Details:
2800mm wide, 590mm deep, 2185mm high (to the top of the units), 2600mm to ceiling height
We went with the Five Piece Kent Range, Colour light grey ral number 7047
White Star Astro 25mm laminate bench
Adjustable Shelving
Hanging Rails
We have so many coats, jackets, hoodies etc. so I wanted everything hidden and decided on hanging rails and clothes hangers. Having a lower rail is very handy for the kids, although sometimes they have to be reminded to hang them up. I have an additional shelf on the top for storage.
The unit to the left has adjustable shelving, with a door on the top and bottom but when closed look like one door. The two bottom shelves have storage boxes in them and the kids use them to put their runners, sandals, football boots etc in. I find the storage boxes keep the shelf tidy so it’s a win win! The top shelves are for school bags, sports bags etc.
My husband and I use the pull-out drawers for our shoes. With the underfloor heating we don’t wear shoes in the house, so it’s great having somewhere to throw them when we take them off. To protect the drawers I used a multi-purpose liner, which I picked up in Home Store & More for just a few euro. The rolls come are 50cm X 150cm and you just cut to fit.
Thankfully our boot room is doing what it is supposed to. As the room is used daily, clutter can easily build up and become chaotic and messy. That’s when I don’t function too good. So far so good!!
I think it’s important to get the little ones involved in the tidying up, as we are preparing them for when they are older. Don’t get me wrong, there are still days when they walk in, kick off the shoes and throw the coats on the bench.
I suppose a few things to think about when designing are: items that are not used daily could be stored in overhead cupboards. Cubby hole shelving can be useful for shoes and boots. Think about your own family situation. Would you prefer coat hooks, hangers, hidden shelves or open shelves. Baskets are also a great way to store hats, gloves etc. It’s important to make sure your hooks protrude sufficiently to hang heavy coats.
I hope I inspired you a little….remember tidy house, tidy mind or as I like to say “hide the mess, then it’s out of sight, out of mind”.
