We have a 4' wide 27" deep front entry closet for guests' coats. The rest of the time the 3 dining room table leaves, my 54" diameter extender for my 42" round table, table cloths on hangers, and wrapping paper are stored there, along with my 2 longer dressier coats. In the mudroom, which we use 99% of the time, we have a 4' wide by 27" deep closet for our various casual coats for all seasons, boots, hats, bike helmets, umbrellas, etc., and a bench with drawers under it with hooks over it for currently used outdoor wear. There's a boot tray across from this for rainy/snowy season. I really disliked the 20" deep closets in my previous place, since coats were too crowded in the coat closets, and anything with sleeves ended up crowded/wrinkled in the bedroom closets. Anne

Roseabby - must have been posting at the same time! The pic of my hallway is really misleading I think. The canvas is actually centered on the wall. To me at least, the picture makes the wall look waaaaay bigger than it actually is and the canvas look smaller than it actually is. When you walk into the hall from the vestibule your eye actually takes in the entire back wall including the door to the kitchen which is between the canvas and the nook. Tina - in a small house it is important to me that everything have a purpose or be used on a regular basis IN ADDITION to being pleasing on my eye. I have to have somethng decent to look at amongst the explosion of kids toys and dirty socks in the downstairs! Just as My3dogs shows in her place - form and function don't always have to be sacriifced for beauties sake. In all of those cubbies hold mini books that my children look at on a daily basis, Thank You notes so that there is no excuse to not write one, paint chips that I obsessively pick up, fabric samples for when I learn to sew and old books that have been handed down to us that just give me a warm feeling when I look at them and think of all of the other hands that have held and read them.

The charging station: I want to make a set of pockets to go on the outside right-hand end. I've ordered a power strip that has the outlets oriented perpendicular to the strip AND has a switch on every outlet so I can just leave the blocks plugged in. And I'm going to put buttonholes in the back of every pocket, so the wires can travel behind the fabric panel. UMBRELLAS In that bottom section, I want to leave a lot of clearance so the bookbag is easy to get in and out, and easy to access. But that leaves a big gap that isn't "doing anything." I'm thinking I might put some sort of rack on the back wall to hold umbrellas--lying across instead of hanging up and down, maybe. (sort of like the Nerf gun rack) And, as I said, the top section doesn't work anymore. I can move the shelves pretty easily--just drill new holes for the L-brackets. So I might just put one in the middle and see how it works out as a general storage space. We have WAY too many books, but this isn't a great space for books.

You know typically I don't care for shorter length curtains but I think that you guys are dead on about that in this area and I think that it will look great. Les I really like the idea of the curtains hitting the sill. The windows are tall enough that I can still have total privacy even if they are hung 1/2 way down the window in a cafe style. Thanks guys - I can use my bench! Yay! I forgot to mention that the mudroom will tie into the kitchen remodel w/ the same colors but the blue will be on the ceiling in the kitchen as well as the beadboard cabinet backs in the 2 glass front cabinets and back of the built in coffee hutch. I'm looking at BM Spring In Aspen or Berber White for the cabinets, walls and trim. Both rooms will have a checkerboard floor. Do you think that I should paint the trim in the mudroom the same color as the cabinets and trim in the kitchen?