Is it just me, or are we all busier today than we were five years ago? As I meet with customers, I reaffirm my stand that young families, empty-nesters and newlyweds alike are all busier than ever these days with careers, school, extracurricular and volunteer activities… the list goes on.
What’s great about our industry is that as people seem to be getting busier, we’re designing home remodeling solutions that keep getting smarter to make everyday life a little easier. Here are two project ideas/spaces that we’re remodeling these days that go a long way toward making our customers’ lives more organized, efficient—and stress-free.
Steven Cabinets – Classic Mudroom Cubbies
The Modern Mudroom: Many homes have a space off of the garage that is an entryway and laundry room combination. Right now, for families with school-aged children, these rooms are being cluttered with backpacks, shoes, sports equipment, instruments…and we haven’t even hit winter weather season when the load doubles with boots, gloves, hats and more.
Restyle Group – Mudroom
For some customers, we’ve relocated the laundry to another space within the home and for others, we’ve added on square footage to create a smart, well-organized mudroom. In either scenario, these newly-fashioned areas typically feature lockers (or cubbies) that provide individual spaces for hanging and storing items. A built-in storage bench makes getting shoes and boots on and off a breeze while hooks and shelves inside each locker keep it all in order, from backpacks to coats. Our customers are thrilled to have a full-functioning mudroom that not only maximizes the space, but that gives their kids their very own space that cuts down on clutter, is easy to maintain and helps eliminate the headache of lost or misplaced items.
Greater Kitchen & Bath – Diamond Cabinetry
The Charging Station: Many homes built in the 80s and 90s have a built-in planning desk in the kitchen. What we’re finding is that in this age of laptops and tablets, these desks are rarely used and have inevitably become junk-collectors. Our designers at Dover have developed a host of smart solutions that turn these spaces into command/charging stations that provide pure function for customers. Some of our recent renovations have included custom pantry shelves that slide out to reveal slats for homework and bills, charging stations for phones and tablets, hooks for keys and shelves for catch-all items.Greater Kitchen & Bath – Diamond CabinetryWhat’s great about these new command “stations” is that they are the ultimate organizing tool, tucking away all of the essential tech gadgets and miscellaneous items, yet keeping them close at hand for easy access. The bonus is that these renovations often result in added counter space or new display cabinetry or shelving.I know I speak for many of us when I say that I have great intentions for getting organized—and then staying on top of it all. These solutions are great examples of small-scale organization/renovation projects that have a big impact, making everyday life a whole lot easier.
The Best Is Yet To Come,
Beth Orr
