It’s back-to-school season! Many of us are struggling to put our daily routines back into place post-vacation mode, and our children are still in a full-on summer daze. Implementing just a small amount of organization into your home can make all the difference in helping your family come back to reality and get ready to take on the new school year.
Does your home lack in storage for the overflow of schoolbooks and bulky athletic gear? Perhaps all of the report cards, student-teacher conference notes and A+ assignments are in danger of swallowing up your refrigerator or taking over your personal office space. Or maybe your kids love to watch television and play video games with an open book on their lap during designated “homework time.” Applying some built-in organization to your home is a great way to create some much-needed space and maintain a structured household.
Bedroom Built-Ins for Tackling the Chaos
You've seen it before. As the school year progresses, we're accumulating all of the treasured items the kids bring home and things start to seem a little out of place. Toys get mixed up with the arts and crafts, which end up in a box in the closet, sitting on top of the missing shoes they need to wear for picture day, ruining your chances of leaving the house on time.
If this is a pattern in your household, built-in closet organization can be a solution to your problems! Whether it’s yearbooks, romance novels, shoes, school clothes, pottery bowls or CDs, built-ins can truly hold it all. Bookshelf, shoe rack, hanging rods and file cabinet installations can all be utilized in small or large spaces to organize the odds and ends of your kids’ possessions - and yours too! Built-in storage can fit nicely into bedroom corners or closets, underneath a high-sitting bed, or around an existing workspace to help your family stay organized, create space and live comfortably and efficiently.
Big Built-Ins for Big Kid Bulk
Kids who are very active are not only constantly on the go, but also constantly bringing home more stuff! You’re forced to keep the lawnmower behind the garage instead of in the garage to store your oldest child’s baseball equipment, your middle child’s golf clubs are taking up the entire hallway coat closet and the parts to your youngest child’s marching band uniform are scattered around the entire laundry room.
A great way to create space to store bulky items without building a shed or sacrificing a closet is by installing built-in wall units. Load them up and close the doors!
These units can be implemented in spaces such as an entrance hallway to your home, a garage wall, the laundry room, or a basement just to name a few. The compartments can be large or small, open or concealed, or beautifully decorated with large wicker baskets to store things like athletic equipment, backpacks, shoes, coats, etc. This option is very versatile for either open or enclosed homes and fits many possible storage needs for your family.
Built-Ins for the Kids' Study Nook/Homework Space
Creating a homework space for the kids is important. If your children love to play the game of “I’ll finish my assignment after this episode,” built-in shelves and benches can give them a comfortable space to be creative, away from distraction, and call their own. Whether your home is tight and cozy or open and spacious, installing some built-ins can be an easy option to maximize space or simply create a purpose for an empty area. Sometimes all your kids need is a comfortable space designated to helping them focus in order to be successful!
If your space is limited, built-in cubbies can easily fit on an unused part of the wall in your living room, underneath a bunk bed in your child’s bedroom or in the corner of an already existing home office. These compartments can be used to store supplies, organize paperwork and make schoolbooks easily accessible. If there is enough room for a small desk or table, chair or beanbag and some lighting, you can fit all the necessary elements to complete a study nook to help keep your child focused and organized.
The time has come to situate your schedule and restore order into your home. As your kids grow, your household needs grow too. Sometimes, all it takes is a little built-in storage to make sure your family is comfortable, focused and ready for success! Let us know if you have any questions about making built-ins a part of your next home improvement project and check out some of our recent projects featuring built-ins here!
