Mud Room + Spring = Happy Homeowner

Spring is why mudrooms were invented.

Springtime's melting snow and ample rain results in dirt, water and mud inevitably making its way into your home.  Here is where a mud room comes to save the day.  Mudrooms are meant as a barrier between outdoors and indoors.  An area where dirt and outdoor gear is contained, keeping the rest of your home clean.

The single most important element a mudroom should have is ample storage space that is smartly designed.  Without proper storage in a mudroom, muddy shoes will still get thrown on top of each other, sports equipment will still cause clutter and jackets will still be crammed in.   Make sure your mud room has storage designed to meet your needs.

Lockers, shoe racks, double rods and benches with hidden storage are just some of the options available.  Take into consideration both your current and future needs when considering different components.  If you have kids, open lockers spaces with built in drawers are a good option.  If your family in actively involved in sports, consider storage options that can house these items. 

Have a small mudroom or no mudroom at all?  Don't despair!  A custom designed organization piece can be designed to fit within your entry closet or as a free standing unit.  A wide selection of finishes, colors and textures are available to allow an organization piece to blend in with the existing space.

This spring, see if your mud room is making you happy and keeping your home clean.  If not, contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation.  We will come to your home to discuss your mud room space and your needs and goals.  After our meeting, we will design a custom storage solution tailored specifically to meet your needs and budget.  Closets For Life can be reached by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. 

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including mud rooms, closets, kitchens, garages, home offices, Murphy beds, wine cellars and more.

Get to Know Our Manufacturer, Interscapes Architectural Woodwork

One great advantage of choosing Closets For Life is that all of our custom designs are professionally constructed locally here in Minneapolis by our manufacturing partner, Interscapes Architectural Woodwork, Inc.  Interscapes is owned and operated by Ron Lyrek, the brother of Closets For Life owner, Rick Lyrek.   This truly is a family passion!

Interscapes has been in business for 26 years serving general contractors throughout the upper Midwest.  Their motto, “Serving Others’’, is really what they are all about.  A talented pool of employees provide timely service and quality results.  In addition to custom cabinetry for our projects, they also specialize in other areas such as reception desks, display cases and other high quality speciality woodwork items.

Interscapes has a great track record of serving the community and a proven environmental commitment to reducing their foot print on the planet.  Offering green product lines, recycling most of their waste including shredding all wood, paper and cardboard waste for use as animal bedding and utilizing green energy practices within their building are just a few of the ways they demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

We feel privileged to work with a company whose values and work standards match so closely to ours.  If you would like to find out more about Interscapes Architectural Woodwork, check out their website at http://www.interscapes2.us/.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, kitchens, garages, home offices, Murphy beds, wine cellars and more.

Contact Closets For Life today for a free in-home consultation for your project. We can be reached by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com.

3D Project Drawings Come Alive

Change is good!  Especially new changes to the Closets For Life website designed to help homeowners.  The change we speak of is the addition of a new page on our website titled, '3D Drawings Come Alive'.  The page features 3D CAD drawings of real Closets For Life projects paired with a photo of the completed project.

3D CAD drawings are a valuable tool for homeowners beginning a home remodel process.  Seeing a detailed drawing ensures that what the contractor envisions is exactly what the homeowner envisions, making sure both parties are on the same page and that the project will meet a home owner's goals.  Because we believe an informed customer is a happy customer, we provide 3D CAD drawings for all projects.

3D CAD Drawing

Completed Project

Above is just one of the many projects highlighted on our new page.  Click here to view all the project drawings and photos featured.

Contact Closets For Life today for a free in-home consultation for your project.  We can be reached by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com.
  
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, kitchens, garages, home offices, Murphy beds, wine cellars and more.

Three Tips for Falling Back in Love with your Closet

Has your 'relationship' with your closet deteriorated over time? Perhaps once perfectly organized by color with ample space to spare, is your closet now jumbled, overfilled and unorganized?

 

This Valentine's Day, rekindle your relationship with your closet.  Here are 3 tips to help you fall back in love with your closet and keep the spark alive.

Tip #1:  Declutter
Every closet (and relationship) has its limits.  You simply cannot keep adding clothes every season with out clearing it out on occasion.  Every 6 months, go through your closet and clean out items you no longer use.  If you can't bear to part with them yet, box them up and revisit them in 6 months when it's time to declutter again.  If you haven't missed it, chances are you don't need it.

Tip #2: Accessorize
Sometimes all you need to rekindle a relationship is a little change to spice things up.  Adding an accessory or two to your closet can make your closet feel new and interesting again.  There are many great closet accessories available that are designed to maximize the storage potential of your closet.  Pull out belt and tie organizers, pull down closet rods and pant organizers are just the beginning. 

Tip #3:  Know When to Call it Quits
Although it is hard to face, sometimes you have to know when it is time to call it quits.  Your closet simply might not be able to meet your needs in its present state.  If this is the case, it is probably time to consider a closet organization makeover.   A custom closet organization system can truly transform your closet space into something with far more storage potential.  Even in the case of a small closet, you have many options.  A closet organization
professional can help you determine your goals and the best design to meet these goals.

We hope you have found these ideas helpful.  For more inspiration and ideas regarding your closet, check out the Closets For Life website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, kitchens, garages, home offices, wine cellars and more.

Contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com.

Faux Stone Panels For A Wine Cellar

We recently completed a beautiful wine cellar for a customer.  What made the wine cellar really special was the faux stone paneling on the back wall.  Now, we know what you are picturing, a tacky 1970-esque brick wall that everyone can tell is fake.

Not the case.  Faux brick has benefited immensely from advances in technology and today's faux brink is realistic, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to install.  Made from polyurethane, the stone panels generally come in 7 sq. foot sections and are available in almost every stone or brick option and color you can dream of.  Check out www.fauxpanels.com to view all of the options available.

Our client chose a tan weathered old Chicago style brick panel that added instant character to the space, an outdated basement room they had us convert into a wine cellar.  Now, rather than a room that collects clutter, our client has a beautiful wine cellar that brings value to their lives and their home.  If you would like to see more photos of this project from start to finish, click here to see them on our Houzz page.


Competed Wine Cellar With Faux Brick

If a home wine cellar is in your future, Closets For Life can help. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative solutions to all of your organizational needs including wine cellars of all sizes.

Contact Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Tip to Make Christmas Decorating Easy

I love Christmas decorations.

What I don't love is the moment when I open up all my holiday boxes (did they breed and have babies in storage, how did I end up with this many!?) and realize I don't remember how I displayed it all last year.

You would think that I would remember from year to year what decorations went where but I don't, and this makes decorating just a bit more difficult and my mood a bit less jolly.

It turns out that a friend of mine has the perfect solution!  She has quite an extensive Christmas decoration collection.  To make setting up her decorations easier, she takes a photo of each area of her home after she decorates and stores the photo with the decorations when she puts them away for the year.  She takes a new photo of an area if she makes changes, otherwise she just uses the same photo year after year.  Genius, I say!

So if your holiday decorations are up, take a moment to go around and take photos of each decorated area and print the photos.  When you are ready to put your decorations away, store the photos with the items that are pictured.  Next year, you will be all set when Christmas rolls around.

 

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Need somewhere to store your Christmas decorations?  Contact Closets For Life,  a custom organization company based in Apple Valley, Minnesota, for custom shelving to keep your Christmas treasures safe.  Contact us by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com for a free in-home consultation.

 

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets For Life Aficionado
 

Organize Your Pantry in Time for Thanksgiving

For all but the brave, Thanksgiving dinner can be a daunting endeavour.  The Thanksgiving meal is, after all, the main event of our Thanksgiving holiday.  Steeped in tradition, the Thanksgiving meal is also incredibly stubborn to change.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and more are all prepared the way our grandma always made it and, of course, it all needs to time out just perfectly.  No wonder we stress!

While we can't come to your home to help you cook your Thanksgiving feast, we can help.  The first step toward success with any job is preparation/organization.  So, today we will help you start this Thanksgiving with a solid foundation...an orderly kitchen pantry. 

That's right folks.  Follow these 4 steps to organize your kitchen pantry and we won't guarantee your turkey will turn out perfect but at least you'll be prepared for any culinary curve balls Thanksgiving throws your way!

Step 1:   Empty your pantry
The first step in any organization task is to clear out the space to be organized. Take every last item out of our pantry and place the items out in an open area. 

Step 2:  Sort and examine
Now that everything is out in the open, it is time to sort your pantry items into logical groups.   Organize items according to function; for example, group baking products all together and breakfast items all together.  Ultimately, the groupings are up to you, but your goal is to sort your pantry items in a way that works for cooking.  Group ingredients that are usually used together whenever possible.

While sorting, also look for expired items or items that haven't been used in a long time.  Consider: how long has it been since you used that item? Herbs, for example, loose a great deal of flavor after 6 months even in a dark, cool space. To test them, open the jar and sniff: if there's no smell, there's no taste to them.

Step 3: Clean and analyze your pantry space

After your items are sorted, it is time to turn your attention back to your pantry space.  Wipe down all surfaces in your pantry with a damp cloth.  Then, analyze your pantry space.  Do you have enough shelving?  In most standard cabinets, the shelves are spaced too far apart for efficient pantry storage.  Think about what can you change or add to better utilize the space within your pantry.  Depending on your needs and current configuration, the solution may be as simple as purchasing risers or bins for your shelves or you might want to consider something more involved such as a custom shelving system or pull out shelves for your pantry.

Step 4: Restock your Pantry
Now it is time to put items back in your pantry.  As you put items back, think about how often you use your items. The most frequently used items should be at eye level and in an easy to access location. High shelves can contain those items that are rarely used.  Items that kids are always snacking on should be located within easy reach.  Keep the groupings that you made back in step 2 together and determine where they should go based on how often they are used.

If you liked our blog and found it helpful, please share it with friends on Facebook or leave us a comment.

Also, if you are interesting in seeing how Closets For Life can help you transform your kitchen pantry, contact us by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com for a free in-home consultation. We will come out to your home to discuss your needs, assess your existing food storage space and then design a custom  organization makeover tailored just for your kitchen and your needs.

Closets For Life, a custom organization company based in Apple Valley, Minnesota, works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including kitchens, closets, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds. Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Shawnessy Schwartz
Closets For Life Aficionado