We all come home day after day and we drop our things in a pile. Whether it is from work or play or school, we all have things that we bring home and dump at the doorstep. Life is busy and we move around from one task to another without time to breathe.
What Is A Drop Zone?
If there is no designated space for this activity, you will most likely be using your dining table or kitchen counter and that is a recipe for mess. It is essential that you have a space where you can disengage from work, school, or other activity and transition to your living space.
A drop zone is becoming more of a key factor for most home builders. If you have a home or living space that was built more than 20 years ago, you probably do not have a designated space to use for your drop zone.
It’s not the end of the world if your home doesn’t have a separate mud room or boot hall type of area, but for these types of homes, we need to use our imagination and create our own.
Essential Elements Of A Good Drop Zone
First and foremost, a drop zone area should be out of the visual range of your living space if at all possible.
That said, if the architecture of your home is more of an open plan, you will need to create a means of obscuring your items. This can be done with baskets, bins, and even a large-scale furniture piece with doors and drawers.
- Key bowl, hook, or drawer
- A designated place for bags, backpacks, or computers
- Basket or cubby for shoes
- Hooks for jackets and hats
- A drawer or box for sunglasses and breakable items
Photo by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash
Reconfiguring A Closet Is A Great Idea!
Personally, I use a spare closet off my entry for this purpose.
It was meant to be a coat closet, but I added some decorative hooks to my laundry area, which is also off our entry, so we can hang our coats and hats there.
Then we removed the rod and shelf from the closet and added appropriate shelving for our drop usage. It is wonderful and all I have to do is close the door and everything is out of sight. Perfection!
Whatever the case, a crucial part of your interior design and lifestyle should include an organized and deliberate area to drop your items from one aspect of your life as you settle in to coming home.
Transitioning from one aspect of your life to relaxing at home is important. We need to separate the two. Life gets busy and losing track of things is almost a given. With a designed drop zone, you can keep track of your essential things such as keys and never be late again!
Isabella Dresser
This substantial piece is meant to be a dresser, but with excess drawers and two cabinets, it works perfectly as a drop zone piece
Storage Bench & Shelf
This two-piece set comes with wicker baskets and bench cushion. Available in white, black, mahogany, & natural finishes.
Hall Tree
A full height hall tree with jacket hooks, overhead cubbies, and shoe storage. This piece is perfect and comes in a variety of finishes!
