Idea Emergency!!

My back door is the door everyone enters in to. As soon as you open the back door you're life is jeopardize by a flight of stairs that goes straight down to my business or you turn to the left and step up two steps and you are in my kitchen - So NO back porch/mud room (I wish) Anyhow right up the stairs is where everyone (including me) tosses off their shoes and hucks their jackets... even my 1 year old has caught on that this is where you just drop everything and run!

This doorway has a door (which is nice because with Pauly I'm able to close off the stairs when I please BUT I never do close it - It's always open) and my kitchen is well probably 16 long and 9 ft wide... aka TINY! So one of those little - well these...(although I would love) won't fit...

We really do need a basket for odds and ends like gloves and hats and even a little bench would be nice to sit there and put on/take off our shoes with a rug under the whole thing.

I've considered putting hooks on the door - on the front side like these -


and then under the hanger put a little bench I already have w/ a rug and a basket - This seems like a really cute Idea but I'm concerned my bench will be too big and the whole idea a over all pain when it comes to wanting to close the door but...it is always open but then I won't have the option to close it as easily if I so choose.

Then I've thought of getting hooks and putting them on the door - Behind the door there is only about 4 inches of wall then there is a whole nook that is full of windows and no wall space for anything to hang. I was considering putting hooks like these in a row behind the door - I would put them vertical rather than horizontal like the picture- I just can't decide whether that would be too obnoxious or not ... because there just isn't hardly any space behind the door and then the coats would push the door forward into my kitchen space. uuug!

Honestly this kind of sounds like I'm just whining! whining! and I should just pick an idea and try it out... I KNOW! I'm not the type to have such a hard time with this stuff but I'm really struggling... I keep thinking of the Imagination Movers on the Disney Channel and I keep wanting to call out..."This sounds like an idea emergency" and then the whole wind machine would kick on and we could sing the Brainstorming Song. (Have I lost you?) That's okay -

Well leave me any ideas that you might have and I think for now, I'll put the little bench there today and see what I think. Maybe it won't take up too much room and be just what the doctor ordered (positive thinking - positive thinking). Then on the open side of the door I can put a few little hooks or a board of hooks mounted on the door with a little rug under the bench and a sweet little basket to catch our odds and ends... We'll see if that works - I'll keep you posted! Have a great day!