This post is a part of a series called “Peek Inside My Minimalism.” In this series, I show you a glimpse of what minimalism really looks like in my life. This post contains affiliate links.
Every house has a drop zone. Usually it’s right inside the door. It’s the space that the shoes, mail, jackets, backpacks, and all else lands upon entry. Often this is the mudroom or entryway. There’s a good chance it will end up as the clutter catch-all spot.
I call it the drop zone. If you aren’t careful, it can quickly turn to chaos.
We have eliminated the chaos by simplifying our drop zone to include only items we are actively using.
The first step in taming this chaos was to turn this into an active space, as opposed to a storage space. That means every single item within it is used on a daily (or sometimes weekly) basis. By scaling back to only include actively used items, everything now has a place.
This way, upon entering the house we (kids included) can easily put things away exactly where they go.
Active Space vs. Storage Space
Often spaces in our homes become a combination of an active space and a storage space. This happens because the things we use frequently get mixed up among the items that we rarely use. This is when things start to get overwhelming.
This principle is at the core of minimalism in the home: remove the excess to focus on the things you really love and use everyday.
An example of this principle is my master bedroom closet. Before I switched to a small wardrobe, my closet was a mixed use space: it was a combination of both active and storage space. That means I had my frequently-worn clothes mixed up with my rarely-worn clothes. I had a very hard time making outfits and often couldn’t find what I needed. When I got rid of all the clothes I didn’t wear, I changed my closet to an active space. I do have some clothes that I put away in a storage space, but I am careful to make sure that the actual closet stays an active space–which makes my daily life easier.
Back to our drop zone. We have recently renovated this space to be more efficient for our family. When we moved into our new home this summer, the drop zone was a built in book shelf. Although this may have been functional for the previous owners, it was a mess for our family.
With little effort and cost, we have transformed this into a simple space that works effectively for us (props to my husband for taking on this task). The space is composed of two elements: one equipped to organize the outerwear and gear while the other to organize the paper and keys (think: mini vertical-office).
Office Drop Zone
When we minimize the horizontal space in our homes, we can eliminate the piles of clutter. So rather than adding a desk and table space to this room, we stick with a mini vertical office. You might be familiar with vertical gardens–this is the same idea.
We utilize the Daily System by Pottery Barn in this space. This is a build-your-own system and we have two pieces: The Office Organizer and the Letter Bin.
The Office Organizer is on top and has a shelf that serves as a mini desk. The shelf holds a cup with pens, our return address stamp, and packing tape. Underneath, there are three compartments. One is used for stamps, and the larger pocket for a check book and blank envelopes. There are also hooks to hang the keys.
Under the Office Organizer is the Letter Bin. The Letter Bin has two spots: one is for unopened mail and the other for mail which needs to be attended to in the coming days (think bills and other items that require a response via snail mail). All other mail hits the recycling immediately.
Gear Drop Zone
The gear drop zone consists of two reclaimed wood boards that are hung inside of the old built-ins (one to hold baskets, the other used as a bench). There are four hooks: one for each person. Two high-up for the grown-ups, two down-low for the kids.
Each person uses their hook to hang a jacket and bag. Since we are minimalists, we don’t use a lot of jackets and bags–we stick with the same ones almost everyday. This makes it extra easy to simplify this space. We all have high quality items that are versatile and durable–which makes us all happy to wear them frequently.
[accordion title=”Click here to see exactly what gear we are wearing the most this season“]
- Me: Barbour Arrow Jacket//Uggs//Fawn Design Bag
- Husband: Barbour Vest//All Birds Loungers//Filson Original Briefcase
- Preschool Son: Patagonia Hooded Down Sweater Jacket//Bogs Waterproof Sneaker//Mountaintop Backpack
- Toddler Daughter: Patagonia Hooded Down Sweater Jacket//Stride Rite Casey Sneakers//The Northface Sprout Backpack
[/accordion]
We have made a huge effort to create a home that is child-friendly, rather than child-proof. As a part of this, I am conscious to be sure I am creating spaces that my children can be empowered to take care of their belongings and clean up easily. Having the hooks down low allows them to hang up their jackets and backpacks each day with ease.
The bins on the top of the space are for seasonal items. In the winter they hold one pair of gloves and a hat for each person in the family. In the summer, they hold things such as sunscreen and bug spray.
On the floor we have Waterhog mats from L.L. Bean. These mats soak up 1.5 gallons of liquid per square yard. Therefore, they are adept at handling muddy shoes and boots. These are the only floor mats I will ever buy again–however they have held up so well (+5 years) that I doubt I will need to buy mats again anytime soon. We have both a rectangle version and then a proper boot mat in this space.
When it comes to shoes, we each aim to have only one pair at a time on the bottom shelf. We generally can stick with it–but occasionally we tend to add a few pairs. We also keep our slippers here as well, so we can trade off our shoes for our slippers when entering the house.
We do have a coat closet where we store extra coats that are out of season or for special use (re: parkas, ski jackets, lightweight jackets). Likewise, we each store other shoes in our own respective closets.
That’s what our minimalist drop zone looks like. I would love to see photos of your space–share them in the Simple Families Community.
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hi! my name is Nancy and i love and am very ….this is all new a very different lifestyle lol ive rewritten this about 10 times.. im 26 i have 2 kids and i want to change . i feel am in a different planet do not even know where to begin my lifes been …no order much purpose am seeing i must do better my kids. 9 and 5 and they are becoming very much like me….please i feel very confused thank you 🙂
Hi Nancy,
If I mighttell you something that changed my life…..I read, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidyng up”. I think it took me two hours to read it. I started with my clostests, and eventually moved on the the kids toys. We put all of the toys in the living room. They had to touch the toy and answer certain questions (do I love it? Do I play with it? Etc). I didn’t get rid of anything they wanted to keep. We had a garage sale. We got rid of half of their stuff. Kids play so much better with the toys that they kept. They are not so overwhelmed. Same deal with the books. I had book shelves everywhere. Now I have one. We did all closets etc. I used to think that I needed more storage space, but it turns out I just needed less stuff. When everything has a place, the whole house stays tidy. It’s so fast to take care of. I’m about a million times happier. It’s hard to explain. I think I was conditioned to think that stuff would make me happy, but not having all of that stuff has made me so much happier. To sum up…the book was my how to guide, and this blog keeps me on track and reminds me of the why….. My nine and seven year old.
P.S. get the book from the library. You won’t need to keep it, and after you read it, you won’t want to keep it lol
Wonderful tip! That was the book that changed my life too.
Hi Nancy,
It can feel very overwhelming when there is too much stuff in your house. As a busy mother of little kids, I needed a big change. I read Kondo’s book of The lIfe Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It teaches you very valuable ideas that I believe every can benefit. Getting rid of stuff you & family don’t use and only keeping the items you touch and use daily or weekly in your house will make your life so much easier, happier and productive. I went through my closet and go ride of all the clothes that don’t “spark joy”. Did the same thing with my children’s toys, husband items, kitchen, books, etc, etc. My house is so much tidier and less clutter then ever. My cleaning take less time which means i have more time for myself, children and husband. Get that book, you won’t regret it. I have the mentality of every item should have a place in your home – it’s terrific.
Thank you for always challenging me to simplify – but in such an encouraging and doable way! The active vs storage idea makes perfect sense – just like your open and closed toys idea in the Toy Detox. Simple yet brilliant.! We tried to do the 40 bags for Lent this year – maybe we’ll end up with a similar one for Advent. 😃 Thank you!
Thanks for reading Emy 🙂
Your space looks great! We have done something similar on a blank wall inside the playroom, which is close to our garage door we go in and out of daily. I used a small woodwn bench with a shelf and hung a mirror with 5 hooks. The space works great, but I need to be more mindful of all of the extras that accumulate. It’s tough right now with the shifting weather…one day it’s 70 degrees and the next 40 (in Cincinnati). Those LL Bean mats really caught my eye. I went on the website and peeked around. I’m curious what color you have, only because our wood floors are similar, and I would like for them to “blend in” as much as possible. I love your blog, helpful tips, and Montessori philosophies you use. Our kiddos (6 &10) have gone to a Montessori school since they were both 3 years old. It’s such a beautiful way to live. Thanks for all of your awesome posts. Your wardrobe one was my favorite!! Such an inspiration. Can’t wait to see more sneak peeks of your home.
We also have these mats and they are fantastic. After seeing them on LLBean’s site, I poked around and found a lot more options and great prices at American Floor Mats. You may be able to find the colors you need there.
Denaye, thank you for this! It’s giving me a prod about pulling more of the extras our of our “drop zone”.
Yes those in-between seasons are rough! We have the brown mats and they have blended in well with several different brown floors. I am so happy to have you following along Stacey!
Love this post. I don’t think we will ever be quite this minimal based our lifestyle but it’s good to have a goal! I’m glad you mentioned the other closet because before that i was thinking “what about snow pants?” 🙂
It’s a journey!
Loved this Denaye, thank you!
I love love love this. The “active space vs storage space” principle is so intuitive. I find that I’ve been implementing this naturally already in my favorite spaces of the house, but I think I’ll be able to go the next step with that in mind. What I’m wondering, does your little daughter really wear, carry her own back pack? Our kids are close to the same age (I have a 3.5 yo and 10 month old) and I just can’t imagine my little one wearing a backpack in the next six months, but I’ll be down to try.
I am glad this makes sense to you! Yes she actually loves her backpack, it’s THE perfect size for her. However, she much prefers to carry her brothers because well, it’s her brothers. She also likes that his has a buckle, and hers just has velcro. We bought the North Face bag when my son was 20 months and he carried it for 2 years, now she has it 🙂 It’s been a great tiny little bag.
Denaye- Thank you for helping make this work visual for many of us who need it! I really appreciate your posts. They inspire me and your words stay in my mind to support my work as a mamma! In this post, I was most inspired by the idea of ACTIVE space vs. STORAGE space. I immediately saw that I am mixing that up in our house. I’m not sure how to fix it yet, but that idea gave me a lot to think about. This holiday season, I am thankful for your inspiration.
Thank you for reading Maia!!
Your space looks great! We have done something similar on a blank wall inside the playroom, which is close to our garage door we go in and out of daily. I used a small wooden bench with a shelf and hung a mirror with 5 hooks. The space works great, but I need to be more mindful of all of the extras that accumulate. It’s tough right now with the shifting weather…one day it’s 70 degrees and the next 40 (in Cincinnati). Those LL Bean mats really caught my eye. I went on the website and peeked around. I’m curious what color you have, only because our wood floors are similar, and I would like for them to “blend in” as much as possible. I love your blog, helpful tips, and Montessori philosophies you use. Our kiddos (6 &10) have gone to a Montessori school since they were both 3 years old. It’s such a beautiful way to live. Thanks for all of your awesome posts. Your wardrobe one was my favorite!! Such an inspiration. Can’t wait to see more sneak peeks of your home.
Hi! I am loving this series of posts! I am Just curious about the recycle bin. Do you have one in this room?
We only have one in the kitchen. Ours is a combo garbage and recycling bin. It was a big splurge but I decided since it was something I use 100 times a day, it was worth it. https://www.amazon.com/simplehuman-Bucket-Rectangular-Recycling-Stainless/dp/B00VXULPTQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1512440472&sr=1-1&keywords=Simplehuman+58-Liter%2F15-Gallon+Recycler
I love the distinction between active and storage spaces. I think this is something holding up my progress in many areas, like the kitchen, our drop zone, the laundry room, and my closet. The idea of making the vertical office in this area is great too, to help avoid the paper piles! You have given me great motivation to get things in better order heading in to winter.
Does your bench get much use, as an actual bench? I have been wanting to add a bench to our drop zone, mainly so that our shoes have a “cubby” to go in (they seem so “out in space” just sitting on the rug!), but also as a place to sit or set something while we put coats on. I am worried that the bench may just become another place to pile items though, rather than serving it’s intended purpose.
Honestly, I was opposed to the bench. Because I mostly wear slip on shoes and never sit down to put them on. Maybe it’s a Mom thing? My husband insisted, he said he needed a bench. I haven’t piled anything on there but that’s a good possibility! I hope you didn’t just give me a bad idea 🙂
I am wondering if you have any tips on school paperwork drop zone clutter. I have 3 school age girls and every day I get a new handful of papers: newsletters, fundraisers, art projects, graded work, report cards and unfinished worksheets. Most end up in a thick stack on the kitchen counter. I feel compelled to save some art work for memories and worksheets etc for at home learning but in honesty we rarely sit down and work on lessons at home.
How do you determine what to keep and what to get rid of? Where do you put it all? Do you have tips on supplemental home lessons and how to actually sit down to do it and get the kids to participate/enjoy it?
Have you checked out thesundaybasket.com? I love mine.
I love this peek inside your home. I’ve never heard of active vs inactive storage. I just went through my bedside table with this in mind. It was awesome! I had all these books piled up that I want to read. Now there are only the 2 books I am reading. Love it! I think this will also help me purge some of my belongings by thiniking of them in this way.
You probably haven’t heard of it because I just made it up when I was writing this article. But it was kind of an “aha” moment–I found words to describe exactly what I was doing 🙂