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Create a Family Landing Zone
Keep your kitchen table and counters clear with a place designed for mail, bags and keys
Is your island countertop cluttered with weeks-old mail? Or is there another countertop in your kitchen designated as the mail, key, bag drop? Create a family landing zone that gets everyone out of the house faster in the morning and keeps your kitchen clutter-free at the end of the day. Here are some sensible-style tips for de-cluttering your family drop zone.
| Location is crucial! You want your landing zone to be along the main route between the entrance everyone in your household uses every day and the kitchen work area. It should be the first drop-off point for bags, books, mail and gear, rather than your kitchen island or peninsula. |
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If you're creating a landing zone from base cabinetry, consider incorporating roll-out trays. Instead of using it for a liquor cabinet or pans, turn one into drop-zone storage. This is especially beneficial for heavy book bags and any family members with back or flexibility issues.
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If you don't want a built-in landing zone, a cabinet with cupboard and drawer space for each family member can work equally well. Choose one that has base room and a single drawer for each family member. Before shopping for a piece or specifying cabinetry, measure the bags everyone uses to be sure they'll all fit inside. Ideally, each household member has his or her own base section.
Over the years, I've had dozens of clients ask me to remove the desks that came with their kitchen; it just isn't where they want to do their work. They can still get the storage and mail sorting capabilities a desk area provides! Built-ins and a bulletin board above your landing zone base can be valuable add-ons.
by Ballard Designs
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Your landing-zone cabinetry or furniture could be topped with a basket for each family member's mail. To keep the look clean, the baskets should be opaque and identical. Each basket will top that family member's drawer. Open handles let you run the cord from each person's charger into the basket from the back.
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| Be sure your landing zone is equipped with a charging mechanism for everyone's daily gear. This could be a charging station as shown, or a surge protector tied into the nearest outlet. |
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Drawer organizers can be helpful additions to your landing zone. They can help each family member easily find essentials in their drawer.
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Add a container next to your landing zone that matches the room. This will ensure that waste papers brought in from the mailbox, school or work get easily recycled, rather than tossed into a drawer or trash.
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Ideabook published on Dec. 24, 2011.
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One way could be to create nooks near the doorway that allow you to easily throw something down, while still keeping it somewhat out of site. But most people cannot remodel their house just to create a nook for essential junk.
I think the best way is simply to have a small table near the entrance to place things in full view, but can be quickly tidied up when necessary. This way everything is in one place and accessible, but not junking up the kitchen.
My 2 cents...
Just a cool organizer that can be put over the door or attached to the wall, with plenty of space for number of things one wants to drop off when they get home and easy to find when you are going out the door.
Certainly you can repurpose and use it for the items that you need besides the ones in the picture.