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Our Garage Drop Zone (As Seen in HGTV Magazine!)

Remember the garage drop zone we installed a few years ago? Well, if you’re standing in the checkout line and see an HGTV magazine this month, flip to page 53!!

Someone pinch me! I cannot believe this little space is famous!

Earlier this year, HGTV reached out and asked if they could feature our garage drop zone in the September magazine edition and of course, I said YES (with LOTS of exclamation points)! I honestly didn’t know if our photos would make it in, so I was elated when the September magazine was delivered and I spotted our small but mighty space in print!

Our Garage Drop Zone Makeover

In honor of this feature, I thought it would be fun to re-share our garage drop-zone in case you haven’t seen it before! We tackled this project as part of a larger Garage Makeover and it’s been one of the most useful spaces in our home!

garage drop zone

For years we found ourselves tripping over trails of sand-filled shoes, sports bags, jackets, and multiple backpacks every day when we’d pass through our garage doors.

Day after day Matt and I would sweep up this trail and pile all of the items into a chair in the dining room. It wasn’t an ideal “drop zone” but there wasn’t really a better place inside our home for all of these things.

And then one day it hit me — what if I could store all of these items neatly OUTSIDE our home…in the garage!? After lots of Pinterest scrolling, I finally had a vision of where and how I could make my drop zone dreams come true, and immediately contacted our handyman, Hector.

Although he is no longer doing handyman work full time (sorry, Charlotte friends!), he agreed to take on our project over the course of a few weekends.

Garage Makeover - Before

Although many readers cautioned me against painting our door a light color, I was determined to use one of our leftover cans of Sea Salt or White Dogwood paint to give the door a little pop of color. After lots of back and forth, we went with Sea Salt! And then stained the steps a darker color. 

After the construction was complete, we partnered with CW Home to get us organized! Caroline and Whitney actually organized our entire garage (post coming soon) and did an incredible job completing our drop zone too. They took all of the measurements and provided us with options at various price points for storage baskets, rugs, hooks and bench cushions. 

And then they did the install one day while we were at work and it was the BEST surprise to come home too! They were truly excellent to work with and we are so happy with our gorgeous new drop zone!

The final product was exactly how I had pictured it.

Garage Makeover (4)

Lastly, I need to give a disclaimer that Laura took the photos of our drop zone while the kids were at school, so that’s why the space looks so tidy. In real life, there are 384593453 jackets and bags hanging in this area…and although we have these lovely wire shoe baskets we are still training our kids to put their shoes IN the baskets, not on the floor next to the basket. But at least all our stuff is now contained outside and we aren’t tripping over it all anymore! 

If you want to see the drop zone in its full real-life state — I created a behind-the-scenes reel of what it looks like most of the time.

Garage Drop Zone Sources

Paint Colors

Door: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt / Steps: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron / Walls: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

Drop Zone Sources

octopus hooks / bench cushion / seagrass storage baskets / wire storage baskets / washable rug

Another Post You May Also Like: Our Garage Makeover

How much space do you need for a garage drop zone?

We created our drop zone with less than 3 feet wide of space. The width of our drop zone is actually only 33″ wide and goes from the floor to the ceiling.

Did you use a garage organizer for this space?

After the construction was complete, we partnered with CW Home to get us organized! They actually organized our entire garage and did an incredible job completing our drop zone too. They took all of the measurements and provided us with options at various price points for storage baskets, rugs, hooks, and bench cushions. 

What do you store in the garage drop zone?

Everything! This space is usually piled high with sports equipment, backpacks, shoes, hats, jackets and so much more.

What paint color is the door to the garage?

Sea salt!

Are you worried about spiders?

No, we’ve been using this space for several years now and have never had a bug problem. However, we have had birds sneak into the garage and create a nest in a woven basket on top!

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Keshet Starr

Thursday 27th of October 2022

I was so excited to see you in there!