There’s a little area right next to where he walks in at the back door.
A dresser drawer or two, a basket, a flat surface and a little cabinet with shelves is all it takes.
He can pack it full off all sorts of unsightly stuff. Pipes, whistles, tape measures, sunglasses, stray bullets, receipts, playing cards, air guns and goggles.
I used to have a cabinet in the kitchen designated for him but, I hated opening up the cabinet in the kitchen and finding non kitchen stuff using up the space. So now he can store whatever he wants in a place that is all his own. It’s kind of endearing, it’s like a grown up version of my 13 year old’s top dresser drawer. Doncha just love men? Does your man have a station?
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My hubbies man station is the drawer of his nighstand, and his closet shelf. There you’ll find recipts for $1.29 container of cream, bought 2 years ago, to his hoards of pocket knives, to barrels of change. Men. And they think our purses are bad!
The variety of objects is hilarious!! What a renaissance man, LOL. I haven’t been married very long (4.5 years), but one of the first things I learned was that my husband needs a “zone” that I can’t nag him about. This is the perfect solution…now if I could just find a good spot and a good dresser.
Yes….my hubby has a man station! We have a small desk in the back door entry, similar to what you have. It is filled with stuff that looks much like your man station! This way I don’t have to get upset and when he plunks down ALL that stuff that he unloads, it isn’t so messy! That’s organization his way! He just goes through it every few months when he can’t get the draw open anymore ;)
What a great idea. Yeah – my man has a station, it’s a med-sized plastic basket up on top of our refrig (which is just inside the back door. ) I need a new solution for him!
the wallet and keys and cell go on the breakfast bar in the kitchen. i hate it. but its here he likes them (hopefully that will change when his desk gets built). Everything else has a space in the closet. and its really ridiculous the things that are included…
Brilliant! Maybe I should try clear off the top of the fridge so my husband can use the cupboards in there. He’s 6’5″, he will use them more than I ever have. Right now his stuff is all in our bedroom and it drives me BONKERS to have bear scent and shells and a hunting knife in our space. I haven’t known what to do about it b/c it needs to be SOMEwhere, and I have a craft room downstairs, and he has no real ‘place’ but our bedroom.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has ‘stray bullets’ as house clutter. If I find one more empty shell in the laundry hamper… oh, I’ll probably just sigh and grump about it. Considering the balls of yarn, cans of spraypaint, and spools of thread that manage to wander all over the house…
My man has a station(s). His stuff MIGRATES. He pretty much puts it down anywhere there is a clear spot, and then will call me from work in a panic when he forgets something because he has put it down somewhere and can’t remember. I have tried giving him a basket (he filled it up and it spilled out). His chair in the living room is right next to our window seat and the seat ends up being his filing cabinet. I would LOVE a dresser like that for him! I need to get more inventive–the only space is immediately next to the front door, and it’s about a foot wide and a foot deep. Any ideas? Please? LOL…
http://www.fableporchfurniture.com/images/charlestonlingerie.jpg
What about a lingerie chest. It’s pretty skinny, and has LOTS of drawers.
love this! we’re moving in a few weeks & this is a brilliant idea to incorporate into our new home!!
Absolutely GENIUS!!! You are brilliant! Brilliant.
He keeps filling up his stations, and just stashing everything on the counter! :) Every time we move, I pack all his “station” stuff into a box….we have quite a collection of boxes now :)
LOVE this idea!!! I soooooooo need one of these for my man! ;)
Yes..I created a station for my husband this past year, it is so wonderful! Wish I would have done it much sooner. I’m happy, he’s happy…the world is truly a better place ; )
Yes, my hubby has a station too. Right inside the front door, on top of our secretary desk, is a pretty wooden box we call “the magic box.” It’s beautifully engraved with Chinese characters and has several compartments inside (it was actually meant to hold chopsticks). It’s the perfect size to hold his wallet, keys, random receipts, ID badges, pens, business cards, and all sorts of other stuff that ends up in his pockets from who knows where. Now I don’t have to look at it all anymore!
pure brilliance! Thanks!
yes…his man station has become the dining room/his office. it’s quite unsightly. it has one door that shuts from the kitchen and one that is open near the front door for all to see. help?
This is genius! We share too much of these kind of spaces… He’ll get his own MAN STATION!
I love that. My man needs a station. Right now, he dumps everything on top of our china cabinet and it makes me crazy.
Love this. Jim’s man station may need to go in the garage, as our door opens right into the kitchen and there is no wall space to spare, but…..I think I’m going to tackle this, somehow, this fall.
this post makes me smile.
i do have spots in the house that are just for him.
i have a basket for all of his remotes. *****loooong sigh*****
we both have a 4 drawer chest on each side of the master bed..he has 4 whole drawers for his STUFF.
it helps to give them designated places…my man is grateful.
thank God he cooperates and uses the spaces that I give him.
I love this idea! I wish I had room somewhere to create a “man space” but our house is just a tiny little ranch. I’m going to have to ponder this problem and see if I can come up with an alternative…
My hubby has a station also. The top drawer in his dresser. Every once in a while I will go in & purge some stuff so I can cram more of his junk in there…it is the only place I can logically put his stuff as he gets ready early in the morning. So while he grabs socks, he grabs his wallet, keys, phone, badge, pens, spare change etc…how do they fit all that stuff in their pockets?
My hubby has a “locker” (really a cabinet) right when you come in the house. Most of his stuff makes it in there now but his dresser in our bedroom is still a dumping ground for loose change and receipts. I’d rather have it there than my kitchen counter though! I love your use of the dresser. The array of stuff is hysterical. Mine has at least 3 pairs of broken sunglasses. Umm…hello, you might want to throw them away? I never say a thing though b/c it is his locker and he can do what he wants with it.
I gave my husband our master closet *gasp!* It was a big trade off but he has so much stuff and now I run the rest of the house. He has all his books, computer, old posters, and a ton of random stuff filling up that little room (closet). Its much better than his old posters from highschool in my living room, yes we did actually have a fight about that once. :)
I do, in fact, have a man station! Our front door is actually on the side of the house, and opens onto a SKINNY hallway (which then opens to another hallway), so the first dropping point doesn’t happen until you get through the doorway into the kitchen. I have a small bookshelf there that I got for $5 at a yard sale, and there are baskets and containers for his daily dropping spree. He recently hung up a key rack that I’ve had for years nearby as well.
We even actually SHARE the bookshelf-my cookbooks are on the bottom shelf and some of my canisters are on the top of it. He doesn’t seem to need or want a great deal of space, but this little station has really helped keep things tidy.
Yes, but it’s at the end of my kitchen counter and the first thing you see when you come in the door. I have an oldm new-to-me chest of drawers a friend gave me. It’s in my kitchen waiting for me to put it to good use. I think you just gave me a wonderful idea! Thanks! Now to refinish that baby…
Wow, day 9 already! Love it, you are one inspired women…I don’t miss a day! Everybody Loves the Nester! -denise
haha! Stray bullets…he puts those on top of the china cabinet. This is JUST what we need. We are mostly organized but the man stuff just never seems to have a home (well, ONE home). Since this IS his castle the least I can do is give him a place. Great idea!
Oh, how I hate men stuff! I have a drawer by the side door, and it’s getting out of control! ( with his stuff) I need to designate an area for him….what a great idea you have by the back door. It looks so pretty too.
Have a great weekend!
Cindy
xo
I love this! I also love your dresser. I’m hoping to find something similar in size to go beside my front door. Originally, I wanted the dresser for extra household/school stuff storage, but after reading this…I think it’ll be more for my husband. He accumulates so much little stuff and doesn’t really have anywhere to put it so this will be perfect. Thanks for this simple…yet great… idea. :o)
My hubby has a couple of stations. It’s just a shelf above the coat hooks. It has issues (it slants), and he’d prefer something with edges, so I’ll be trying to fix it soon. He also has a wooden tray on top of the microwave. That came about because he’d leave so much junk on the counter. Your man’s station is lovely! I’m not sure what Kevin would do with that much space all to himself! ;-)
Umm. This is brilliant. I never, ever have thought of giving a “man station”. I love this idea. It’s so practical. So smart. And would be much appreciated by all who live in our house! Ah! I can’t wait to make this a reality!
My son used to leave his wallet, gum, keys, and even his belt on the kitchen counter. Urg. I made him up a corner table at the downstairs door. That way he can leave his pocket stuff there and not on the counter and not have to run to his room downstairs.
My man did not have a station, so his “station” became the counter. Not fly with me. So I got a cute little tray basket from GW for his goodies. Not big enough. We are going to have to go with a cabinet and dresser, too. Thank you for the idea, Nester. :)
Mine doesn’t but boy does he need one! Thanks for the idea :)
That is such a great idea! I’m on that project today.
~Heather
I have NEVER commented on a blog before but any decorating blog that talks about what to do with your husband’s stray bullets deserves highest praise from this Montana wife! :) We just moved into a 70-year-old house that is long on cottage character and a little short on function. But this is a great idea that I’m going to add to my (long) list of priorities. Thanks!
OH my word, you’ve never commented anywhere? So glad you stopped in!
My man is fortunate enough to have his very own closet…I know, I’m generous like that :) He’s military so he keeps all his uniforms in there and other manly things. He actually uses old wooden ammo boxes to store all his “loose” items in which I think is pretty smart and practical. Oh, and he also has 1/2 of the garage. He was actually pretty insistant on having his own space separate from all my crafty things. Of course he never said how big that space had to be, but no matter how small it is he’s very territorial over it!
YES! He sure does! :)
I tried to convince my hubby to use a basket. “I don’t work like that–I can’t find anything” he said. So what does he do? He piles up all his papers in one big stack. Um, what’s the difference between a stack of papers on the counter and a stack of papers in a basket?? A happy wife, that’s the difference.
These might be the photos I need to convince him he needs a closed space for his stuff so I will nag him less! Thank you!
No, but he is going to get one. TODAY if possible! Great idea!
I need to find a place to do this. Around here, it’s dog tags, ear plugs, maps, manuals, etc. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found one of my kids chewing on an ear plug. Yuck!
I showed DH your hubby’s man station Nester, and now he’s suffering from cabinet envy…
I’ve never really considered this. I think its a great idea that is fun too. Really everyone in the house should have their easy to access space. I’m going to have to figure out where this might be in our house.
Dana
Yes! My darling husband has his own special wall in our second bedroom, which he calls “the lab.” He has two desks which are covered in electronic equipment, computers, speakers, old Nintendos, etc. I find it all rather cute.
That’s a very cool idea.
Absolutely brilliant! I’ve tried to designate places in the past for hubby to drop his miscellany, but it always ends up on the formal dining room table since that’s the first horizontal surface when you come in the door. I love the idea of a dresser there!
Pipes and stray bullets….haha, don’t forget the flask. Having it by the door is a genius idea…I set up my husband’s “beau depot” upstairs. Which means it all lands on the kitchen counter by the back door.
oh.my.word. What a great idea!! Never would have thought of it!! Thanks!
I think you should be awarded an Honorary PhD in Common Sense. You are my hero.
We kind of have one : on top of anything flat that he passes on his way to the dinner table. I need a better system, it’s hard to do in a small apartment but I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Thanks for the inspiration!