And after.
In the interest of keeping it real, I've left a few random items out. We don't have a first floor closet but if I leave the vacuum out in the dining room my husband will vacuum 3 times a week at least. Move that sucker to the basement and it's just too hard. ergo, vacuum is out. It usually lives in the corner that I hope to hang hooks in.

Cleared off the table, window frame. You can see my black computer bag on the floor. It doesn't always live there but I just took the computer out of the case. Green backpack on its way to a new home and is sitting on the table so that when Peter comes by he'll have a new backpack for preschool. Top of the red bookshelf = stuff that is not mine, but needs to find a new home.

Desk converted from giant pile of stuff that my husband keeps stuffing on there to holding kids' art supplies and a few items my dh needs to return tomorrow. Kids and I agreed to share said desk. Desk has always held kids' hair stuff. I hate the bookshelves over the desk, but they work and hold important stuff that I use regularly.

Artwork is indeed help up by clips -- it's actually a curtain rod sold by ikea. My kids never want to throw anything away. Displaying it in the art gallery softens the blow when it is time to recycle. My husband likes to thrust their stuff onto the art table, making it un-useable (this is a theme). And my kids are outgrowing the art table. 1-2 more years and I suspect we'll replace this with a desk. It isn't pretty in my dining room, but I like the idea of the previous owners of computers/desk spaces in the public areas of the house for kids.

This area is a work in progress. My kids have coat hooks in the front entrance area (tiny room). But they are getting bigger and now their coats drag on the floor. I envision this wall becoming our "mud room". At least until we have 20,000 dollars to build an actual mudroom to receive our stuff. The box contains backpacks when they come home from school. The cabinet in the middle is going someplace out (but as soon as I cleared out the space my husband moved it in this corner). It will contain our liquor cabinet + special glasses. I saw one at crate and barrel that I really liked but I don't drink that much. This is an old record (LP) cabinet I picked up for 20 bucks. And lastly we live in an area where we take shoes off at the door. This basket holds the shoes.
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