Beautifully organized locker-style cabinetry with a cushioned seat to use while putting shoes on and taking them off beams with cleanliness and style from the glossy pages of a magazine. You look at the photos of the professionally decorated show room, wistfully.

Then you notice the homework stuck with mud to the bottom of a rainboot by your own back door. You take a closer look and realize the dog's leash has snagged two mismatched mittens, the contents of your purse have spilled onto the floor, and a backpack has been thrown on top of clean laundry.

Even if you don't have a wide open expanse of space at your back door, you can create an organized mudroom. And with the wet feet of winter approaching, it's a great time to get started.

"There's a lot of older homes that have just a back door, or a door into the garage," said Jeff Valsek, owner of Closet Tailors and Budget Blinds in Racine. "It's dead space. It ends up being an area where people stack things. It's usually kind of a mess."

He said the area is typically a gathering spot for things you don't have room for anywhere else. "But it doesn't take much to change that."

From mess to mudroom

Closet Tailors has storage solutions for small areas, Valsek said. They can put up shelving for boots and shoes, drawers for storage and hooks or rods to hang things on. Whether you need to store sporting equipment or backpacks, they can arrange storage pieces to fit your needs and space.

"It makes it an organized and usable space for a reasonable price," Valsek said.

Corrine Allard, a professional organizer with Cattail Pond of Franklin, said there are a lot of great ways to maximize the space you have, even if it's just a small area near the back door.

"Put a shelf above the door frame and use boxes or baskets to house out of season and smaller infrequent-use items," she said.

Also, hooks and shelves can add a lot of useful storage space, Allard said.

If you only have a small closet to make the most of, there are still ways to keep it organized, she said.

"Add a closet doubler to your back hall closet to quickly double-hang jackets," Allard said. "Keep the longer coats you don't use as often in another closet. Store your gloves in your coat pocket. Store the rest (hats, mittens, purses) in a hanging shoe organizer. Just move the organizer to a different closet when it gets warm."

Hooks on the back and side walls of a closet are great for purses, she said.

Bed, Bath and Beyond sells a handy hook called the InstaHanger. It's a rod that folds down against the wall when it isn't in use, but lift it up and you instantly have 12 inches of hanging space. The hanger holds up to 45 pounds and is priced at $14.99.

Keep mud out

Shelving for shoes and boots is a big thing in this area, Valsek said. Especially in the winter and for people with newer homes that don't have grass yet. Yards and sidewalks full of mud, snow, ice melt can make a disorganized area just plain dirty.

Allard suggests using a boot tray on the floor to collect the snow from boots and shoes. "Combine it with a plastic shoe organizer shelf and they can drip dry," she said.

If your back door leads to the garage, you can put the tray out there to save on floor space inside, Allard suggests.

And if you're looking for year-round shoe storage, there are great shoe bins from Ikea that you hang on the wall, she said.

In addition to the storage places, a good rug by the door is an absolute must for keeping all things wet and salty from being tracked in on your floor.

The Web site http://www.problemsolvers.com has two really great rugs made specifically to absorb the weather from your feet.

Their Dirt Trapper Mat is supposed to lift and absorb water and dirt from shoes and even muddy dog paws. It's available in a variety of colors and sizes. The cost for the rug ranges from $29.95 to $79.95.

The Waterhog Doormat is said to be industrial strength and drink up water, mud and snow to keep floors dry and clean. It also comes in several colors and sizes, and prices for the mat range from $39.95 to $149.95.

Keeping clutter in control

As if the mud and snow weren't enough, there's also all that pesky stuff the family drops near the back door.

The variety of storage pieces Closet Tailors offers allows them to create a space specific to a client's needs, Valsek said. If they have a problem with toys or sporting equipment piling up, or need a spot to store hats, mittens and scarves, Closet Tailors has great wire baskets, he said.

When a laundry room doubles as a mudroom, people need a place for hanging clothes to dry amid the back door mess. Closet Tailors has special rods for that.

"There's a million different types of specialty hanging rods for things like ironing boards and brooms and mops," Valsek said.

And when the back door opens into a main room of the house, they can even help you store your stuff hidden away. "If you don't want to see clutter we can put doors up too," Valsek said. "If it's an area they want to look nice, we have finished cabinets with doors."

If you're looking for an even more cost effective way to clear the dumping ground of clutter from the back door, Allard has a great suggestion.

"Have family members take their things to their rooms," she said. "Don't try to store backpacks and briefcases by the back door if there isn't room for it."