Getting Your Mountain Home Ready for Holiday Guests: Guest Closets, Entries and Pantries

Between Thanksgiving, the holidays and the first big ski weekends, a lot of mountain homes go from quiet to full in a few weeks. Family flies in, friends drive up, and suddenly every closet, entry hook and pantry shelf is doing double duty. The homes that handle it best are not bigger. They just have storage ready for guests before the guests arrive.

Here is how to get your home ready for a busy season of visitors, starting with the spaces guests use most.

Give the guest closet a job

In many homes the guest closet slowly turns into overflow storage: wrapping paper, old coats, a vacuum and a few boxes nobody has opened in years. Guests open it and find nowhere to put anything.

• Clear the hanging space. Leave a section of rod open with a handful of matching hangers.
• Add a shelf or two at eye level for folded clothes and a spot for a suitcase on the floor or a low shelf.
• Move true overflow up. Seasonal decor and rarely used items belong on the top shelf, not at arm’s height.
• Consider drawers. A small drawer stack lets guests unpack instead of living out of a bag.

A custom reach-in closet is often all a guest room needs. Adjustable shelves and double hanging can turn a basic closet into one that works for a weekend visit or a two-week stay.

Plan the entry for a crowd

More people means more boots, coats, gloves and wet gear coming through one door. If the entry already overflows with your own family’s things, guests will pile theirs on the floor.

• Add a row of extra hooks at adult height and a few at kid height.
• Set out a boot tray or open bench storage where wet boots can dry.
• Give guests a basket or cubby for hats and gloves so they do not end up scattered through the house.

If the entry is a constant problem, a custom mudroom with a cubby or locker for each person solves it for every season, not just the holidays. Our mudroom ideas for mountain homes show layouts that handle a full house.

Pantry and laundry: the hidden pressure points

Holiday cooking and a house full of guests put the most strain on two spaces people rarely think about until they fail.

• Pantry. Group baking supplies, snacks and drinks into zones so guests can find things without asking. Pull-outs and adjustable shelves make bulk items easy to see. See our custom pantry page for ideas.
• Laundry. Extra towels, sheets and ski layers mean extra loads. A folding surface, hanging rod and a spot for wet gear to dry make a real difference. Our laundry room storage designs are built for exactly this.

A quick guest-ready checklist

• Open hanging space and hangers in each guest closet
• A shelf or drawer for folded clothes
• Extra hooks and a boot tray at the entry
• A labeled spot in the pantry for guest snacks and drinks
• Clean towels and sheets stored where guests can find them
• Your own personal items put away in a closet guests will not need

Serving homes across the valleys

Whether you live here full time or host family at a second home, we design closets, entries and pantries throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and Eagle County. See the services and common questions for Edwards, Eagle and Basalt.

Plan before the house fills up

If you want a closet or entry ready before the holidays, start with a free design consultation. The designer will lay out a timeline for your project. Not sure what to expect? Here is what happens at a closet design consultation.