29 Magnificent Mudroom Ideas to Enhance Your Home

Benefits of a Mudroom

While modern mudrooms boast of great aesthetics, their purpose is still very much functional. If you are considering whether investing in a mudroom is worth it, consider its many benefits.

• Provides extra storage space. “Storage, storage, storage” is the mantra for a neat and sane home. You can never have too much of it. A mudroom expands your current storage area, providing extra space to keep your things. Not only is it an extra storage space, it is a convenient one too. Instead of opening closets and shelves inside the house to place things in, you simply hang them on low hooks or place them on an open shelf even before you enter the house. This is especially handy when you have kids who might be too lazy to go open a closet and hang a coat.

• Better organization and neatness. Without all that stuff coming into the main living area, your home looks neater and more organized. You no longer have to go on a breathless rush to collect things lying around when a guest suddenly shows up. With the improved organization, it becomes easier to find things quickly without wasting time checking under the couches and behind furniture.
• Less maintenance. It can be tiring to have to clean the house every time people and pets come in, dragging dirt with them. A mudroom provides a place for people to take off dirty shoes and even pets can get a wash before they come into the house.

Larger homes with bigger families are likely to benefit more from a mudroom. But even smaller homes can take advantage of the organizational and storage benefits that come with this space. In our image round up, we have plenty of small mudroom ideas that can work perfectly for smaller families that may have space limitations or don’t need something big.

In addition to mudroom ideas for small spaces, we have suggestions for storage, organization and decor.

Ideal Location for a Mudroom

You have seen the benefits of a mudroom and have decided that you would like one. You even have a few design ideas after looking through the pictures. But there is still a lot left to decide. One of the most important decisions you need to make is regarding location.

When they were introduced, mudrooms were designed as second entryways to a home. You have the main double-door entry with beautiful art on the walls, high ceilings and a sweeping staircase ahead of you. Then on the side or back of the house, a second fairly wide entryway serves as the mudroom. Today, mudrooms still act as secondary entryways but they are often entire rooms rather than a hallway.

As with traditional mudrooms, a place away from the main entrance is best. It can be on the side of the house or at the back. When it comes to the actual location, you have several options:

• The kitchen. If you have a big kitchen, you can easily convert part of it into a mudroom. The kitchen is a convenient location since it already has a secondary entryway into the house. Use the area immediately after the entry door. Find a way to partition it from the rest of the kitchen to avoid a cluttered look. If you are building a new home, you can include a more permanent mudroom that adjoins the kitchen.

• The garage. As with the kitchen, the garage also has a secondary entryway into the house, making it a convenient location for a mudroom. Choose the area just before the connecting entry door into the house. One advantage with a garage is that you don’t have to partition the mudroom. Just have enough mudroom cabinets and shelves to ensure organization.

• An unused utility or storage room. If the room has an outside entrance and a door connecting it to the house, it can also be converted into a mudroom.

• An addition. Another, significantly more expensive, option is to have an addition constructed adjoining your home. Talk with a contractor about the design and code requirements of a mudroom addition.

The ideal location for a mudroom is one that works best for you. Look at the options above and compare them to the situation in your home. Is the garage big enough? Can you use the kitchen? Is an addition the best option?

Storage Options

A mudroom is essentially one big storage area. But for it to work as intended, it needs its own mini-storages inside. When it comes to mudroom storage, the options are many and varied from simple boxes to hooks and many more.

It is a good idea to have a mixture of storage so as to accommodate different items from heavy coats to sports gear. Here are a few mudroom organization ideas to consider.

• Cabinets – cabinets come in handy for things like sports equipment, books and other items that cannot be hanged. If you have enough space, you can assign each person in the family their own cabinet. This improves organization and ensures everyone is responsible for the neatness of their own space. One option is to install wall cabinets, making sure they are low enough for accessibility. Alternatively, get floor cabinets so that you can use the top surface as extra storage. Or you can have a combination of wall and floor cabinets.

• Lockers – mudroom lockers can be used to store items like balls and bags as well as hang coats and hats. Assigned lockers are a good idea for large families.

• Bench – this is something many homeowners overlook but can have a lot of benefits. A built in mudroom bench provides a place for people to sit down as they take of their shoes. You can also place your handbag or backpack on it as you enter the house.

• Shelving – open shelves provide multi-functional storage for items like shoes, smartphones, keys and hats.

• Hooks and pegs – here you can place things like key chains, dog leashes, coats, hats, scarves and anything else that can be hanged. If you have kids, place some hooks low enough for them to easily hang something and take it down on their own.

These ideas are in no way exhaustive. You can have cubbies for mudroom storage, baskets and bins for laundry and even a large table to place things on. The most important thing is to choose storage that works for your needs and your budget.