When we built our house ten years ago, we built a small mud room in the entryway to the garage. It had a long bench, an open shelf, and tubs underneath. Sounds perfect, right? However, for some mysterious reason, over the years there was a place in the house that always he felt disorganized. My many attempts to fix it with baskets and bins did not seem to stick. I needed big mud room ideas, figures.
Every time a member of my family walks in the door, they throw it up everything down: backpacks, lunch boxes, coats, hats, sunglasses, shopping bags… Saying that, it’s thrown into this place. The top shelves we installed were too high for the kids to reach, and the six hooks I hung above the bench only held six items. Which didn’t really make the cut. So when it came time to prioritize areas of the house for our mini-remodel last year, I knew the mudroom was another area I wanted to fix up.
8 Mud Room Organization Ideas That Will Make You Love Coming Home
Considering it’s the first thing most people see when they enter our homes, it’s funny how many of us put our entryways last on the list of priorities. It’s not until the packages are piled up, the shoes are scattered, and the keys are missing that we finally realize that this one area of ​​our house can make our lives so much better. And with the right organizational system, it can look good, too.
Think fixing up this space is as easy as buying a console table or hanging a few hooks? Think again. The right mudroom fits the space and your lifestyle. Read on for eight mudroom ideas that will make yours look better than ever—and make you feel better every time you come home.
1. Determine Your Entry Requirements
The first step is simply asking yourself: what do I need? If cubbies, hooks, baskets and benches sound like what the doctor ordered, nothing works better than a mud house for the family on the go. All it takes to bring this look to your home is a blank wall and enough depth to allow for built-in storage.
I wanted tall cabinets with doors that would hide everything that wasn’t there. Some families have it only chic scarves, jackets, and beautiful grass sunsets are displayed on visible hooks on the wall. We can not one of those families. I knew we needed mudroom ideas to hide all our stuff.
My California Closets designer went floor to ceiling with our closets so there is plenty of room for both overhead storage and cubbies under the hanging area. It works great—those lower shelves hold sunglasses, sports gear, and other things we often need to grab on the way out the door.
2. Create Personal Areas
This has been a game changer for our entryway. Each member of the family has its own special hooks for outerwear and backpacks, as well as a shoe drawer. There’s something about having a specific place for each item that keeps things tied up.
This is a great place to point the light inside our cabinets. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think interior cabinet lighting was necessary here. Then I saw it happen! It was featured in my California Closets design, and the difference is night and day. When we’re all grabbing iPads and winter gear for the preschool season, lighting up everything is essential.
3. Make room for the bench
Sit on it while you put on your shoes, or put your bag on it. In any case, a small, low bench will always be useful near the entrance of a house with a lot of people. If you don’t have a complete organizational plan like this, a cool wood bench is a great (and affordable) piece of furniture to decorate the entryway.
4. Stash Shoes in Low Storage
If your family is like mine, it’s inevitable: shoes the will I was kicked out when my children walked in the door. The main key to keeping this walkway clear is to have an easy place to hide your shoes. Simple is the key word here, because that is the only way it will be used. Our answer? Deep, spacious drawers for every member of the family (except me—I keep my shoes in my closet, thank you very much). Not only is it an easy way to corral shoes, but it also ensures that everyone’s shoes are ready and waiting in the maddening time to get to school.
5. Personalize it
In such a work space, one or two thoughtful, nice touches go a long way. This is a great place for a bulletin board, a large plant, or a vintage runner. Each one adds character to the space without sacrificing clean, organized vibes.
6. Hooks or Hanging Rods?
For us, the answer was both! Since we had a small workspace, my ideal setup allowed Adam and I to hang our heavy coats on a hanger so they would be easy to grab in the winter and not take up precious closet space in the summer. . And since I knew it wasn’t realistic to expect my kids to hang up their jackets hangers (let’s be real), I knew hooks would be a better plan for them.
California Closets designed a system with one long right-hand cabinet that is deep enough to hold a full-size adult hanging rod. The left side has multiple hooks for kids to hang outerwear, backpacks, lunch boxes, and tote bags. Equivalent zero an excuse for anyone not to put their things down!
7. Use Top Space Wisely
If you want to maximize efficiency in your space, your mudroom organization ideas should consider both upper and lower storage. Our long lofts are too tall to be reached without a ladder, so they’re the perfect place for things we want to keep close at hand but out of sight. We have a large basket of swim towels, sunscreen, and other back items. Another basket holds off-season outdoor gear such as mittens, hats, and scarves.
8. Catch Everything
Even though I have all the storage here that I need, there are still the inevitable issues that get knocked off the bench when my family walks in the door. Things I want out of sight, but may not have time to edit or delete at the time. Think: library books, random toys, lip balm. You get the idea. Enter, the large, structured woven bag I sit on the bench with. It adds a nice decorative element and is the perfect place to throw random things, and I cover it all with faux sheepskin. On the weekend, I go with a bag and have everyone put in their randoms.