When we built our house over a decade ago, we created a small mudroom space off the pass-through entrance to the garage. There are benches, open shelves, and cubicles underneath. Sounds perfect, right? Well, for some mysterious reason, over the years, it became a place in the house always It feels disorganized. I’ve tried numerous times to organize it with baskets and bins, but it never seems to stick. I need some major mudroom ideas, stat.
Every time my family walks in the door they throw something everything Bottom: Backpacks, lunchboxes, coats, hats, sunglasses, shopping bags…you name it, it’s been thrown here. The overhead shelves we installed were too high for the kids to reach, and the six hooks I hung above the bench could only hold six items. That doesn’t really cut it. So when we were prioritizing areas of the house for our mini-remodel last year, I knew the mudroom was an area I wanted to shape up.
8 Mudroom Organizing Ideas You’ll Love Coming Home to
Considering it’s the first thing many people see when entering our homes, it’s interesting that many of us put entryways last on our priority list. It wasn’t until packages were piling up, shoes scattered everywhere, and keys missing that we finally realized this area of the house could make our lives better. With the right organization system, it can look beautiful too.
Do you think creating this space is as easy as buying a console table or hanging a few hooks? Think again. The ideal mudroom fits both the space and your lifestyle. Read on for eight mudroom ideas that will make your mudroom look better than ever and make you happy every time you come home.
1. Determine your entry needs
The first step is just to ask yourself: What do I need? If cubbies, hooks, baskets, and benches sound like just what the doctor ordered, there’s nothing more practical for a busy household than a mudroom. To bring this look into your own home, all you need is a blank wall and enough depth to accommodate some built-in storage.
I wanted a tall cabinet with a door to hide everything from the site. Some families have only Chic scarves, jackets and straw sunsets look beautiful hanging on visible wall hooks. we are no One of the families. I knew we needed some storage room ideas to hide all our stuff.
My California closet designer took our cabinets from floor to ceiling so there would be plenty of room for overhead storage and cubbies under the hanging space. It’s very efficient – the shelves below hold sunglasses, sports equipment and other items we often need to grab when we go out.
2. Create zones for everyone
This is a game changer for our entrance. Each family member has their own designated coat and backpack hooks, as well as a shoe drawer. Designating a specific place for each person’s belongings keeps things organized.
This is a great place to showcase in-cabinet lighting. To be honest, I didn’t expect interior cabinet lighting to be needed here. Then I saw it in action! It was included in my California Closet Design and the difference is day and night. When we pick up our iPads and winter gear early in preschool, keeping everything shiny is key.
3. Make room for a bench
You can rest on it while wearing shoes or place your handbag on it. Either way, a narrow, low-profile bench will always come in handy next to a high-traffic home entrance. If you don’t have a full organizational system like this, a cool wooden bench is the perfect decorative (and affordable) piece of furniture to grace your entryway.
4. Hide shoes in lower storage
If your family is anything like mine, this is inevitable: Shoes will My kids were kicked out as soon as they walked in the door. One key to keeping this pathway clear is to have an easy place to store your shoes. Simple is the keyword here, since that’s the only way it’s actually used. Our answer? Provide deep, roomy drawers for every member of the family (except me – I keep my shoes in my own closet, thank you very much). Not only is this an easy way to store shoes, but it also ensures everyone’s shoes are ready and waiting during the mad dash to school.
5. Personalization
In such a functional space, a thoughtful, beautiful touch or two can go a long way. This is a great place for a bulletin board, large plant, or vintage treadmill. Each adds character to a space without sacrificing a clean, organized feel.
6. Hook or rod?
For us, the answer is both! Since we have a sizable workspace, my ideal setup would allow Adam and I to hang our heavier coats on a hanging rod so they’re easy to grab in the winter but don’t take up valuable closet space in the summer. Because I know it’s unrealistic to expect my kids to hang their jackets on actual clothes Coat hanger(Let’s be honest), I know hooks are a better system for them.
California Closets designed a system with a tall cabinet on the right side that is deep enough to accommodate a full-size hanging rod for an adult. There are plenty of hooks on the left side for kids to hang coats, backpacks, lunch boxes and handbags. Which is equal to zero Any excuse for not hanging something!
7. Use headspace wisely
If you want to maximize space efficiency, your mudroom organization ideas should consider both high and low storage spaces. Our tall overhead racks are too high to reach without a step stool, so they’re the perfect place to store things we want to keep close at hand but out of sight. We had a big basket of pool towels, sunscreen, and other backyard items. Another basket contains out-of-season outdoor gear such as gloves, hats and scarves.
8. All-encompassing
Even though I have all the storage space I need here, there is still inevitably some clutter that ends up on the bench when my family walks in the door. I want something out of sight, but I may not have time to organize or put away right now. Think: library books, random toys, lip balm. You get the gist. Enter, the giant structured woven bag I’ve been sitting on the bench. It added a nice decorative element and was the perfect place to throw random things, and then I covered it all in faux sheepskin. I carry my bag everywhere on weekends to let everyone put away their spontaneity.
