The Dirt Stops Here
Ever since we had children, a functional mudroom has been a must in our home. When it came to designing this house, we all put on our thinking caps to create a great space that would work for all of us. With a family of four adults, there are a lot of opinions and requirements, but thankfully, for the most part, we were all on the same page.
We designed it, my husband built it, and I can say after 5 years of living with it, it is functioning extremely well. It is also holding up very well, even though we live in an area with mud in the spring, sand and grit in the summer, and snow in the winter. Our cubbies look like brand new, thanks to the high-quality paint. The hooks have been the perfect size to hold every size of jacket, and the sturdy baskets provided ample space for all the small items.
After 13 home designs, I have my list of mudroom must-haves. Come along while I share all my tips and also share how we built our cubbies.
What is a Mudroom?
A mudroom is a room, entrance area, or basically a designated space where members of the family who live in the home take off and store their outdoor clothing, shoes, sunglasses, gloves, hats, pet accessories such as leashes and harnesses, and possibly sporting or walking gear. It is a “drop zone” for items you will not need once you are inside the house and, therefore, keeps them from being left in various spots in the rest of the home.
A functional space should be outfitted with proper storage to hold things like jackets, shoes, gloves, hats, sunglasses, etc. Each family member should have their own section so that their items can be kept separate from other members. This keeps things from becoming lost. Items that will make organization easier are:
- Coat hooks
- Cubbies or lockers
- Benches with shoe storage
- Baskets or bins for small items
The best spot for a mudroom is adjacent to whichever door your family members usually enter through. Hopefully, your home has a front door for guests and a back door for family members so that you are not cluttering up the main entrance. Another consideration would be placing it near the laundry room so that soiled items could be placed immediately in the laundry room rather than taken up to a room and then brought down again.
If you are in the process of building a home, I would suggest having an entrance for family members to a dedicated space that functions as the mudroom because it is such an important space. The ultimate design feature would be having an entire room where you can close the door off to the rest of the house. Why? Because this area can become messy, so a door to keep it private is nice.
It is very important to consider your family’s lifestyle and the needs of your family for storage in this area. Are there sports enthusiasts who would benefit from extra storage for bike or walking gear? Do you have a pet that needs some storage also? What is your climate like? Do you need storage for bulky winter items?
Designing the Perfect Mudroom
Durable flooring is a must because mud, water, snow, and sand will all be carried in on the shoes. Tile or natural stone are the best choices for flooring. Wall-to-wall carpet would be an absolute no. Hardwood or laminate flooring is also not ideal due to moisture issues and the potential for scratches. We have hardwood flooring with a commercial clear coat, and it has been fine. We also have a thick, absorbent carpet right at the door so that moisture does not penetrate through to the hardwood, which helps with protection.
A non-slip, washable doormat or rug for this high-traffic area is also a necessity. Adequate lighting that brightens the entire room is necessary to be able to see what you are doing. This is not the spot for dim lighting.
Built-in cabinetry is wonderful, and if you have a lot of space, so that things can be stored, closed storage, such as cabinets with doors on them, is wonderful. It is also important that the cabinets are made of durable materials and high-quality paint or stain along with a clear coat for easy clean-up. The cabinetry should also blend in with your home’s overall design aesthetic.
Open shelving is good too and sometimes more practical. Big jackets or boots can prop open the doors on closed storage and just be annoying. If neither of those are available, at least a well-organized closet would be the next option.
Lastly, a coat rack with a bench with baskets underneath for shoe storage would also assist with keeping outdoor items organized and stored away.
Building Our Mudroom
Building a home takes time. Not everything gets done at once. For us, the completion of items depends on the time of year and what is most pressing. We take care of indoor projects during the winter and outdoor projects from spring to fall.
Our mudroom clearly was not attractive, but it worked. Each family member had 2 coat hooks and a small section of bench for our other belongings. It is conveniently located at our back door and right next to the laundry room. A French door and upper windows let in natural light, but in the winter, it was a bit of a darker space.
A must for me when finally getting around to this project was a bright, welcoming color. I wanted something that immediately lifted my spirits when I walked in the back door. We picked a bright, cheery greeny-blue, which you will see in the after photos at the end of this post.
Lesson #1 – Stay away from all-white cubbies.
In our other homes, I had always opted for white, but I quickly learned that white showed up every speck of dirt and wear and tear. So I wasn’t going to do white again. Plus, it is fun to try something new, and the color we chose has made the whole family happy.
Lesson #2 – Unless you have a large space, do not put up divider walls between each cubby.
I knew from previous mudroom designs that those divider walls, even thin ones, took up valuable space and made it uncomfortable to sit at. We also opted for no cabinet doors because we found our large jackets just kept the doors propped open, and that drove me nuts. The only actual divider walls are in the upper shelving area and below the seat to keep everyone’s shoes in their own area.
Lesson #3 – Do not put a white base where the shoes go.
In our previous mudroom, our built-in cubbies had a small cubby (like a box) below the seat that had a white base. I am sure you can guess but it looked terrible all the time. For this new design of cubbies, we designed the hardwood flooring to be the base. It was grey and would hide any dirt. It is also super easy to clean. In the winter, we bring in plastic trays for our wet boots and shoes to go on to catch any moisture.
Building the Mudroom Cubbies
We used a combination of MDF and solid wood to create our custom cubbies. Take your design and break it down into long rectangles and determine those widths and lengths for each section of wood.
For our design, starting at the top and working down, we had one piece of trim attached to the top of the upper cubbie board, which looks like crown molding, but it is a modern version.
The horizontal pieces include:
– The “roof” of the upper cubbies storage area is a top board running horizontally across the top of the cubbies that is 106.75 inches long and 12″ deep.
– There is a second board, which is the exact same size as the “roof,” and it forms the base of the upper cubbies storage area.
– The hook board is 8″ wide and 106.75″ long.
– There is a strip at the back of the seat that is 3.5″ wide and 106.75 inches long, which I have labeled “Lower seat back board.”
– The seat is made up of two pieces that are 20″ wide and 106.75 inches long with spacers and a front trim.
The vertical pieces starting at the top are:
– 5 pieces that are 12″ x 12″ that divide the upper cubbies.
– Running from under the upper cubbies to the seat are two side pieces that are 12″ x 53″.
– There are 5 pieces that are 16″ x 19″ that go under the seat and divide up the shoe storage areas.
We used a biscuit jointer to connect the two pieces of wood together to create the longer boards. This involved spacing out four center lines equally across the board, placing marks on both boards in the same spot so that they matched up, and then using the biscuit jointer to remove a half-oval slot for the biscuit to be inserted.
This process is described in more detail on the Sweet Valley Acres website.
Building the Bench Seat
To create the bench seat, we used a 45-degree cut along the front of the seat boards that we just joined together (the pieces that are 106.75″ long by 20″ deep). We cut a 2″ wide piece that is 106.75″ long to form the bull nose of the seat.
We then laid the bottom portion of the seat down on our workbench with the 45-degree angle facing to the left. We ran a long piece of tape along the edge of the board that had a 45-degree angle, leaving half of the tape exposed and facing up. We placed the small (2″) piece of wood on the remaining half of the tape and made sure it was pressed down well.
We ran another long piece of tape along the other side of the small piece of wood, leaving half of the width of the tape exposed. We then laid the other side of the seat with the 45-degree angle facing right to the small piece of wood on the tape, making sure it was adhered well. This is like making the spine for a cover of a book.
Next, we placed 1-inch thick spacer boards along the bottom portion of the seat, spacing them about a foot apart. We ran glue along the two folds of the 45-degree wood pieces and along the spacer boards, then folded the board over on top of the board below.
Finishing Touches
We used the 16″ x 19″ pieces of wood to create the side frames. We glued thin strips of wood as spacers to go between the wall and the wood, creating a wider side frame when trimming out the cubbies.
For the three inner divider pieces, we placed glue along the edge that would rest on the floor and the edge that would be against the back wall, then finished with a screws between the wood and the wall.
Once the seat was thoroughly dried, we removed the tape, placed glue along the top of the divider boards, and then placed the seat on top of them. We added the 3.5″ wide board along the back of the seat, adhering it with glue and then nailing it in place.
We added trim boards evenly spaced along the back of the cubby for added detail and interest. Then we built the upper cubbies by placing two boards that would span the entire cubby space, gluing them together, and then gluing and nailing the five upright boards into place.
After painting the cubbies a beautiful greeny-blue color, we installed the hooks and accessorized with baskets, plants, and pillows to create a warm, welcoming, and highly functional mudroom space for our family.
I hope this has given you some inspiration and practical tips for designing and building your own customized mudroom! If you’re interested in learning more about our home and design process, be sure to check out our website.
