The Dirt Stops Here
Ever since we had children, a functional mudroom has been a must in our home. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you – 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’s also holding up remarkably 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’ve got my list of mudroom must-haves. So, come along as I share all my tips and also how we built our cubbies.
What is a Mudroom?
Before we dive in, let me describe the basics of a mudroom for those who are new to this concept. 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’s 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.
Choosing the Perfect Spot
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.
Considering Your Family’s Needs
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?
As The Little Design Corner blog mentions, “If you are lucky enough to be designing a home from scratch, then when you are space planning, try and keep the mudroom area as close to the laundry as you can. A great place for it is by the back door or straight off the garage, if you have an internal entry from your garage. That way, dirty sports clothes can be put straight in the wash as people arrive home, which saves time and mess going all the way in to the house (great if you have rugby playing boys like I do!).”
Durable Materials are a Must
Durable flooring is a must because mud, water, snow, and sand will all be carried in on the shoes. Architectural Digest suggests tile or natural stone as 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, helping with protection.
A non-slip, washable doormat or rug for this high-traffic area is also a necessity. And 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.
Storage Solutions Galore
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.
Acampora Interiors notes, “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.
Our Mudroom Evolution
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.
Lessons Learned
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’s 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’m 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 Cubbies
To build our cubbies, we used:
– MDF (medium-density fiberboard)
– Wood glue
– Biscuits
– Wood screws
– Trim boards
– Paint
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 a top board running horizontally across the top of the cubbies that is 106.75 inches long and 12″ deep, and a second board, the exact same size, that forms the base of the upper cubbies storage area. The hook board is 8″ wide and 106.75″ long, and there is a strip at the back of the seat that is 3.5″ wide and 106.75 inches long.
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 span the length of our room, which was 106.75″. The Sweet Valley Acres blog has a great step-by-step guide on how we built the cubbies.
Painting and Accessorizing
This is the part of every project that I find the hardest: picking a paint color! One of the best things you can do to assist with picking a color is to find a pillow, piece of wallpaper, or art that you love and will use in this area and then choose a color from it.
As discussed previously, it was necessary to pick a cheery color for this area because it can be a bit dark, especially in the winter. I wanted something that cheered us up as soon as we came home. We ended up going with Benjamin Moore CC-650 Grenadier Pond, and we could not be happier.
We used a professional paint sprayer to get a smooth, even finish, applying two coats. For the hardware, we installed two large hooks for each person, evenly spaced. We also added wire baskets with white cotton inserts for the upper cubbies to provide storage for small items.
To finish it off, we accessorized with plants, pillows, and a washable rug. We even have a cute hook to hang our dog Mia’s little jacket from. And of course, we change things up with each season, adding twinkle lights, seasonal pillows, and swapping out the rug.
Creating a Functional and Stylish Mudroom
A functional mudroom provides a place for family members to store their shoes, jackets, hats, keys, and thus keep themselves organized. I hope you’ve enjoyed this project and found it helpful in planning a functional mudroom for yourself and your family.
If you’d like to learn more about the rest of our home, be sure to check out the ABC Home website. We’ve also experimented with a wall mural in our powder room, and it turned out great – you can read about that journey as well.
Happy designing!
