How to Organize a Mudroom

You may take it for granted, but much like your foyer, your mudroom sets the tone and feeling your guests feel when they arrive at your home. Much like a perfectly customized mudroom area, muddy boots, dirty shoes, and carelessly dumped coats can make quite a statement about your space. 

While any organizational task can seem daunting at first, you can organize a mudroom in three clear phases: 

• Determining a plan for your mudroom by taking measurements, assessing needs, and choosing the best system for your home.
• Building and installing the main pieces of your mudroom like cabinets, benches, consoles, and hooks.
• Styling your mudroom with your belongings and additional accessories to enhance the design.

In this article, you’ll learn more in-depth about each stage and a few quick tips to adapt each one to your mudroom.

Before you piece together those wall-mounted pieces you’ve been eyeing with a bulky bench, it’s important to plan out your mudroom so it’s easy to use and more effective for your family. Here are five quick ways to plan a mudroom that fits perfectly with your family’s lifestyle.

Simple Layouts

Don’t get complicated with your mudroom’s layout, especially if you don’t have a ton of space to dedicate to your entryway. After you take specific measurements, keep these essentials in mind: floor-level shoe storage, durable wall hooks, and overhead storage for seasonal items.

Start From an Inventory

Once you know your space limitations, Martha Stewart recommends taking inventory of your family’s organizational needs, then matching those up with your potential mudroom’s existing features. For example, make a mental note of items you keep close like coats, bags, keys, mail, and umbrellas.

Maximize Space With Different Pieces & Accessories

With the right combination of furniture pieces, organizers, and accessories, you can create a mudroom that feels just right for your home.

Create Designated Storage for Each Family Member

Got more than a couple of people in your household? Then you know quite well about how quickly a drop zone can turn into a messy, cluttered area. If you have room, plan dedicated storage space for each family member to create a better system for organizing essentials.

Turn an Existing Closet Into an Improvised Mudroom

On the contrary, if your smaller space can’t handle an entire mudroom, turn the coat closet into one! According to Good Housekeeping, you can measure your closet and find benches, wall-mounted storage, and hooks that fit. Hide your new mudroom behind a closed door as needed.

Now that you’ve planned your layout, it’s time to pick the right pieces to bring that newly refreshed mudroom to life.

Add a Mudroom to Your Laundry Room

Do you have a laundry room near a point of entry to your home? Transform laundry room space into a makeshift mudroom area. Good Housekeeping shows how anyone can utilize part of the laundry room by installing a comfortable bench and adding a rack of hooks overhead.

Add DIY Hooks Inside Your Cabinets & Consoles

In a spacious wall-mounted cabinet system, it’s easy to optimize your entryway with additional storage. On the inside of the cabinet doors, Martha Stewart recommends using self-adhesive hooks. Quickly access smaller accessories like retractable umbrellas and keys with this hack.

Create a Recycling System

Make collection day easier with this DIY recycling idea. Build your sorting station with wall-mounted bins labeled for aluminum, plastic, and glass. You can even add wire baskets underneath to hold recycled paper.

Your mudroom has a structure! With your custom layout and structure in place, the organization can begin.

Use Colorful & Long-Lasting Runners

A multicolored, bold, or patterned rug runner is a simple way to add lively decor. A pop of color or an intricate pattern instantly brightens the room. Just make sure to choose one that can handle the foot traffic.

Display Greenery & Showcase Art Pieces

When you style your mudroom with a plant or floral centerpiece, you immediately bring in a light and airy feeling to the environment. Strategically cover empty wall space by framing art pieces your kids created and proudly display your favorite little artists’ hard work.

Install an Easy Access Pin Board

View activities and grocery lists at a glance with this family-oriented decoration. You can attach an oversized pinboard to an empty mudroom wall to create a spot for sticking schedules, notes, and important to-do's in a high-traffic area.

Organizing any part of your home can feel like more effort than it’s worth, especially if you think it won’t last. Separate mudroom organization into three clear phases: planning, building, and styling, to make this task more manageable. A useful and functional mudroom will be a hit with your family, and your design will be the envy of your neighbors.

• https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/g25575495/mudroom-ideas/
• https://www.marthastewart.com/275543/entryway-organizing-idea