Creating a Mudroom

Mud room or mudroom, whatever you call it, I just love them. They welcome you home, collect your dirt, give you a place to hang your coats and leave your keys {so you’re not endlessly searching the next time you leave.

One of my biggest criteria when purchasing our last two homes has been to have a mudroom. Our last home didn’t have much of one, but we created a mudroom out of a closet and with a little tweaking. Our current home had somewhat of a mudroom, but it was a really awkward space that lacked function. You can create a mudroom by defining a space in your entryway, making it easy to clean and full of storage. Having a mudroom to transition between indoor and outdoor space can help keep your home clean and free of clutter. We recently completed our mudroom and I’m beyond excited to finally share it with you!

Not long after we moved in, Chris took a sledge hammer to the tiny coat closet. The doors kept falling off, it was far too small to accommodate coats and jackets for our family of five and it blocked both the walking path and light from entering the room. Needless to say, I wasn’t sad to see it go, though at the time we didn’t have any plans for how we would remodel the mudroom. After living in the space for a while, we recognized our needs and I anxiously began planning! You can see how we altered the floor plan here, if you don’t judge my drafting skills…

updated layout…

This photo was taken with a REALLY wide angle lens when the house was listed. The book bag is hung on
the closet that we removed. 

First and foremost, I wanted the mudroom to be safe and easy to maintain. We had brick floors installed to catch dirt, keeping it from the rest of our home. Our mudroom is a transition from the garage, so we often come in with wet shoes. The brick keeps the girls from slipping and adds a lot of much needed character to our home. It’s timeless, durable and easily vacuums clean.

Another way we made the mudroom durable is that we had tongue and groove cedar walls installed in lieu of traditional drywall. They wipe clean and make our home feel warm from the moment you enter it.

I used pieces of furniture rather than built-in storage so that our mudroom can transition with our family’s needs as the girls get older. The bench adds flexible seating for the girls to put their shoes on, which are stored in the basket below. I found the 3 drawer chest at an estate sale just around the corner and store spare keys, sunscreen, hats and accessories in it so that we can grab them quickly when we’re on the go.

Originally, we kept Dusty’s food and water bowls in our breakfast room. We had to go out to the garage to get his food, and into the kitchen to get his water. In addition, we would frequently kick them, spilling water on the wood floors. It just.wasn’t.working. Now Dusty’s food and water bowls are just outside of the powder room and his food is just across from them, making it far more convenient for the girls to lend a helping hand. It feels a lot less chaotic and if we do spill every now and then, I don’t have to worry about damage.

Finally, we added hooks to hang coats, jackets, bags and Dusty’s leash. Since the wall is small, we staggered them so we can accommodate more during the cold, winter season. The mudroom is now my favorite room of our home.

A few more details…

Shop this room:

Brick Floors | Bench | Baskets | Crystal Door Knobs | Light Fixture | Cedar Walls | Picture | Light Switch Plates | {hooks are no longer available}

You can see our home {in progress} here. Thanks to Lowe’s for partnering with me on this project. As always, all ideas and opinions are my own.

I’d love to know, what’s your favorite room in your home? What do you love about it?