Creating a Mudroom

Mudrooms serve an important function in any house – they welcome you home, collect your dirt, and give you a place to hang coats and leave your keys. Learn how to create a mudroom that will function for your family but that’s also durable and beautiful.

What Is The Purpose Of A Mudroom?

As the name suggests, a mudroom is a room that transitions between the exterior and interior, where you can drop your shoes and not track mud into the house.

Having a mudroom to transition between the outdoors and indoors can help keep your home clean and free of clutter.

When everything has a place and a purpose, with defined systems for organization, you’ll be amazed at the difference in your home!

Does a Mudroom Add Value to a Home?

Yes! When it comes time to sell your home, mudrooms help increase the resale value. Buyers love additional storage as well and features that help them stay organized. Since a mudroom offers both of these, it can be considered a desirable selling feature.

How to Create a Mudroom Space

Think you have no space for a mudroom? Think again! A mudroom can be created in an entryway, in an un-used closet, a laundry room or even in the garage. By adding a few essential components, you’ll have the perfect drop zone for coats, shoes, backpacks and more. Simply:

• Add a bench;
• Use baskets or totes for shoe storage;
• Add hooks to the wall for coats and backpacks;
• and if budget allows, lockers or cabinets are a great way to hide everything behind doors.

DIY Mudroom Ideas

For many purchasing a new home, a major criteria is to have a designated mudroom. Our last home didn’t have much of one when we purchased it, but with a little tweaking, we did manage to DIY a  mudroom out of a closet.

Our current home had somewhat of a mud room, but it was a really awkward space that lacked function. 

The mudroom is now my favorite room in our home. Have you seen our home’s full before and after? Don’t skip it!

Even if you don’t have a designated mudroom, you can easily DIY one. By defining a space in your entryway, making it easy to clean and full of storage, you’ll have a space that will functional well for you family.

Here’s some ideas to help you create a mudroom in your home:

Use an Empty Wall

Create a mudroom on an empty wall in the entryway. By adding a few hooks, a bench and some baskets, you have a simple mudroom setup.

Transform a Coat Closet

Take the doors off a closet and you’ve got a nook that’s instantly conducive to a mudroom. Build a simple bench, add some hooks to the wall and baskets for storage, and voila – the cutest little mudroom is now yours.

Learn more about how to turn an unused closet into a practical functional space here.

Mudroom in the Garage

If space in your entryway is a problem, consider creating a mudroom in the garage.

While I use our garage to store and organizing household cleaning essentials, it would function equally well to hold coats.

Installing a track system is a great way to utilize the empty walls many of us have in your garages, too. Not only can you add baskets and racks for your usually mudroom items, but it can also serve double duty by creating a space for workout gear and sports equipment that you may not want to bring into the house.

What Is The Best Flooring For a Mudroom?

Choosing the correct floors for a mudroom is important. A mudroom needs to be safe and easy to clean. Wet shoes and boots will be tracked in during the winter months, and barefoot children may run through here during summer months.

Brick floors may seem like a surprising choice to some, but they are one of the best flooring choices for a mudroom for several reasons.

Brick floors are inherently non-slippery. They are also incredibly durable. Mudroom floors see a lot of wear and tear – think of how many times a day you enter and leave your house. Many of us feed our pets in mudrooms, too, so the floor needs to be able to withstand spilt water and food as well as sharp claws.

Brick floors are amazing dirt catchers. The dirt from sneakers and boots falls right into the crevices and dries up, making it easy to vacuum.

Finally, brick looks beautiful and it’s low maintenance. It’s classic, timeless and adds character to a home. Just because a mudroom needs to be a highly functional space, doesn’t mean it can’t also be a pretty one!

You can read all the details about our brick flooring here. It’s one of my favorite decisions I’ve ever made during a remodel- I’ve never regretted this choice!

Regardless of the floor you choose, make sure that it is low maintenance and easy to keep clean!

Low Maintenance

If you are starting from scratch creating your mudroom, you may be wondering whether to install traditional drywall or if there’s another more low maintenance option.

While drywall, properly sealed and painted, is perfectly acceptable, tongue and groove cedar walls are another option that’s both durable and low maintenance.

Cedar planked walls easily wipe clean and add a sense of warmth and character to an otherwise utilitarian space in the home.

Mudroom Bench Ideas

Having a seating area in the mudroom is essential to be able to sit down and take shoes off or put them on.

An entire mudroom can be custom built from scratch to include built in benches and all sorts of fancy organization systems. But sometimes simple is better.

By using furniture rather than built-in storage, so a mudroom can transition with a family’s needs as children get older. Simply switch out the bench for a larger one as needed.

The mudroom bench that we own, adds flexible seating for our girls to put their shoes on, which are stored in the baskets below.

Additionally, a three drawer chest that I found at an estate sale acts as a storage spot for spare keys, sunscreen, hats and accessories, so that we can grab them quickly when we’re on the go.

Read all about our mudroom storage ideas if you’re looking for more mudroom organization and functionality in this room of your home!

Coat Hooks

The second most important part of a mudroom, besides shoe storage, has to be having a spot for coats and backpacks (and leashes!).

Even a small space can accommodate several hooks if they are staggered. Kids’ hooks can be placed lower so that it’s easy for them to hang up their belongings. A designated hook for each family member also helps everyone put their jackets and bags in the right spot every single time.

Hooks are another item where you can bring in your design style. Hooks come in a variety of styles and finishes, from antique brass to matte black and chrome.

No matter where you end up creating your mudroom, putting effort into the right organizational systems is what will help you and your family stay organized, and help keep the dirt and clutter out of the rest of your house!

Shop This Room

Brick Floors | Bench | Baskets | Crystal Door Knobs | Light Fixture| Light Switch Plates  | (hooks are no longer available, but you can find some a similar style here)

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