Makeshift Mudroom
What is a mudroom? It’s the entry way into your home transitioning the outside to the inside. Some would argue that it is the gateway to keeping your home decluttered. It’s also the area of your home that can decide how quickly and efficiently you can get out of the door in the morning. The mudroom comes in many forms; a full ornate room full of lockers, hooks, and even a washer/dryer, or it can simply be a table. In a downsized life, and as an empty nester, this makeshift mudroom is all we needed.
What if your house doesn't have a mudroom?
No such thing. A makeshift mudroom can exist anywhere. The key is that it exists at the entry location into your home. Maybe that’s the front door, maybe it’s a side door, or maybe it’s at the door that leads to the garage. We created ours on the entry level floor in the hallway between the front door and the garage door. When planning your mudroom, the first step is to take inventory of what needs to have a home there. Then your design will be planned around that.
Our makeshift mudroom exists in a hallway, so we knew it couldn’t be very deep but had the ability to stretch the length of the hallway.
Questions to ask yourself when Creating a makeshift mudroom:
1. How many people are in the family?
Each person needs their own hook and their own “space”. This could be a locker, cubby, or basket.
2. Do you want open or closed storage?
This is a personal preference but what are you ok with seeing out in the open (coats) versus hidden away (shoes)?
3. What will consistently be in this space?
Examples would be a pet leash, keys, bags, shoes, umbrellas, and coats.
4. Is there a place to dump mail?
Incoming mail can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you don’t have time to go through it in a timely manner. Have a basket where it can temporarily live.
5. Is there room for a bench?
If there is room for a bench, even a short one, put one in. It becomes extremely helpful when putting on shoes and lets be honest; it can also be a place to dump a bag.
6. Do you need to have a charging station?
If you are disciplined enough to leave that cellphone at the door when you come home, this might be a great place to have a charging station. If you have kids, this is a great place to park their phones before they go to bed.
What needed a home in our makeshift mudroom?
We always have shoes that need a home by the door. These are not items I really want to see so they go into the closed cabinets under the bench.
My husband has a work bag that comes home everyday, so a locker from our kids’ old playroom was repurposed for that. It’s also just a dumping ground for things we don’t want to look at. Just remember this is one of those places that needs to be cleaned out once a month or it becomes overwhelming.
Hooks are a necessity! These are for coats, rain jackets, umbrellas, hats, and bags. If you have kids, some should be low enough for them to reach and ideally everyone should have their own.
I found a 2nd hand table to put next to the front door to house the catch tray. This is where the little things like coins, sunglasses, headphones, and even face masks can be thrown. If you wanted to have a charging station, I would include it on the table.
Next to the table are more hooks. These are for smaller things like keys or a dog leash. The hanging basket is to dump mail in that I’m not ready to sort through yet.
Underneath the table is another basket with a hinged lid. This is for the overflow of shoes or umbrellas if necessary.
Finally over the table is a decorative mirror. It adds to the décor but who doesn’t want a quick look before you head out the door?
Is a makeshift mudroom only about being functional?
Once you’ve covered the functional side of the makeshift mudroom, it’s time to focus on the aesthetic side. Remember that every part of your house should make you happy. Don’t be afraid to implement some fun colors!
We did that by painting the frame a bright blue shade. I ordered a cushion with vivid colors and a busy pattern to put on the bench. It’s a good idea to get an outdoor cushion for this which makes it easier to clean.
We incorporated industrial accents with the locker doors, locker baskets, and hook holding up the shelf to blend into our overall home’s vibe.
To add an interesting backdrop to the hooks, we added a tongue and groove wall painted white.
once the mudroom is created, the key is to keep it under control.
It can very quickly become a dumping ground for everything! Be consistent about where things should go. For example, a coat goes on a hook instead of being thrown on the bench. The mail needs to be sorted and gone through several times a week instead of being stored in the mail basket for a month. When seasons change, audit the mudroom. Beach bags and flip flops go away to closets while winter coats and knitted hats come out.
Simplify choices. There only need to be a couple of umbrellas and a couple of pairs of shoes. Your entire wardrobe does not get stored in the mudroom.
In the end, a boring hallway became a practical and pretty makeshift mudroom!
sidenote
Instead of buying new wood, etc. we repurposed some lockers from the kids’ old playroom. I’m always amazed at how easy it is to reuse something I thought about getting rid of.
One more sidenote
Before I was an empty nester, I would also suggest a family command center being in this area. That would include a calendar, clips, or baskets where papers can be placed that need to go back to school, and a bulletin board where flyers or sports calendars can be posted.
Click on the button below to see a great blog with command center inspiration!