Our current mudroom is a total mess. My son and husband and I each have a bunch of shoes under the bench, a bunch of jackets on pegs and a bunch of hats and mitts shoved into our cubbies. Then there is the dog's cubbie, the sports equipment that gets shoved there etc etc. Even when it's all neatly placed, it looks crowded. In the new house we decided to go with a closed in closet beside the bench and cubbies. The idea is to have just the stuff that is currently being used out in the open and tuck the rest away. We're an active family and I don't think it's necessary to hide that but if we can work at making it look a bit better I'm all for it. Another thing we did is sheild the entry from the rest of the house this time. In our current open house I can see that mess all the time. I think just having it as neat as possible and then having it out of sight will be much better.

Hmmm. Well, I will start with your cubbie design. I am concerned with your under-bench area. Are those meant to be shelves? And, what will their purpose be? I'd probably instead opt for just open floor there--easier sweeping and easier retrieving of "lost" shoes (think about a 3 yr olds shoe getting pushed all the way back in one of those narrow shelves. You'll never find it and/or have to bend all the way over to see it and to reach it...) (I'm tall, so generally don't like deep narrow places where things get lost--think deep kitchen pantry cabinets without rollouts...) Is your broom closet accessible from within the mudroom area, or on the other side? I am not clear on that. I would use your "opposite" side for hooks for guests. And, I'd put beadboard in that area as well. I'd line the beadboard all along the wall of the entire cubby (up into the upper shelving area at the back, too). I think I'd wrap the bench around the far end (where it is only 37" wide), but maybe not wrap the cubbie portion. Hmm... hope that makes sense! And, that is just what I'd probably do.

We had a house with open cubbies near the garage, away from public view and the kids always shoved their coats and backpacks in the cubbies. They looked messy but at least were off the floor. We recently moved to a new house which has gorgeous built in closed door cubbies and I’m contemplating remodeling them for these reasons: 1. When you open these beautiful doors, you get hit by a nasty strong odor from their belongings which hasn’t dried properly. (am trying to figure out how to vent these) 2. It takes too much effort for these elementary kids to open The beautiful drawers below to put their shoes in, and even if they did manage to do that, they wouldn’t dry properly - again. Need venting. 3. These kids can’t seem to find their belongings when they are not openly visible to them, causing a lot of stress during those late mornings. 4. You can fit a lot more things in open cubbies versus having to account for door and drawer fronts. If anyone has advice on how to make closed door systems more real-life friendly, I’m all ears. But for now, I’m investigating my options on how to convert the cubbies to be more open without ripping the whole thing out.

My apologies for the delay in replying; I had typed up a reply but never submitted it somehow. The Cook's Kitchen - you got a lot into that space! Too bad about the legs - but I do like inset as well so can understand. Thank you for posting a picture. I can't tell where the face frames start and end. Christine - I received notifications about 2 posts you made but only found this one, not sure what may have happened. Yes, DH tends to use one hook (in fact, he claims I told him he could only use one and took umbrage at me saying he hogs the hooks). Regarding file cabinets, most things I've filed, I've never gone back to! herbflavor - We're in a four seasons climate as well. I'm not sure I understand the difference between a hook and a peg. Does the peg length allow things to be hung over the peg as well as the end? cluelessincolorado - You make an excellent point. To be honest, far fewer coats, shoes, sneakers, etc. need to live in here than we have currently. We keep most shoes in our closets and do have a front hall closet. Maybe I need a Salvation Army peg and shoe rack :) Well, I went off and brooded for a bit, and then started again. I'm trying to mimic the upper cabinets in this picture. Regarding the cubbies, I'd like somewhere to put my gloves and wool hat when I come in. I'd rather set them down than open a drawer and put them away. Broom, and long coat/s on left. Plenty of cabinet storage up top. Drawer storage. Bench Good deal of real estate for hook/peg and shoe storage. Dog biscuits probably on countertop; leash on side of cabinet. Does this look clean and does anyone have any thoughts on improvements to the lines? I'm showing 1.5" rails. The cabinet is 20" deep and the bench is recessed 5". It probably makes more sense to not do individual cabinets up top; just buy the face frame and doors; then DH can mount the inset doors. More space but then more opportunity for everything to move around. Again, your input appreciated!