How to Create the Perfect Mudroom
A mudroom is a terrific room to have in your home especially as the wet winter months approach. This room serves as a barrier between the outside yard and the rest of the home.
This room may be used to:
- Shed wet clothing and shoes so that they don't ruin the rest of the house.
- Store umbrellas and other items that are intended for outdoor use only.
- Maintain organization of items that children need every time they walk out the door (such as backpacks).
- Provide a space for pets that are wet or dirty when they come in from the outside.
- Add additional storage space and even additional living space to your home.
The perfect mudroom is designed to be neat and clean in terms of organization. However, it's intended to get messy so it's set up with durable furniture and easy-to-wipe floors and counters.
This room may be used to:
- Shed wet clothing and shoes so that they don't ruin the rest of the house.
- Store umbrellas and other items that are intended for outdoor use only.
- Maintain organization of items that children need every time they walk out the door (such as backpacks).
- Provide a space for pets that are wet or dirty when they come in from the outside.
- Add additional storage space and even additional living space to your home.
The perfect mudroom is designed to be neat and clean in terms of organization. However, it's intended to get messy so it's set up with durable furniture and easy-to-wipe floors and counters.
Photos & Products
A mudroom needs to have a floor that is simple to clean. Tile, concrete and linoleum are top choices for mudroom floors.
A good mudroom also has a place where you can wipe your feet as you come in. This circular rug here is functional in that way as well as adding a pretty design to the room.
Make sure that you have a specific spot near the door for rain boots and umbrellas. You want to confine the mess of these winter items in this area of the room.
There must be a space in the mudroom to hang up your coats and hats when you enter the room. Ideally this would be above the tile floor or a rug where the water can be absorbed if it drips off of the items. I love the chrome hooks selected here.
Cubby storage is also important in a mudroom. This is a great place to store dirty shoes so they don't track mud through the house. It's also a good place to store toys that are meant to go outdoors.
Your mudroom may have a doggie door to allow your pet free access into the home from outside. Many people then set up a childproof gate between the mudroom and the main part of the house to prevent the pet from entering the home while dirty.
The mudroom may be the main area where you feed your pets also since it is likely to be the easiest to clean area of your home. Although you may allow the pets free reign throughout the house, making the mudroom their primary play space makes a lot of sense.
Some homes combine the mudroom with a laundry space. This is nice because you can shed dirty clothes as soon as you walk in the door and put them directly into a clothes hamper to be washed. It's also nice if there's a sink in the mudroom to allow washing up before entering the rest of the home.
Dress up your mudroom with some indoor plants. This is a great way to bring the outdoors inside and complete a more solid transition in this space.
For an added touch, create a comfortable niche space in your mudroom. This is a great place to cozy up with a book away from the family. You can wait here for kids who are getting in past curfew. Or it can serve as a timeout area throughout the day.
In the following mudroom area, painted white keeps it bright, but we used a dark stain on the bench seat, baseboard, and back wall of the cubbies to better conceal dirt, scuffs and scratches of boots, zippers, buckles, etc.