Ever since we first demo’d the family room 3 years ago, I have been picturing this mudroom. No one… I mean no one… believed me when I said that we could fit both a laundry room AND a mudroom in the same space. But I eventually convinced my hubby that it would work. He was all in! He even went as far as sketching it out for us to see what it would look like.
So here are some pointers for how you build a small mudroom.
1. Envision what you want out of the space
I’ve seen very elaborate mudrooms with lockers and cubbies and baskets and even dog bathing stations. That’s not what we’re working with here. And even though I knew we wouldn’t have room for a lot of that, I still felt we could create a space dedicated to collecting all the “stuff”; the work bag, back packs, boots, shoes, basketball gear, dog leash, etc. Looking at the sketch of the mudroom in context of the kitchen was very helpful. It gave us a better idea of what it would look like when we finished the project.
I still felt we could create a space dedicated to collecting all the “stuff”
2. Source your materials
We figured out that this wouldn’t be a material-intensive project. Luckily we were able to repurpose material that was already sitting in the garage. We had leftover trim which was used to create the “sections” against the wall, and a few boards to create the picture ledge. We also had a ton of primer and white paint leftover from our kitchen remodel. We were very resourceful!
So basically here’s what we used:
16 feet ½” x 4” primed pine trim
10 feet 1” x 3” pine boards
White Semi-gloss paint + foam roller + paint brush
Nail gun + 2” tack nails
3. Set aside a day (or two or three) to work on the project
We have become pros at using the twins nap time to knock out home DIY projects. We tend to estimate the length of a project based on how many naps it will take us to get it done. The mudroom project took us approximately 6 naps plus a lot of tag-teaming on outdoor play time to keep the boys occupied while one of us worked.
We tend to estimate the length of a project based on how many naps it will take us to get it done.
4. Plan for Organization
The entire purpose of a mudroom is to hold the unsightly coats, hats, shoes, bags and “everything else” you can imagine. But the goal is also to use this space as a hub for functional yet stylish organization. This is when I start to go all cray cray looking at hooks, baskets, shoe trays, wall calendars, mail sorters, key hooks, and chalk boards. How in the world am I going to fit all this into this tiny little mudroom? Is that a challenge I hear? Oh yea… just wait and see what I’m going to do!
5. And don’t forget the best part… Decorate it!
Don’t forget that this is an entryway into your home. I’m planning to place some nice family images and artwork, or perhaps a pretty welcome sign on the picture ledge. I think a small succulent or a hanging planter may also be very welcoming here. I’m going to enjoy decorating this so much!
Do you have a favorite mudroom? Share your ideas for how to make this space functional and pretty in the comments below!