Make the most of the space in your mudroom by installing carefully selected furniture and accessories.
Mudrooms provide a space for wet shoes, muddy boots, winter coats and recreational equipment. Many mudrooms have a floor surface that is easily cleaned, so those messy shoes and boots can be left on the mudroom floor without staining your carpets or hardwood floors. If your mudroom is small, consider purchasing organizational furniture and using the space you have more effectively to make your mudroom as functional as possible. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Place a small bench in your mudroom that has shelves or cubbies underneath the bench for built-in storage space. The bench acts as a sitting area for taking off all of those wet and muddy shoes. By maximizing your storage in areas that would go unused, you are taking advantage of all the possible space in your small mudroom.
2. Install a tall and thin unit of shelves, a bookcase, lockers or cubbies to take advantage of the vertical space in your small mudroom. Place umbrellas, hats, winter scarves, baskets for mittens and gloves, recreational items such as tennis racquets and baseball bats, and any other small items on your shelves. Place the most used items on the middle shelves or cubbies. If you install lockers, consider installing a locker for each family member's belongings.
3. Screw a line of coat hooks by the door so putting away wet or soiled coats is quick and automatic. Install one for each family member so each person has a dedicated hook for his coat. Place shoe racks directly underneath the shoe racks for an easy place to stash outdoor shoes so mud and dirt don't get tracked through the house. The placement of the shoe racks directly below the coat hook minimizes the space needed for these items.
4. Install a catch-all to hold keys, mail, a place for notes and a pen for easy stowing of items you normally put down when you walk into your home. This is a logical place to add a whiteboard or a chalkboard as well for easy communication among family members. Install a ready-made organization system that can be found at many specialty home design shops and big box stores or make your own from vintage window frames lined with chicken wire for an eclectic look. Staple the chicken wire to the frame and clip wooden clothespins to the chicken wire to hold loose papers. Attach s-hooks to hold keys.
Tags: your mudroom, chicken wire, shoe racks, space your, each family, each family member, family member
