Make Yourself a Mudroom    

When we renovated our house, we moved the front door to what had been an enclosed sunroom. It was a long and narrow room with a very low ceiling because of the roofline, so we decided to open it and expose the slope so it would feel more airy. I split the room lengthwise into a small formal foyer with a coat closet and a mudroom behind it. The mudroom is hidden from view from the front door, but is right there for the kids to drop their knapsacks. The door to the deck and backyard is along the back wall of the mudroom. There are French doors leading from the mudroom into the kitchen as well, so everyone makes their way there once they’ve hung up their jackets and everything else.

Location, Location, Location

Ideally the mudroom should be situated as close as possible to the door that family members usually use to enter the house. Most often it’s the front door, but sometimes it’s a side door or the door off the garage. If needed, you can also put it near the place your family tends to head to when they get home, be it the kitchen or family room. Old habits die hard, so if the mudroom is too far, or in the opposite direction, your family probably won’t end up using it as much as they ought to.

Scale to Size

Size definitely matters, but it’s not all or nothing. If you’re limited on space, identify and implement the elements that would be most useful for your specific family, such as a scooter charging station, and hooks for schoolbags. Sometimes cubbies take up too much space and strategically placed hooks will stretch the available space and allow you to fit more in.

Bench like a Mensch

Even in a smaller space, creating a bench that extends comfortably past the hanging coats and knapsacks adds a lot of value. In addition to having a spot to sit down to put on and take off things like boots and Rollerblades, it serves as a shelf for heavier bags as well as neatly sectioning the area below it for storage.