Decorating & Design
March 14, 2016
Top 5 Tips For An Organized Mudroom
Design editor Kai Ethier shares ideas to keep your mudroom looking fresh for spring.
Mudrooms and entryways are the workhorses of our homes. They let us strip off wet boots, hang shopping bags and prop up umbrellas away from our living spaces, which makes keeping our homes clean that much easier. With spring around the corner – in other words, the mudroom’s messiest season – I’m sharing a few tips to get your space ready for the rainy weather to come.
An essential component in any mudroom or entryway is having plenty of space hang things; if you don’t have enough, things can get cluttered fast. I like how Calgary designer Nam Dang-Mitchell mounted pairs of metal hooks between the brackets on this wooden built-in, creating designated spots for each member of the family.
If you’re lacking hanging storage space, consider installing a hardy coat rack like this acacia piece from CB2. It features a cool hidden channel on the back that’s a great place to stash letters, lists and school books, or anything else that needs to grab your attention on your way out the door.
If you’d like a more whimsical look, take your inspiration from my colleague Sally Armstrong’s contemporary mudroom. She mounted a series of round wooden pegs at different heights — a fresh spin on typical coat hooks.
Keep things even more organized with this wall organizer DIY.
These wooden Dot wall hooks from Muuto are the same ones Sally used in her home. They come in tons of different colors and finishes — try mixing and matching for a lighthearted effect.
Incorporating a bench is a classic design move in entries and mudrooms, offering a practical spot to tie up your shoes — but don’t forget about the space underneath it! Pop a few baskets or boxes down there, or go for a bench with built-in storage. In this handsome space, the designer installed a pair of drawers to keep odds and ends neatly out of sight.
This freestanding bench from Lowes features a soft cushion and three square cubbies, perfect for wrangling kids’ shoes. With the money you save on this affordable piece, you could even buy some statement fabric to recover the cushion.
Rattan and wicker baskets pop up in a lot of the laundry rooms and mudrooms we feature in H&H for good reason: they’re handy for organizing accessories and add natural texture.
You’ve probably seen the Branas basket from Ikea before; it’s such a functional shape, and the price point can’t be beat. And while it comes in colors like white and black, I like the classic rattan myself.
No doubt about it, entryways and mudrooms can get, well, muddy. So my final tip for keeping these areas neat is to pick up some boot trays. While this particular space has been beautifully styled without one, I imagine the homeowners bring out their plastic or rubber mat on rainy days to keep their wellies from soaking the floor.
Though there are lots of inexpensive plastic trays out there, I prefer this patterned rubber one. It’s easy to rinse snow, dirt and grass off of it — just like plastic — but it’s nice and heavy, so it won’t skid across your tiles.