If you’re looking for small mudroom ideas, this post has some examples and tips from our own mudroom organization.
Our mudroom isn’t tiny, but it isn’t huge either. And for years, we actually had none. Many people use a corner of their living room or entryway to serve as a mumroom. I think we can all agree that walking around a corner full of shoes on the floor is not ideal.
Getting a little creative with storage will help you maximize a small space to make it functional and visually pleasing for your family. Here’s a collection of ideas to inspire you to carve out a dedicated space for a small closet, whether you’re able to do something semi-custom or piece together storage in a corner of your home.
Our Mudroom
When we renovated our house, the mumroom space was a high priority. We had to work with the existing floor plan, so we knew we couldn’t do too much, but we did add a few square feet. (One version of our plans had a laundry room here and we realized it would be too much for the side entry).
Our mudroom priorities:
- 4 cabinets with coat/bag hooks, one for each family member
- Space for shoes for each person
- Locker space for each person
- A utility closet to store the vacuum cleaner, grocery bags and other household items
- Reuse the same entry panel that has served us well for nearly a decade
Mudroom Before:
We had a corner under the clock for bags and a wooden bench for shoes. Extra shoes were stored in the lower baskets of the gray cabinet on the left:
Mudroom After:
We had custom cabinets to match the space (real luxury, I know!) and a closet built into the opposite wall (where the kitchen used to be) for all the common household stuff. All the paint is Benjamin Moore Simply White to match all the paint colors in our house.
To see more before and after photos, check out this post: Home Renovation Before + After.
Read on to see more photos of how we accessorized our mudroom and where everything belongs!
Ideas for Little Mancellos
What is a mudroom?
Hopefully there isn’t too much mud in yours! The name “mudroom” comes from its historical use as a place to remove muddy boots and outerwear before entering the main living areas of a home. They often have an easy-to-clean/waterproof tile floor. A modern mudroom is a transitional space in a home, usually located near the entryway, designed to manage and contain mess that comes with people and pets. You can use storage space for shoes, coats, backpacks, wallets, umbrellas and other outdoor gear that you need to take on your way in or out of the house.
How to Create a Mudroom in a Small Space
Create a standalone Mudroom
Any part of your living room or entryway can become a mud room if you define the space with some furniture and storage that suits the function. A hidden spot for shoes and hooks for coats and purses serve the simplest needs. If you’re lucky enough to have a coat closet, then you can focus on using the mudroom space for all the other stuff that comes along: harnesses, hats, purses, phone/keys, etc.
Maximize vertical storage
Use wall space with hooks, shelves or hanging organizers to keep items off the floor and create more room for movement. Floating shelves are also great for things like keys and hats.
Use multifunctional furniture
Choose furniture such as benches or ottomans with built-in storage to store shoes, umbrellas or pet supplies, doubling as seating when needed. I love furniture with lots of smaller drawers and baskets underneath.
Use tight spaces
Even narrow spaces can be turned into functional mudrooms with subtle storage solutions, such as tall, narrow cabinets or shelves. You probably all know the famous IKEA slim shoe cabinet! I’ve always been a big fan of crochet rows. love we got these hooks from Pottery Barn! Over-the-door pegs and organizers can also be great for using open wall space.
Clean up clutter regularly
Regularly replenish storage space by removing items that are not used often or are not seasonal. You can also trade things in and out of season. In winter I have more coats and in summer more hats!
15 Mudroom Ideas for Small Spaces
1. Open the cabinets
We went back and forth on whether or not to close the shoes AND the coat area. I finally asked them to be open instead of pulling out drawers or cabinets in the cabinets. The biggest decision was that we didn’t have a lot of room to move around and our cabinets were far enough to the side that the view was a bit hidden.
2. Open Shoe Cubbies
Shoe cubbies are also open. Thomas felt strongly that if we had to add a “take out a drawer or basket” step, the shoes would end up all over the floor. He was right because they end up all over the floor, but luckily each person has a little front porch where they can put their shoes. The hidden ‘second level’ shoe rack is a must! And the shelf has notches towards the back so taller shoes can still fit. I’m ultimately happy with our decision to keep the shoe cubbies open because they have maximum function and minimal visual clutter.
3. Use Clear Acrylic Bins to sort items
Obviously, I recommend these bins for all areas of the house! They are great so they can see what’s inside and light enough to easily drop them from a height to get what’s inside. Plus, they’re great for organizing gloves, hats, and other small items you might keep in the mudroom. Each of the little ones in our family has 1-3 of these.
4. Maximize the height
Our knobs have cupboards on top with adjustable shelves to fully maximize the height. While I have to stand on the counter to reach, and the boys can’t really reach there, the top shelf is a great spot for things they don’t get used to everyday. Extra hats, helmets or off-season sports gear. We also use the enclosed storage area for their gym bags or pool toys when they are in season.
5. Add a mirror
A mirror works both as a way to open up a small space, or in our case the back of the room, and as a quick place to check hair and makeup on your way out the door!
6. Add light
While “adding a window” may not be a practical tip for most people, when we designed our mudroom it was very important to me that it not be too dark and the placement of this window is great to see and you leave BUT, if you don’t have the luxury of an architect to work with, you can add lamps to a shelf or storage furniture to brighten up what could otherwise be a dingy space.
7. Consider a potted plant or a piece of art
Interior designers will always tell you that a plant makes a space feel like home. In an area that’s otherwise more function than design, add a plant or piece of art to make your mudroom feel a little more put together.
8. Add multifunctional furniture
I bought this piece online years ago and it works so well for the entrance! It’s slim so it doesn’t stick out and drawers and cupboards are great for sorting. Thomas and I have a mini drawer. one has tools and the other is for the dogs. The cabinets are both used for Gus. The baskets below have towels for cleaning up muddy feet or wet floors on rainy days.
9. Drawer Dividers Add even more
My drawer has some cleaner acrylic dividers to sort the lip glosses from the gummies! (Thomas’ drawer is much less organized – haha).
10. Customized grid of shelves & sockets
We were also lucky to be able to design the shelves so that our cordless vacuum has its own corner perfect for its height. We also had outlets installed for both of our vacuum cleaners so they could charge right where they needed to rest. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds – an electrician can usually add an outlet for you without a lot of money.
11. Use baskets and bins in a closet
Going through our closet, you can see that I have several baskets to store things from extra dog supplies to our reusable bags to a picnic blanket.
12. More Acrylic Buckets FTW
I use them everywhere! These kids/yard toys and vacuum cleaner accessories.
13. Turntable Organization Spray & Sunscreen
You never know when you’re needed room spraybug spray or sunscreen! This record player, usually found in a cupboard, has it all!
14. Household Information
Finally, I have a guest and babysitter printout that has all of our household information: address, important phone numbers, doctor’s office, and wifi information. This is always easy to show anyone new in the house!
15. Labels & Separators
If you don’t mostly use clear bins, use labels and dividers to organize items inside baskets, bins or cubes, making it easier to find what you need and keep an organized space!
