When you’re a little girl, you dream about romance or bring famous or birthday wishes coming true. When you’re a grownup, and especially a parent, your dreams change a little. You might dream of having a chef, winning the lottery, a house that cleans itself, finding the bottom of a hamper, or an amazing mudroom. You know the mudroom I mean—shiplap, benches, baskets, hooks for days, maybe a sink, tile flooring that will withstand any mess, wood and white and perfectly placed boots that match the décor perfectly. Don’t worry, DIY mudroom ideas are all around us!
**Disclaimer: This post contains images from other writers and affiliate links. All images used with permission from the creators and are linked accordingly.
What is a Mudroom?
Traditionally, mudrooms are small, secondary entrances to farmhouses for the family to remove their muddy boots and soiled clothing before entering the main living area of the home. In recent years, they’ve become more common in many homes as multipurpose spaces to store shoes, coats, winter gear, backpacks, pet supplies, and sports gear. We sometimes refer them to as drop zones or launch pads.
Mudrooms are on every mom’s wish list when she’s house hunting, and while newer homes are being built with mudrooms, many pre-existing homes don’t have them. If your house doesn’t have a mudroom, but you think your family could benefit from one, there are many DIY mudroom ideas that can serve the same purpose, regardless of your home’s layout.
Why Do I Need a Mudroom?
You don’t really NEED one, but they are helpful, especially if you’ve got kids or a lot of outdoor gear.
We don’t wear shoes in our house, so we walk into the mudroom and take them off. Not only does the dirt stay out of the main house, but the shoes are always in that spot—no hunting for them in the mornings.
The same goes for backpacks and jackets. While I can’t pretend we always catch the school bus, it’s not because we’re hunting down a missing shoe.
We also keep keys, wallets, coats, winter accessories, and dog food in our mudroom. It’s kind of a catchall space for important things we use regularly but don’t want in our main living space.
What To Include in Your DIY Mudroom
While all mudrooms vary in size and scope, you’ll usually find at least some following components:
- Hooks: Ideal for jackets, backpacks, keys, leashes, purses, etc. Have at one to two for every person in your home.
- Shoe storage: A rack, a shelf, bins, or baskets.
- Shelving: Ideally with baskets for wallets, sunglasses, suntan lotion, bug spray, winter gear, etc.
- Seating: Handy to sit and put shoes on, but not a requirement
- Bulletin board/paper basket: Handy for incoming or outgoing mail
- Calendar: Since this is the last place you are before you head out the door, it’s a good chance to review your day.
If you’re thinking of creating your own DIY mudroom, be sure to include most, if not all, of these components.
Where does a Mudroom Go?
When you think about how little you actually need to make a mudroom functional, the wheels can start turning about where you can create a makeshift mudroom. Ideally, mudrooms or drop zones are by the entrance of your home your family uses the most.
Mudroom on Open Wall Space
Do what Brittany of EllisonMade did and make it a drop zone! She provides step-by-step instructions on her blog. The calendar, hooks, and pocket for mail are all mudroom essentials. The board and batten add a punch of style and interest. It’s simple, functional, affordable, and beautiful.
Get a similar look:
Mudroom in an Empty Hallway
Board and batten, hooks, and name signs are the perfect addition. Christine from WhereTheSmilesHaveBeen did this and made this space so much more functional! Two hooks per person are useful — one for bags and one for coats!
Get a similar look:
Coat Closet Turned Mudroom
Got a coat closet you can make better use of? Remove the doors and add a bench like Jaclyn of CoffeePancakesandDreams did.
Simple, functional, affordable and beautiful. With a few boards of wood, hooks, and baskets, they transformed this space from a closet to a perfect little shoe nook. And how perfect is that umbrella holder?
Get a similar look:
Mudroom in the Living Room
Sometimes an open corner can be a magnet for clutter, not so here. Chelsea and Logan from MakingManzanita took a corner of their living room and turned it into a mudroom.
They added a custom-built bench, a fun basket, shelves, hooks, and a perfect DIY-key holder. The pillow and fiddle leaf fig add a pop of style that makes it stylish enough to be a part of the living room.
Get a similar look:
Mudroom in the Garage
Misty from BlessedFarmhouseLovingMama did just this, and the results are perfection! Bench, hooks, shelves, baskets, she’s got it all. Plus, the bits of decor she added makes this space feel homey, not garage-like. This space is fun, functional, and affordable!
No space in your garage? Get it organized and make it a priority to include an empty corner.
Get a similar look:
DIY Mudroom Ideas
While it’s often easy to get swept up in the images we are surrounded by of perfect spaces, it’s important to take a step back, count our blessings, and be creative to find alternative solutions that will meet our needs and enrich our lives — like a drop zone in the garage and hooks in the hallway.
You can easily find more DIY mudroom ideas on Pinterest. Go check it out and get inspired today!
Love any of these DIY mudroom ideas or do you have one of your own? Drop a comment below and let me know!
Happy organizing!
Oooh, Love all these mud room ideas!! Thanks so much for sharing my drop zone!