Mudroom DIY: How To Create A Mudroom With What You Have

Coming in from outdoors and keeping coats, hats, and shoes at the ready can be exhausting without a place nearby to keep you organized. There is hope! You can create a mudroom by your entryway and create it with what you have. Let me show you how.

• Designate the area where you want to put your mudroom by an entryway either back or front door. You can also use a closet if it is convenient.
• Determine what look you want to style your mudroom in.
• Take stock of the items you have in your home such as an old or new dresser with drawers.
• Add some old crates.
• Mirror, painting, chalkboard, or decorative frames.
• Throw rug.
• Before you start putting your mudroom together, take a moment and design it on paper. You don’t have to be an artist or an architect to do this. Just basic simple boxes on paper showing where you want to put items in your space.
• Drawer organizers for mittens, gloves, neck scarves, garden gloves and small tools, etc…
• Design elements for the top of the dresser such as plant(s), baskets, birdhouse, birdcage, lantern, vase to fill, serving tray, books with covers removed and three books stacked and tied together with ribbon.
• Label dresser drawers for each member of your family.
• Add a decorative clock
• Decorative hooks to hang jackets, coats, sweaters, hats, purses, or backpacks.
• Add a bench, a chair, or a stool to sit on while you take your shoes off.
• Put in a functional, decorative ladder.

I have a laundry room right off the garage but it is much too narrow for a mudroom. Oh I could make it happen but I know my taste too well and I would have to redo a lot of the room for me to be happy with it. It just wouldn’t do! I found just the right spot and I would imagine you have a spot like mine. We actually come in through our back sliding glass doors to enter our home on a regular basis. So it just makes sense for my mudroom to be by my backdoor. For years shoes, golf clubs, coats, etc…well you get the picture have landed on that corner of our dining room as we enter our home. Time to make it something special! You can do this too!

Decide Where You Want Your Mudroom To Be

Take a gander around your home. Where do you enter your home the most. Like I already mentioned, we use our back entrance constantly. However we are talking about you. Where do you see the perfect spot for putting an instant mudroom. When you think of mudroom, take into consideration who will be using it. Do you have small children, teens, or just you and your hubby? You want your space to look clutter free and still inviting even though it is filled with “stuff” that you need to grab in a hurry.

What Style Are You Going For?

It is important that you consider the design of the rest of your home. You want to blend style in your mudroom with what you already have. You wouldn’t put a French Country styled mudroom if you are decorating your home in a mid modern century style. Make sense? Figure out what style you will make your instant mudroom so that it blends with the rest of your home.

Look At What You Already Have To Put Together Your Mudroom

Before you run out and start buying things for your mudroom, look and see what you already have. Do you have a dresser? A dresser can store all kinds of things you need to have in one place kept uncluttered, organized, and ready for you as you run out the door. It works well as a main furniture piece in your mudroom space.

In a minute I can tell you how to organize this area but first, do you have an old or new dresser? Put it in your space and we will decorate with it and around it. What about giving it a fresh coat of chalk paint to give it a new look? (Love that with most items chalk paint is so easy to paint it on. Usually no primer needed.) I chose a french provincial dresser I have had for years. I put it in my instant mudroom corner of my dining room where we enter our home. I am debating about giving it a facelift with a fresh coat of either milk paint or chalk paint.

Use Wooden Crates…They’re Great

How about an old wooden crate? Great for storing tall boots too. The look is popular and visually appealing. You can add this to your dresser in the space if it works with your design style. Set it to the side on the floor next to the dresser. You can put shoes inside and on the top of the crate.

I have an old crate that somehow I was lucky enough to inherit from my sweet mom. It belonged to her father who worked on the Pacific Railroad. It is one of the wooden boxes he kept. Not sure how I got that lucky to get this crate because I have four brothers and three sisters! I put it next to my French styled dresser. To enhance the look of my mudroom area, I placed a topiary I did on the top corner of the crate to add some pizazz. to my mudroom. If you want to know how to create a live topiary check this out.

Shop Your Home For Personality

Mirrors, chalkboards, paintings, or decorative frames can add a lot of charm to your mudroom space. Especially when you add a wreath or decorative elements to the area. There are all kinds of ways to use these items to up your game in your instant mudroom. If you by chance don’t have one of these, you can check your local thrift store, antique shop, or DIY your own. This is the frosting on the cake. It can really make your mudroom feel like it fits in your home once you add some personalized pieces of decor. Look around your home and see if you already have some decor that you are using that you might want to move to your mudroom. Or maybe you have some wood or craft supplies that you can use to enhance your mudroom look. I made with the help of my hubby these cute wooden block hangers. I stained them, added a chunky clothespin and then put my flower coat hanger on them for added interest.

Add A Rug

When you have people tracking in dirt, a rug can help put the kibosh on that. Find a rug that not only fits your style vibe but is also functional. You should actually have two rugs to meet and greet people. One outside your entryway door and one as you enter. Put a throw rug inside the doorway where people first step as they enter your home as a part of your instant mudroom. Add some color if you like or keep your rug neutral. Just keep in mind your style as you shop for. a rug. I know this is common sense but just and added tip here.

Draw A Design

It may seem super simple but this will help you picture your space and then you can be intentional about what you put in your space. This is an open mudroom so it isn’t behind closed doors. You want it to be a stylish, well organized, and beautiful space. You will also save yourself some money and maybe some time. So take out a piece of computer paper and grab a sharpened pencil. Draw simple shapes to represent your items you will be placing in that space. Make some measurements as far as your dresser, crates, etc.. to see how it best fits in your mudroom taking into consideration any doors that might be close to that area. Is there enough space to put a dresser? Which way does it need to face? What way will you get the most use out of it and how functional and practical can you make that space?

Your Handy Dandy Helpers

Round up some drawer organizers.You can use baskets, bins, pans (yes metal pans) I actually have some cute dog dish bowls that I use for storing keys and other things I might need as I run out the door. You can put handy tools in your dresser, tape, safety pins, glue gun, etc… Your storage containers don’t have to be elegant just able to hold what you need to store in them. Also go ahead and use the bottom two drawers for shoes if you need to. This is a good place to store your garden hand tools and garden gloves. Easy to find and convenient as you head out the back door to spruce up your garden or plant seeds. The large basket you see on my dresser was a huge score from my local thrift shop! Great for storing mittens and gloves maybe even neck scarves. Only five bucks and like new! Your local Dollar Store also has lots of options when it comes. to storage bins however I’ll bet you can find things you have that will work just fine for organizing.

Dresser Top Design Elements

I mentioned my great find at a local thrift shop. My glorious humungous basket! I love it though. You can put a large basket up on top, wooden boxes, tin or metal decor buckets whatever suits your fancy to go with your style. Even tall candlesticks or a plant in a fun cement planter or other style. It can give your mudroom just the right look. Think about your sense of style and then add decor accordingly.

Put Names On Drawers

To help your kiddos keep your entryway corner clean and clutter free, put names on each dresser drawer so they have their own space to put mittens, glove, neck scarves, even a sweatshirt for colder weather. If each person has a designated space in the dresser this will cut down on clutter.

Decorative Clock

If you have a decorative clock put it above your dresser. I have been looking for a place to put my clock for awhile. It has a nice place now in my mudroom space. I also felt my grapevine windows next to my clock, enhanced the clock and my mudroom area.

Decorative Hooks For Hanging Jackets, Purses, etc…

There are so many cute styles for decorative hooks for your mudroom that it might be hard to choose! I had my husband cut a board into 4 pieces. I stained each chunk of board dark brown and added a chunky clothespin at the top. I then attached my metal flower hook to three of my boards. Very simple, on the rustic yet chic side. The fourth board I am using to hang my copper colored bucket on. You can get as fancy or as simple as you want when adding hooks to your wall for your mudroom. I added one on the side of my dresser too. Get creative. The neighboring wall where my bucket hangs you could add some hooks there as well.

Mudroom Bench

I found a piece of wood at my local thrift store (yes I go there quite often to see what I can find) that screamed bench. I thought about sanding it down and staining it. I thought about painting it with white chalk paint. Then the lightbulb came on. Why not cover it with quilt batting and fabric. I chose that option.I took the easy way out and just glued batting around my wood bench top. I have a lot of burlap (used it for a wedding I decorated for). Because I am going for a french farmhouse look, I will take some black paint and put a stencil on it.

Also for added flair I decided to add a skirt to my bench. I have a thing for ruffles. I had a skirt that I took the ruffle off of and and attached it to my bench. It is a one sided ruffle because it only covered the front side haha! I don’t need it on the back though it still has the look I was hoping for. You don’t have to get this fancy. Just make a bench that works for you. If you want, just use a stool or a chair in place of a bench. (Throw a sheet over the stool or chair and tie with a beautiful ribbon for an instant beautiful look to it. Seating for taking shoes off and putting them on is a plus.

Add A Crafty Ladder

Handcrafted ladders are charming and popular these days. You can make them functional by hanging things on them such as lightweight jackets, purses, even umbrella handles. They are not too tough to make if you want to take this on! Here is what you would need: