mudroom furniture plans
Most homes today have a transition area from your front door to the living area. These spaces, commonly called mudrooms, play a prominent role during the winter months providing a barrier where clothes caked from rain, mud and snow can be hung out to dry.
The mudrooms found in the majority of the homes today have evolved over the years, taking on additional roles beyond that of a simple storage space for wet clothes. Mudrooms today double as the organizational hub for families, pet centers, laundry room and even craft areas.
In most homes mudrooms are improvised spaces in the front or back entrances. These days, however, newly built homes have dedicated rooms for this purpose - up to 3% of a new home’s floor-space is devoted to the mudroom. Regardless if you have a dedicated mudroom or a tiny space near your front entrance, there are many proactive steps you can take to create a well organized and uncluttered area to store backpacks, briefcases, hats, gloves, coats, sports equipment, toys, dog leashes etc.
Cramming this much storage space and functionality into such a small area may seem absurd at first, but with careful planning it is actually quite easy. Home improvement and specialty stores sell DIY kits that can be installed by the homeowner. The first step to creating your own multipurpose mudroom space is to assess the existing space and make accurate measurements of the area. Consider who will use the mudroom on a daily basis and what their storage needs are.
Here are seven factors every homeowner looking to create a multipurpose mudroom should look into:
If you're building a mudroom with laundry facilities, add a cabinet that has enough counter space and upper storage compartments to store all the cleaning products and general household items.
Think about having a storage center for dry goods like pet food, potting soils and dog toys. If your mudroom has enough space then you can also use it to store recyclable cans, paper, and glass.
Store snacks and dry goods from your kitchen in a specially designated pantry shelf in your mudroom. Use labeled bins in for extra organization and neatness.
Don't forget the little ones! If you have small children, vary the height of hooks and keep shelves and baskets for easy access by tiny hands.
Leave room for the dog's leash and towel near the door.
Use a bulletin board prominently displayed in your mudroom as your family's message center. Use a specially designed wall mounted compartment for small items like keys, wallets, and cell phones.
Don't use vinyl, wood or laminate materials for flooring in your mudroom. These can be difficult to clean and can get dangerously slippery when wet. Instead, opt for textured ceramic or porcelain stone tiles.