With the start of school just around the corner, the weather will soon turn crisp—and us moms will be tripping over book bags, coats, mittens and stray art projects. This year, I decided to turn an empty alcove at our back door into the perfect mudroom so that my family could enjoy some much-needed organization. Thanks to some great finds at Target for finishing-touches, we’re ready to conquer a new year in organization and style.
Here are some easy tips to achieve the perfect kid-friendly mudroom design in your own home.
Tip #1: Find the Ideal Spot
The location of your mudroom is really important so that your family will actually use it. A front entry way, side entry way or even empty garage wall are all spots where your kids are likely to unload bookbags, dirty cleats, lunch boxes, and coats. You may decide that there is an underutilized coat closet, a large pantry with extra space, or a laundry room wall that is empty. Whatever the case, identifying the location of your mudroom is the first step in the design process.
We selected an empty alcove by our back door for our mudroom, since this seemed to be the “drop zone” for my girls.
Tip #2: Built-in or Furniture
After you’ve selected the location, take some detailed measurements of the space. Check out mudroom ideas on Pinterest and Houzz and save the pics that inspire you most. What works best for your family? How many members of your family need to use the mudroom?
For us, each of our girls needed their own mudroom cubby- and my husband and me decided to share a cubby because of space constraints.
If the mudroom will grow and evolve with your family, and the space is available, you may decide to do a built-in mudroom. We hired a licensed carpenter to create our mudroom cubby system. If you or your spouse are handy, there are several DIY mudroom options online, like this one. For those of you who are leasing your home or don’t have the space for built-in units, check out these creative furniture solutions from Target.
Tip #3: Accessories
Once the mudroom shelving and bench are in place, it’s time for the real fun to begin. After analyzing basket colors, sizes and shapes for hours in Target, I landed on these dark wicker baskets in large and folio bin that beautifully contrasted against my shelving, painted Navajo White by Benjamin Moore. I plan to use the top folio bins for mail, paperwork and the never-ending signed field trip forms. My girls use the bottom baskets for shoes, umbrellas, water bottles and all the little treasures they discover on the playground.
The flooring for your mudroom is key to the cleanliness and durability of the space. Recently, we installed Cool Sole by Daltile. We love the on-trend pattern of the 8” x 8” tiles. To protect the tiles and give my girls a comfortable place to access their baskets and change shoes, we added a stylish all weather mat by Mohawk Home from Target. Not only is the mat eco-friendly, but it’s great for wet rainboots and water bottle spills.
While it’s bittersweet to see the lazy days of summertime come to an end, our new mudroom makes me excited for school to start on an organized note. Here’s wishing all of our friends an amazing 2018-2019 school year from Mohawk Home!
