Ideas for Mudroom Furniture

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Furnishing a room is a lot more complex than just placing chairs, tables and cupboards in it. One has to be practical about the furniture and yet be artistic enough to arrange them in an attractive manner. Here are some furnishing ideas for a mudroom.

There's nothing like the pitter-patter of little feet or medium-sized feet. It's when those feet are muddy, filled with dirt and they tramp that dirt all over your clean floors and into your house, that any parent (or person who has to clean the floors) gets annoyed.

When those little feet come back from football or baseball practice and tramp into the house, leaving sweaty uniforms and muddy shoes around, again you get annoyed as there's a lot of cleaning to do. There should be some middle ground or area where dirty shoes and socks can be taken off and kept for cleaning or where outdoor coats and clothing can be stored.

In most suburban houses, this sort of room or area exists and it is called a mudroom. To understand the concept of a mudroom, think along the lines of a high school locker room.

The locker room is the transition area for kids to shower, store their everyday clothes, change into their sporting gear and reach the field, ready to play. Similarly, a mudroom is the changing area, where kids can store their socks and shoes from outdoors and enter the house with clean clothes on.

On rainy days, galoshes, rain boots, raincoats, jackets and other rainy day gear, which are soaking wet, can be stored in this room, to avoid creating puddles on your nice clean floor. Mudrooms can be a part of the laundry room as well, since dirty laundry needs a place to be stored.

Most suburban homes have a mudroom, some are between the main entrance of the house and the main room.

Others have side doors, which then lead to the kitchen or into other areas of the house. So what ideas can you come up with for decorating a mudroom?

Mudroom Decorating Ideas

Since it is a receptacle for dirt and mud, the task of keeping the mudroom clean should be made easy. So flooring ideas include linoleum or tiles similar to kitchen flooring for easy mopping.

You can install a drain in the room, so you can soak the floor with water for serious cleaning. You can even fix a hose nearby for hosing off dirt from pets, kids (very muddy ones) or tools.

If your mudroom sees a lot of rain or snow induced wetness and muck, then avoid accidents by having a grip or slip-resistant flooring material. You will also need a thick floor mat to wipe shoes on.

A mudroom can be located at a side entrance. So people entering from the main entrance, are not hampered by a large crowd in the mudroom. You can even have a mudroom between your garage or garden shed and your house.

Try keeping the mudroom as a laundry room as well. Not only is doing the laundry easier, since all the dirty clothes are right at hand but you can easily hang the wet clothes out on the clothesline.

It saves time from carrying the laundered clothes from inside the house to the outside and vice versa.

This room is going to get dirty. So if you want to paint it white or use some high-glossy color, accept the fact that you will need to repaint the room. Or opt for a vinyl tack-up wallpaper, when it gets old, just peel off and replace.

Mudroom Furniture Ideas

Somewhere to Sit

Taking things off, putting them on, all such actions need a place to sit. But instead of chairs, opt for benches and stools. Stools can be easily pushed into a corner or under a bench. Wooden benches and loveseats are ideal for mudrooms as they can be easily moved and cleaned.

Do not place benches or stools at the entrance or exit of the mudroom. Kill two birds with one stone by using a bench-cum-storage bin. With a hinged top, you can store things and sit on the bench too.

Places to hang things on

For hanging up coats, jackets and gear, fix coat hooks and nails, to make it easy for kids and adults alike to store things. Remember to fix hooks at kiddie-height for your kids to hang things on.

Else they may clamber up on stools and benches to reach hooks, something you do not want them to do. To avoid fights (especially with teenagers in the house), assign names to coat hooks for each family member. You can place a coat and umbrella stand as well in your mudroom. Fix a separate hook stand for keys and leashes.

Storage space

Different individuals, different needs. You may need a 1 or more large lockers or cupboards to store things like seasonal clothes.

A chest of drawers, shelves or even a trunk or storage tub, can hold clothes and tools. If you want to store specific equipment like fishing tools, gardening implements, animal tools and stuff, the more cabinets and cupboards, the better.

You can have a set of small cubbyholes or hanging shelves for each member of the household.

Miscellaneous items

A mirror for checking oneself up Bulletin board or checkboard for sticking notes and notices Umbrella stand Shoe rack for arranging shoes Small table with a tub or basket on it for keeping keys and bills Cat or dog door Disposal bin Large laundry bin

The mentioned ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to designing and arranging your ideal mudroom. Keeping it simple, airy, clean and convenient should be your top priority.