Our Hopeful Home: How To Create a Magic Mudroom From Scratch

Not having a mudroom can be a real drawback, especially when you have kids and pets. I mean, where's all that mess supposed to go, anyway? Sometimes we just have to make do with what we've got. And in my case that would be no mudroom. We normally enter our house from the garage, and I'm guessing that many of you do, too. Unfortunately, doing that in our house lands us pretty much smack dab in the middle of the family room. No es bueno.

We used to use an LL Bean coat locker, a bench and baskets to corral all the "stuff" that gets dragged into the house on a daily basis. But once the kids got older we needed a new solution. It was a long time coming but I think I finally figured it out.

After using the same couch and love seat for over 10 years, we opted for a more modern arrangement, or what I like to call "the pit." Here it is right after it was delivered. The sectional was HUGE and warranted a new "mudroom" solution based on the new layout of the furniture.

I decided to shop the house and bring up a custom storage unit from the kids' playroom in the basement. It fit perfectly behind the couch. I shared my "Mudroom Sneak Peek" over a year ago but never got around to showing the final reveal.

Here it is in all its glory, immediately on your left when you enter the room. I filled the cubbies with wicker and wire baskets and bins. I also added some custom-made containers like my Ballard Hemp dog toy storage knock-off, and a DIY monogrammed bin. I was thrilled with how it fit seamlessly into the family room decor. We used the containers for all our winter accessories (gloves, hats, ear muffs, scarves), each of us having our own personal storage bin.

Bringing up the storage cubbies from the kids' playroom was an idea just short of genius. Even better was the fact that I placed my DIY painted bench by the door as well, just opposite the cubbies. By doing so, it allowed us to create a makeshift hallway where we could stop, kick off our shoes, drop our bags and transition into the house.

The bench was a project of mine a from a few years ago and it has served us well. Now it sits against the wall on the right when you enter from the garage. I added turquoise patterned seat cushions (purchased on clearance from Old Time Pottery) that go beautifully with the new turquoise-infused family room. Here you can see what it looked like with winter coats and everyday stuff dumped onto it, as well as an "After" shot that I prettied up for this post! The large mirror was a thrift store find I painted white and transformed into a coat rack.

Ah, if it could only look this good every day.

Here's a shot taken from the patio door, which is straight across from the garage door.

Hence my "hallway" reference. It really is like a hallway of sorts. The brown striped rugs don't match the new vibe but alas, new rugs just aren't in the budget. But that's ok. I still love the rugs. Again, it's about making the most of what you've got.

And as much as I loved the look of the neutral bins and baskets, I felt like a change was in order for spring. Lo and behold, I found these turquoise storage bins on clearance at Target. Boo-yah. The timing could not have been better. I just pulled out the beige bins and replaced them with the turquoise ones. It's as simple as that. Come winter I'll just revert back to the old set-up.

Yes, those are scarves in the bottom wire bin and basket.
The wire baskets are great for storing shoes.
In case you hadn't noticed I'm a big believer in using baskets as storage!

The new bins blend in really well with the overall

family room turquoise decor. I think they add just

the right pop of color.

All in all I'm very happy with the new arrangement.
So, do we have a mudroom?

Not in the strict sense of the word.

Do we have a place where we
can drop our stuff without creating
a huge mess when we enter the house?
a/k/a A Magic Mudroom

Yes.

And that's just fine with me.

Learn to love

what you’ve got.

Don't forget to Pin it!