Our mudroom has been pretty neglected since we first moved in. I’m hoping to change that, especially since it is the first room most people see when they come to visit. I want to share my mudroom design plans and dreams for this space. Maybe it will help you in designing or finishing your own space.
I have done a few things here and there already, but I really want to finish it up. As I have previously mentioned, my goal for this year is finishing projects I’ve already started. When we first bought this house this room was one narrow room, but we have since split this space in two.
One area is the mudroom, and the other is more of a walk in pantry. The pantry area I’m planning on finishing up at a later time. It is more of a function over beauty kind of room. It’s packed with two freezers and a refrigerator, and there’s not a lot of space for much else.
For now I want to focus on the mudroom design plans, since we use and see it everyday. I want to be able to enjoy this space more, and for it to function better for our family of four. It won’t be done done, but it will be done enough for now. What room is ever really done anyway? Things are always changing, even our needs in a space.
Mudroom Design Plan Board
As soon as we moved in the first thing I knew I wanted for this room was a set of lockers. It took awhile for me to come across the right lockers at the right price. It took a few years actually. One day someone down the road from us had a ton of lockers in their yard. They had been taken them out of a local school. I didn’t love the price they were originally listed at. So I waited patiently and got them for a price I was comfortable with.
So with the lockers I knew it was going to be more of an industrial look for this room. When I saw the picture shown above of the nesting boxes used for shoe storage. I loved the industrial/farmhouse vibe. It was perfect, and we actually had one we were using for our chickens at the time.
Some time between then, and now we had to get rid of our chickens due to a neighbor’s complaint. They very happily joined my parents chickens. They are very spoiled over there. Anyway, I guess it worked out in a way since I can now use that beautiful set of nesting boxes for our mudroom.
I don’t want the mudroom to seem too rigid and cold with all the metal. I plan on warming it up with the wood tones in an old school house bench that found us. Also this large old basket with a wooden lid that came with the house, works well for warming up the space and extra off season storage. I think adding a window treatment will also soften things up a bit.
Mudroom Color Scheme
Since the ceiling is very low and it’s a small space I figured I’d stick to basic white walls and ceiling. This way the walls just kind of blend into the ceiling and they don’t seem so low. Also this room has paneling on the walls and I don’t mind the extra texture once it’s white.
I’m planning on there being some wood tones to help warm up the space up and contrast with all the stark white. As usual I plan on adding my favorite color mint in. but I also want to throw some other splashes of color in. Since we don’t spend a ton of time in this space I’m less likely to get tired of the colors. I like to have a little more fun with color in smaller spaces.
Designing Your Own Mudroom
If you are looking for ideas on designing your own mudroom I have a list of necessities to consider. First I think what would be even more helpful is for you to write a list of what does not work with your current space. Also a list of how you would like this space to function. This is so key to figuring out what any of your spaces are lacking.
Everyone uses their own space differently, we all have different sized families and our daily lives and routines look a little different. So creating that list will really help you narrow down your own unique mudroom design plans, and help your space function the way you need it to. As always creating a design board with the elements you plan on including all together can be so helpful to see how it will all come together, and play off of one another.
Mudroom Design Plan Essentials to Consider:
- (The obvious) Coat Hooks-size or number depending on the size of your family and number of guests you usually entertain
- Coat storage-if you live somewhere with different seasons it’s nice to store off season coats somewhere other than a hook
- Shoe Trays-for wet or muddy shoes/boots so they aren’t just soaking wet on the flooring
- Shoe Storage-Similar to coat storage. If you have different climates than you probably aren’t using the same shoes year round
- Sock storage-we like to have our socks in the mud room because that’s usually where we need them most
- Winter Gear Storage-A place for gloves and winter caps to go
- Swimsuit storage-in the summer time I really like having swimsuits in the mud room so we can easily grab them if we are headed out or if we want to change quick to go in the pool
- Stroller parking-For us this is a big one right now especially in the warmer weather I like to take the babies out for walks down the road
- Mirror-maybe not such an obvious one, but it is nice to check your appearance before stepping out the door
- Key Storage-another obvious one but still important whether it’s a bowl to put your keys or hooks it’s pretty handy to have keys right by the door when you need them
- Dog Leash Storage-since this is where we usually need our dog leashes for walks so it’s nice to have a hook or basket for them
Mudroom Cost Breakdown
So far I’ve mainly bought a gallon of very basic white paint, so about $40. The lockers were the most expensive at I think $70. Next would be the lights. I already had some electrical wire to put one of the lights pictured above in here and one in the pantry area. The lights themselves were about $40 each.
The flooring we actually got for free from someone who no longer wanted it. The bench was a birthday present, and as i said the large basket came with the house which I guess I will also consider free. Oh and the nesting boxes we bought that for the chicken coop. It seems wrong to add that amount in here since we really bought them for that other space. So all in all I’d say we spent about $150 in here.
You don’t have to spend a lot in a room to make some thing pretty to the eye and equally functional. Don’t forget to shop your house, and items from previous projects. Or to shop items your family or friends no longer want. Also facebook marketplace can really come in handy if there’s something specific you have in mind, but you don’t want to pay full price for. It just takes some patience, and planning. It takes some time to find the right pieces that will really give your space some personality.
Thank you for visiting our farmhouse. I hope my mudroom design plans were helpful in inspiring you to redesign or renovate your own space. If you are wanting more design ideas you can find those here. Our other home renovations can be found here. If you are a DIY person I have some projects you can tackle here.