Top Mudroom Addition Ideas for a Stylish and Functional Entryway

Chicago's extended winter season produces a surplus of winter clothing, snow boots, and outdoor equipment. To maintain orderliness and prevent the spread of snow, mud, and water into the main living area, it is essential to have a designated space for storing these items near the entryway.

A mudroom provides homeowners a solution by bringing order and organization rather than having a messy heap of boots and outerwear near the closest door. It offers a tidy and efficient area for putting on and taking off seasonal outerwear. A mudroom can also serve as a laundry room and many other purposes, depending on the needs of your family.

This guide will provide all the necessary information to create the perfect transitional space from the outdoors to your indoor living spaces and vice versa.

What Do People Look for in a Mudroom? 

For the family, this is the primary entrance to the home. Without a dedicated and organized space, it becomes a messy drop-off zone for whatever you don’t want to track further into the house.

Clutter can lead to chaos. To avoid this, a few of the most common mudroom ideas people look at include:

• Closet/cubby space or lockers
• Coat hooks or storage solutions for backpacks and outerwear
• Pantry area for larger bulk items
• Laundry area
• Extra storage for cleaning supplies and tools
• Storage for sports equipment and umbrellas
• A built-in bench to provide additional storage and a comfortable space to sit down and put on shoes 

In short, deciding to move forward with a home improvement project of having a dedicated mudroom increases storage, organization, and cleanliness where you need it the most.

What's the Best Place to Add a Mudroom?

You have choices when it comes to the mudroom location. You can repurpose existing square footage or add an ideal mudroom to a larger renovation with a home addition project.

1. Repurpose Space

Begin by evaluating how your first floor is currently used and whether any existing areas can be repurposed. For example, is there underutilized space near a rarely used entryway? Look for space in the following areas:

• Consider reworking an underutilized or awkwardly designed coat closet—these small spaces often hold untapped potential. By combining the closet with adjacent unused areas, you can create a larger, more functional mudroom that adds significant convenience. 

• Many older homes in the Chicagoland area have a long hallway leading out to the back of the house. We often reuse this small space by converting a portion of adjacent rooms into larger and more effective mudrooms.

• Some houses have laundry areas with untapped potential. By reimagining the space as a combined mudroom and laundry room, you can create a more efficient, multi-functional area that maximizes square footage and simplifies your daily routines.

• Do you have a spacious two-car garage? If so, consider claiming a small section of the space to create a dedicated mudroom right where you enter the house. This clever conversion will keep your home organized and free from clutter.

You can do a lot with a little. You may look at a space that is 4 feet wide and wonder if there is any potential there. A high-quality design-build firm will have exceptional interior design skills to evaluate whether you have enough space and find creative ways to repurpose the underused area.

2. Home Addition

If your current square footage is already maxed out, it might be time for an addition. Consider a mudroom as part of a larger project, like a much-needed kitchen remodel where you plan to reconfigure other parts of the main living area. 

Where will you put the addition? Front and side setbacks often limit options, which is why bump-out additions are typically added to the back of the home. Another option is to expand the space in the rear of the garage, even if you don’t need to add square footage to the living areas of your home. A dedicated mudroom can easily be added to that project.

How Big Should a Mudroom Be?

The ideal mudroom size is a personal preference. What do you need from a mudroom? If you plan to combine several uses, you will need a bigger mudroom than if you’re simply looking for a couple of coat hooks.

Here are a few questions to consider when determining how you will use the space:

• Will you store coats and other outerwear here?
• Will this be a laundry/mudroom combo space?
• Will this be overflow storage for your pantry?
• Will this space store cleaning supplies and tools?
• Will this be a space for your pets to roam?
• Will you be adding a powder room adjacent to the mudroom?

Answering these questions will help you and your designer determine the right size for your mudroom.

Designing Your Mudroom for Style and Function

Just because it has the word “mud” doesn’t mean it needs to look like a place where mud belongs—just the opposite. A mudroom isn't just about practicality; it can create a welcoming first impression. By keeping clutter under control and incorporating design elements you love, your mudroom can be both stylish and functional. This dedicated space promotes organization for everyone's peace of mind, whether it's for your family or visiting guests.

You might consider pocket doors to cover the washer and dryer. Instead of using the common generic, plastic utility sink, you could design the space to house an undermount sink with cabinetry and a stone countertop or install a stylish wall-mounted sink. Will you drop keys and mail here? Include a storage bench to store sporting equipment and double as a spot to put on your boots before you head outside. 

Popular Mudroom Design Ideas 

Bring on the Cubbies

The basic cubby form is often a storage space up top, with a rectangular open box below with wall hooks or pegs for hanging hoodies and jackets. This is often separated by a bench seat. Below that is storage for sports gear and footwear.

Some questions to consider before designing your custom-built cubbies:

• What do you need to place in these cubbies?
• Will one cubby be for each family member, or will it be a shared space?
• Do you want a mudroom bench inside of each cubby for family members to sit down while getting in and out of boots?

Another great option is to include a built-in charging station to charge school computers, tablets, and other electronic devices.

Mudroom Pet Station

Another popular mudroom feature is a space dedicated to pets. This might include a watering station with a built-in tap, an automatic feeding station, a doggy bath, and a wifi-enabled dog door. This is a great opportunity to combine fun and functionality in mudroom design.

Beyond Laundry Basics

If the mudroom also functions as the laundry room, this can streamline the gathering of dirty clothes from the person who dove for a great save on the soccer field to the washing machine.

And guess what? Laundry chutes are making a comeback! Adding laundry chutes is a great way to streamline how dirty laundry is gathered throughout the home.

Do you need a small home office space to store important paperwork, a laptop, and a desk to pay your bills? Consider adding a pull-out desk in this area. Often, if you add an addition, you can utilize one wall of the mudroom for a small paperwork drop zone. 

Bringing Your Ideal Mudroom to Reality

Adding a mudroom means borrowing from existing space or adding additional square footage to your first floor. Either way, adding a mudroom to your home will not only improve your quality of life but also add value and help you maintain the rest of your home by managing and eliminating the mess before it gets to the rest of the house.

To learn how to build the best mudroom for your space and needs, download the eBook guide "Home Addition Design 101: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning a Family-Friendly Addition."