5 Mudroom and Entry Makeovers Add Function and Style
New cabinets, benches, hooks and even a dog shower elevate these hardworking spaces
Before you drop another backpack on the floor, trip over another pile of sneakers or forget where you put your keys — again — take a look at these five mudroom and entry area transformations. Whether you have a fully defined entry room, a spare closet or a blank section of wall near the door, you’ll find functional and stylish solutions for this hardworking, sometimes neglected, area of the house.
After: Nautical details, a whitewashed-wood accent wall and built-in perimeter cabinetry create an entry and changing space that’s as functional as it is enjoyable to spend time in. “The homeowners like to hang out in this room with a cup of coffee and look out to the backyard,” interior designer Sylvia Daoust says.
The designer customized this freestanding Ikea cabinet with oil-rubbed bronze hardware, a nautical-inspired crate and an insert at the bottom to store towels, which was actually designed for wine bottles. Wall hooks, with tags assigned to each family member, are used for hanging wet towels in summer.
Wall paint: Coventry Gray, Benjamin Moore; perimeter cabinetry: Ikea
See more of this renovated mudroom | Work with a pro near you
The designer customized this freestanding Ikea cabinet with oil-rubbed bronze hardware, a nautical-inspired crate and an insert at the bottom to store towels, which was actually designed for wine bottles. Wall hooks, with tags assigned to each family member, are used for hanging wet towels in summer.
Wall paint: Coventry Gray, Benjamin Moore; perimeter cabinetry: Ikea
See more of this renovated mudroom | Work with a pro near you
2. Playful Midcentury-Modern Spirit in a Reconfigured Mudroom
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Designer: Tamatha Miller of Bluestem Construction
Before: This laundry room-mudroom in Minnesota, which comprised two adjacent rooms off the back door, featured no storage or spot to fold clothes or keep laundry supplies. “There were no good places to store diaper bags and toys, much less adult jackets and other winter gear,” says designer Tamatha Miller.
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Designer: Tamatha Miller of Bluestem Construction
Before: This laundry room-mudroom in Minnesota, which comprised two adjacent rooms off the back door, featured no storage or spot to fold clothes or keep laundry supplies. “There were no good places to store diaper bags and toys, much less adult jackets and other winter gear,” says designer Tamatha Miller.
After: Miller reconfigured the rooms’ setup, adding storage for clothes and shoes right inside the door and pulling the laundry area farther into the house. Built-in cabinets and cubbies provide the family of four with options for dropping off their bags, boots and winter gear. A new counter above the front-loading washer and dryer makes room for folding and sorting laundry.
Space Age-style hardware, colorful Marmoleum Click flooring, and chrome and aluminum accents capture and reinforce the rest of the house’s midcentury modern style while showing that uber-practical rooms can be playful and stylish. “This family wanted to have some fun and show off their personality — that’s the best part!” Miller says.
Cabinets: Bayer Interior Woods; cabinet hardware: Dish knobs with Star backplates, Rejuvenation; counters: Beluga No. 3697-58, Formica; coat rack: Hang It All, Vertigo Interiors; paint: Rainforest Dew in eggshell finish (walls), Simply White (trim, ceilings and interior doors) and Jalapeño Pepper (accent), Benjamin Moore
See more of this renovated laundry and mudroom
Space Age-style hardware, colorful Marmoleum Click flooring, and chrome and aluminum accents capture and reinforce the rest of the house’s midcentury modern style while showing that uber-practical rooms can be playful and stylish. “This family wanted to have some fun and show off their personality — that’s the best part!” Miller says.
Cabinets: Bayer Interior Woods; cabinet hardware: Dish knobs with Star backplates, Rejuvenation; counters: Beluga No. 3697-58, Formica; coat rack: Hang It All, Vertigo Interiors; paint: Rainforest Dew in eggshell finish (walls), Simply White (trim, ceilings and interior doors) and Jalapeño Pepper (accent), Benjamin Moore
See more of this renovated laundry and mudroom
3. Custom Amenities for 4 Playful Dogs
Location: Northern Virginia
Designer: Leroy Johnson of Four Brothers
Before: The side entry and laundry area of Tom and Jamie Pumpelly’s home in northern Virginia needed new storage and flooring. Additionally, the couple’s four dogs — two blond Labs, a bichon and a rat terrier-Chihuahua mix — always wanted to come into the house when they were wet and muddy.
Location: Northern Virginia
Designer: Leroy Johnson of Four Brothers
Before: The side entry and laundry area of Tom and Jamie Pumpelly’s home in northern Virginia needed new storage and flooring. Additionally, the couple’s four dogs — two blond Labs, a bichon and a rat terrier-Chihuahua mix — always wanted to come into the house when they were wet and muddy.
After: Working with Leroy Johnson of design-build firm Four Brothers, the couple transformed the side entry into an organized dog washing, drying and sleeping area. Built-in perimeter cherry cabinets and a new laundry area (not seen here) also make it easy to wash muddy towels and store clean ones.
The team was sure to incorporate the needs of the dogs, including custom dog bunk beds that can be easily pushed open by the dogs from inside. (The dogs, who were 3 years old at the time of construction, could easily jump onto the top bunk.) A teak step makes it easier for the dogs to get in and out of the shower, and it provides a spot for someone to kneel while washing them.
See more of this renovation
The team was sure to incorporate the needs of the dogs, including custom dog bunk beds that can be easily pushed open by the dogs from inside. (The dogs, who were 3 years old at the time of construction, could easily jump onto the top bunk.) A teak step makes it easier for the dogs to get in and out of the shower, and it provides a spot for someone to kneel while washing them.
See more of this renovation
4. Bright, Light Basement Craft Studio
Location: Melrose, Massachusetts (just north of Boston)
Designer: Interior designer and homeowner Justine Sterling
Before: Justine Sterling’s dark basement wasn’t functioning for her family of four and wasn’t all that welcoming either, especially given that it was her family’s main entry from the driveway. Additionally, the rest of the interior designer’s house offered limited storage solutions for sports equipment, seasonal items and other excess goods.
Location: Melrose, Massachusetts (just north of Boston)
Designer: Interior designer and homeowner Justine Sterling
Before: Justine Sterling’s dark basement wasn’t functioning for her family of four and wasn’t all that welcoming either, especially given that it was her family’s main entry from the driveway. Additionally, the rest of the interior designer’s house offered limited storage solutions for sports equipment, seasonal items and other excess goods.
After: Gray vinyl flooring and clean white walls envelop what is now a bright, welcoming entry to the renovated basement mudroom. Stuva wardrobe systems from Ikea integrate with the white walls; Sterling and her husband use one closet for coats, and their children use the other. “People are amazed when they see my kids come in and put that stuff away, but it had been my goal for a long time. I pushed them for a while, and it worked,” Sterling says.
Read more about this basement mudroom transformation
Read more about this basement mudroom transformation
5. Organized ‘Mudroom’ in a Once-Hidden Closet
Location: Seattle
Designer: Homeowner Kristen NyQuist
Before: Homes in regions that don’t experience extreme, snowy winters often don’t have defined mudrooms to store winter gear. Instead, entry landings or closets near the front door get bombarded with backpacks, shoes or other discarded outerwear.
This was true for the NyQuists, a family of five in Seattle, who used a landing near the entry of their split-level home to drop their belongings.
Location: Seattle
Designer: Homeowner Kristen NyQuist
Before: Homes in regions that don’t experience extreme, snowy winters often don’t have defined mudrooms to store winter gear. Instead, entry landings or closets near the front door get bombarded with backpacks, shoes or other discarded outerwear.
This was true for the NyQuists, a family of five in Seattle, who used a landing near the entry of their split-level home to drop their belongings.
After: Kristen Nyquist converted a coat closet near the front door into a makeshift mudroom, removing the doors and adding a cushioned bench, fresh paint, storage crates and new wall hooks. “Now stuff isn’t hanging around on the landing anymore — including all of us,” she says.
Read more about this closet transformation
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Read more about this closet transformation
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
Designer: Sylvia Daoust of Niche reDesign
Before: The homeowners, a couple with a young child, had lived in their house in Alberta for three years before they renovated their mudroom, tackling the rest of the house first. The room had been used mainly as a storage space before the renovation, but its location next to the garage and backyard (and pool) set it up to be a great spot for changing and corralling daily-use items.