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Small mud rooms


25 Stylish Mudroom Ideas 2022

Your mudroom is the first thing you see when you walk into your house—well, at least when you enter through the back or side door—so it needs to make a strong first impression. Of course, it also needs to be functional. How do you make a room meant to corral dirty shoes, all your bulky outerwear, and pet accessories look chic and organized? Trust us, it's possible. No matter how much space you're working with, we've got ideas for how to make your mudroom as stylish as the rest of the house. Keep reading for twenty five mudroom ideas straight from interior designers.

1

Hide Storage With Curtains

Laure Joilet

Want shelf clutter out of sight without installing cabinet fronts? Take a page from Frances Merrill of Reath Design, who hung fabric panels from the counter beside the sink. They add softness to an otherwise hard-edged space. Bonus: A roomy sink and worktop can also allow your mudroom to double as a potting shed.

2

Ensure Visual Flow

Amy Neunsinger

When a mudroom is doorless, consistency is key. For a drop zone adjacent to a blue-and-white kitchen in Beverly Hills, Mark D. Sikes kept the theme going with preppy striped wallpaper. This ensures the two rooms complement each other and blend well. In other words, don't just think of your mudroom as a storage bunker.

3

Blend Outdoors and Indoors

Alison Pickart

In this hallway connecting the main home to the garage, Alison Pickart warmed up the outdoor-friendly materials—like the glass doors, a skylight, and a durable flooring—with cheerful throws and a complementary light gray paint for the walls.

4

Use All Available Wall Space

Douglas Friedman

Ken Fulk used floor-to-ceiling storage to create a de facto mudroom from an empty hallway. A rolling library ladder provides access to odds and ends up top, while a built-in nook with a cushion becomes a spot for lacing shoes.

5

Make It Out of Thin Air

Dane Tashima

In the home of House Beautiful editorial director Joanna Saltz, shoes, coats, and bags on the entryway floor were a tripping hazard. Her designer Jean Stoffer's solution: install black-wood built-ins from Califorina Closets in an unused hall, with a footwear drawer and cubbies to hold gear and backpacks.

6

Get Organized

Sara Tramp

This mudroom designed by Emily Henderson has a seriously impressive organization system. The hooks right by the door are for leashes and collars while human accessories can be hung by the bench—perfect for removing shoes. Then the top shelf above the bench is for gardening supplies, and everything else goes in the built-in shelves.

7

Scale Back

Heidi Cailler

If you don't have a massive mudroom, don't worry: Heidi Caillier designed a small makeshift mudroom in a little nook by the back entrance and elevated it with custom millwork, fresh throw pillows, and a charming wallpaper backdrop.

8

Add a Sink

Simon Watson

If your mudroom is technically its own separate building or room, meanwhile, design it to serve double duty as a gardening shed or greenhouse. A skylight will work wonders and it's a good alternative to a greenhouse if there isn't room to build on in the yard. This mudroom designed by Jeanette Whitson feels more like a conservatory.

9

Skip the Furniture

Leanne Ford Interiors

Having a bench in a mudroom is great, but if it's going to clog the hallways and mess with visual flow, skip it. Simple add some hooks to the wall and you'll be set. Here, Leanne For spread them out evenly into two rows along the wall.

10

Opt for a Dutch Door

Beatriz da Costa

Dutch doors are great because they are part window and part door, each half opening and closing independently. This means you can use it as a window without worrying about kids or pets getting outside, or you can use it as a gate to let pets in and out.

11

Lay an Area rug

Chango & Co

If you choose to use tiles for more durable, resilient, and easy-to-clean flooring (and you should, as that definitely helps in a mudroom), then warm things up with an area rug. Chango & Co. used a cheerful printed rug to warm up the back tiles.

12

Combine it with Laundry

Nathan Kirkman

To prevent this working area from feeling small and cramped, designer Julia Buckingham created a "calming oasis with a touch of whimsy," by painting the cabinets a bright white and installing Sanderson's Swallows wallpaper. There are also plenty of extra storage spaces, which is a must in a mudroom.

13

Customize for Pets

Jenn Feldman Design

Make it pet-friendly with built-in feeding bowls that can be easily tucked away when not in use. Jenn Feldman Design took the theme to the next level with dog-print wallpaper.

14

Use Vintage Pieces

Leanne Ford Interiors

You don't have to build a fancy custom unit with seating and storage. Take note from Leanne Ford by sticking with the basics and saving money by reworking vintage items, like this simple bench.

15

Add a Dog Shower

VICTORIA PEARSON

When coming up with a layout for your mudroom, first, think about how you'll actually use it. For example, this mudroom designed by Sherry Hart and Jennifer Jones Condon also functions as a laundry room, and to clear up some space for a doggy shower, the designers stacked the washer and dryer vertically.

16

Create Flow

Chango & Co.

Your mudroom should be warm and functional, like this calming neutral-toned space designed by Chango & Co. Create a space where people can sit, throw boots on, grab a coat off the hanger, and head out. And if it flows into the rest of the space, keep things understated so it doesn't clash.

17

Draw the Eye up

Regan Baker Design

Use bold accent pieces and materials to keep the eye focused on the fun stuff instead of the storage essentials. Here, Regan Baker Design opted for refreshing mint green floors and a complementary whimsical wallpaper.

18

Skip the Coat Rack

Tessa Neustadt

Forget the giant coat rack that always topples over. A horizontal option takes up zero floor space, but offers the same amount of storage. That way you can use floor space for storage furniture instead, like this one in a mudroom designed by Emily Henderson.

19

Add a Sink

Courtesy of Tessa Neustadt

If you want to avoid trekking dirt in the house, you need more than a place to take off your shoes and hang your coats. Install a sink and contain the entire mess to your mudroom.

See more at Amber Interiors.

20

Bring in a Fun Vibe

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Add fun elements, like this decorative wallpaper and woven lamp in a mudroom by Barrie Benson, to keep the space from feeling stuffy.

21

Fake It 'til You Make It

Courtesy of Young House Love

No formal mudroom? No problem. Turn an oversized cabinet into a mini mudroom. Add shelves for shoes, hooks for coats/backpacks, and baskets to hold gloves, scarves, and hats.

See more at Young House Love.

22

Buy a Cabinet

Courtesy of Tessa Neustadt

Instead of setting up a bench and hanging hooks on the wall, buy a unit that contains everything in one. From cubbies up top, to hat/coat pegs, to a built-in bench, you've got a complete mudroom with just one piece of furniture. And BTW, is this black piece not the chicest mudroom you've ever seen?!

See more at Amber Interiors.

23

Play with Seating

Karyn R. Millet

You might already have a bench in your mudroom, but if you add an upholstered cushion, it becomes way more comfortable to sit and put on or take off your shoes. The blue and white lattice pattern in this seat cushion mimics the diamond motif of the marble floor in this San Francisco house.

24

Bring The Party To Your Floor

Courtesy of Tessa Neustadt

Your mudroom was the least exciting room in your house—until now. Thanks to a bold, geometric patterned floor, the party starts the minute you walk in the door.

See more at Amber Interiors.

25

Pump Up The Color

Jonny Valiant

The easiest way to bring life to a drab space is with bold, fun color. In a New Jersey beach house by designer Mona Ross Berman, a bright orange keeps the mudroom from looking like your everyday, basic mudroom.

Hadley Mendelsohn Senior Editor Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior design editor and the co-host and executive producer of the podcast Dark House.

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It may only be the space where kids take off muddy boots, where you drop mail or your keys but, – depending on how your house is laid out – even the tiniest of mudroom space is deserving of proper decorative attention. When the best small mudroom ideas will have this spot looking totally gorgeous and organized, not just for your eyes but for any guests too, getting the look on point will become a top household priority.

For some, the mudroom may be the first thing you see when you open your door. It needs to be versatile and functional and be able to hold wet coats, dog leads, muddy footwear, hats, gloves and scarves. Not forgetting you'll need some kind of seating area too...

Small mudroom ideas 

Small rooms are harder to design but, it's so important to get it right, especially if yours opens out directly from your entryway. Even if it's a little hidden and no matter how awkward or narrow a mudroom you have, there are lots of design tricks using storage, paint colors and more to help enhance your space both literally and figuratively. Transform yours into a functional area and see how it will serve all of your outdoor wear needs that little bit better in all seasons. 

1. Use space-enhancing wallpaper 

(Image credit: JL Design/Reagen Taylor Photography)

There's absolutely no reason why you can't have wallpaper in your small mudroom, in fact, it will give it a colorful lift if it's in a dark space. Use a design that has vertical stripes to give the illusion of height and you can accessorize it with colors from the scheme. 

A hallway wallpaper design with only one or two colors will be more effective in a small space that one that's 'busy', so keep it simple.  

2. Consider your pets' needs too

(Image credit: Cox & Cox)

A great small mudroom idea is to keep your dog’s bed in the space, it keeps it out of the way of other rooms and all other pet accessories can be stored with it – dog leads, food containers and any coats they have too. 

Put up a peg rail as subtle mudroom storage that can hold the dog leads and your hats and scarves. 

(Image credit: Kim Armstrong Interior Design/Michael Hunter)

Mudroom laundry rooms make the perfect workaround a smaller space, catering better to household needs while a connected space will make both individual areas feel large. Try creating a link by running the same flooring or wall color throughout.

'When I’m designing a 'dumping zone' for a family and the clients have limited space I try to focus on the necessities of keeping a family organized…. Those are shoes, backpacks and miscellaneous clutter that you don’t want to be seen,' explains Kim Armstrong, owner and principal designer at Kim Armstrong Interior Design .

'So, when I have limited space like in this particular mudroom I designed, I have shoe space below the bench, hooks for the backpacks, and closed storage above. It’s pretty simple, but It’s a design I re-use often, because it works.' 

4. Shiplap a corner for interest

(Image credit: Industville/Inglis Hall)

How charming is this small mudroom? It has everything you need – shelving, hooks for coats, leads and bags, a stool and space for shoes and boots. And, if you DIY shiplap in your tiny space all the way up to the ceiling it will add much-needed height.

Painting the top half in a lighter shade creates the illusion of space whilst the duck egg blue links to the painted floor. The rug adds a decorative element and makes the corner feel cozy.

5. Fit purpose built cubes for your wellies

(Image credit: The Main Company/Chris Snook Photography )

‘Bespoke storage solutions allow for endless design possibilities,’ explains Alex Main, director at The Main Company .

‘An ideal choice for compact spaces or those with a more unusual layout, bespoke boot room cabinets can be designed to suit the home. Low-level bench seating and floor-to-ceiling cupboards maximise the vertical space available and create ample storage space for shoes, coats and other essentials.’

6. Make the most of a spare wall if space is tight

(Image credit: Fired Earth)

A small mudroom area can be created anywhere really, all you need is somewhere to fix a peg rail and a seating area that has compartments like shoe storage and the like. You can use baskets for extra storage that can hold gloves, hats and blankets.

This neat idea takes up a very small amount of space, yet is cute, compact and does the job perfectly.

(Image credit: The Main Company/Chris Snook Photography )

‘For a touch of luxury, opt for reclaimed cladding or high-quality hardware, this will make the space feel more personal whilst adding effortless style appeal,’ advises Alex Main, director at The Main Company .

It also adds texture and a visual warmth to this corner which makes it feel cozy too. The entryway bench style seating adds to this relaxed yet functional mudroom.

8. Choose made to measure storage for the best fit

(Image credit: Olive & Barr)

‘To maximise space in areas often overlooked such as small mudrooms, consider made-to-measure units. Asides from creating a place to hang coats and shoes, it provides ample amounts of storage to house those everyday items like umbrellas, hats and other accessories,’ says Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr .

The addition of a bench breaks up the cupboard space and creates an area to perch while removing shoes and wellies. A wooden bench is easy to keep clean from mucky paws but for added comfort consider adding a padded cushion.  A well organized area can be a real game changer when rushing to get out of the door. Make sure everything is in order with handy wicker baskets and easy to access hooks. Not only will everything have its place, but it will also always look tidy and presentable for guests’ arrival.’

9. Keep it fresh with an all white scheme

(Image credit: House of Jade/Travis J Photography)

Painting any room white will help to create the illusion of space, and if your mudroom is small you'll need plenty of storage options too, as Kirsten Krason, co-owner and principal designer of House of Jade Interiors explains:

'If you have the space for a bench it's a great opportunity to add in some designer pillows which will make your mudroom look thoughtful and colorful. Drawers in a mudroom are a great way to hide away odds and ends so that no one can see them but everything is still accessible. If you don't have a designated mudroom consider any space in your garage as mudroom storage. You can add a little bench with cubbies for baskets to use as you come and go from your home.'

10. Go for all out patterned floors

(Image credit: Carpetright)

The white paint in this space really does lift this corner that doesn’t get as much natural light as you'd hope for.

However, the blue tiled floor offers a stylish statement and you can see how easy it is to accessorize further with blue and white pillows on the bench seating. The advantage of tiles is that you can give them a quick mop and all the muddy footprints will disappear in no time. 

11. Invest in modular units that you can add to

(Image credit: Garden Trading)

When space is tight you need to be clever with how you design your small mudroom. 

If you don’t have the budget to go down the bespoke route then invest in storage units that can work together and be stacked so you can go up as well as widthwise. The same goes with peg rails, use as much wall space as you can so that all hanging pieces are up and out of the way.

12. Create depth with dark on light

(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)

A dark floor will add depth to any scheme – and let’s face it, is a great color choice for a small mudroom!

To carry on the dark theme use a dark grey or black countertop and door handles. You can vary this throughout, the mid-grey backdrop here that holds the bags and tops adds a softness to the scheme – preventing it from becoming too stark. 

What do you put in a small mudroom?

When your mudroom is small, you need to only use it for those essentials that you use/wear often. Try not to let it get cluttered with lots of coats and shoes that you don’t often use on a daily basis. A seating option is always a good idea – even if there is only enough room for one person to sit on it at a time. We'd also definitely look into pieces with built-in storage to conceal those coats and shoes that you don't always need readily to hand. Not forgetting the simple addition of hooks and rails – simple and essential – so do try to get at least one row up.

How can I make a small mudroom functional?

You can keep it functional by being careful with how you use the space. If you can’t go wide, then go high. Install storage cubes that go from floor to ceiling and use baskets as extra storage. Again, keep it clutter free and tidy so it visually takes up less space. 

Another great tip is to Invest in floor mats or rugs to protect the floor and choose designs that are washable for ease.

Sophie has been an interior stylist and journalist for over 22 years and has worked for many of the main interior magazines during that time both in-house and as a freelancer. On the side, as well as being the News Editor of indie magazine, 91, Sophie trained to be a florist in 2019 and launched The Prettiest Posy where she curates beautiful flowers for the modern bride. 

The hostess found cocoons in the bathroom. There were mud wasps inside

A woman found seven large brown cocoons in her bathroom and thought she had spiders in her house. Creepy? It got even scarier when she found out who actually lives inside the nests. It was then that the hostess decided it was time to launch the flamethrower.

An Australian woman entered the bathroom of her house early in the morning and noticed strange cocoons on the wall that looked like clay pots. Insect invasions are common in this country, and people often find reminders of the diversity of the animal world in their apartments.

However, the capsules on the wall made the woman worried. Brown and rather large in size, they immediately caught the eye, writes news.com.au.

Having examined the cocoons closer, the woman decided that in front of her were nests in which spiders lay eggs, but she was not sure that they were harmless insects.

I had never come across anything like this before, so I did not understand how dangerous my find was. If I knew that these are harmless spiders, then in principle I could let them hatch, ”the hostess explained to reporters.

Since there were children in the house, the Australian decided not to take risks and get the opinions of professionals, or rather, ask users of social networks. A woman posted on a Facebook group where she showed a photo and asked which spider capsules from her bathroom looked like cocoons of a spider.

The woman specified that the cocoons showed no signs of life.

People immediately began to tell me that I should sell my house or run away from there, but no one really said what it was. I did not understand what was happening until the professor wrote to me.

University of Sydney specialist Dieter Hochuli explained that the brown cocoons that the woman found in the bathroom are not nests with spider eggs, but houses of mud wasps.

Wasps of this species catch spiders, paralyze them and seal them in their dirty clay nests, Dieter said. “Then they lay their eggs in these nests, and after birth, their young eat the dead spiders until they can gnaw their way out of the cocoon and into the world around them.

The specialist explained that mud wasps usually live in seclusion and rarely appear in a human dwelling, and advised the hostess to get rid of them. Otherwise, if the offspring manage to get out of the cocoons, the woman will really have to leave the house - at least temporarily, while the exterminators do their job.

However, if the residents moved in with the Australian woman without asking permission, another girl placed herself in the epicenter of danger with her own hands. She put the black widow cubs in a jar and only some time later discovered that there was a hole in the jar. Too bad it was already too late.

Sometimes danger lies in wait for people where they do not expect at all. The owner of the cat was touched that the fluffy was trying to save her from the shower, but people explained: the cat's intentions are not so harmless.

Bulganak mud volcanoes - Kerch, Crimea: photo, how to get there, reviews

Volcanic formations to the layman are usually associated with hot rock bombs and fiery lava flows. The idea is generally correct, but they are different. Some, instead of molten stone lava, spew gas and liquid mud. This phenomenon is quite rare. As a result, the Bulganak mud volcanoes of the Kerch Peninsula are a protected natural monument.

CONTENTS

Where are the mud volcanoes on the map? Geography

They are located in the north-east of the Kerch Peninsula, not far from the small village of Bondarenkovo, near the Vostochny Bulganak River.

The Mud Volcano operates on the same principle as the regular one. Under the pressure of gases released at a significant depth, liquefied rocks rise up through cracks in the earth's crust. There are similar objects on the Taman Peninsula and in the Crimea.

Bulganak mud volcanoes are not unique in the vicinity of Kerch. Even the largest - Dzhau-Tepe (60 m high) - is not among them. But the valley near the village of Bondarenkovo ​​(the old Tatar name is Bulganak, means “dirty”, “muddy”), 7 km from Kerch, is the largest concentration of these unusual sights. There are six pronounced units and Central Lake - an ancient crater, small volcanoes constantly appear in it. The area of ​​the canyon itself, so to speak, is less than 4 square meters. km, its maximum diameter is 400 m.

Geologists believe that the Kerch mud hills are ancient and date back 20 or even 30 million years. Some literary critics suspect that the Bulganak Valley inspired Homer to describe the entrance to the kingdom of Hades in the Odyssey, but this is a moot point. Rocks are removed from a depth of up to 9 km. Volcanoes erupt liquid clay with mineral impurities, in significant quantities gas - methane and hydrogen sulfide.

They operate all year round, but scientists have noticed a tendency to become more active in winter. Experts believe that the intensity of their activity is declining, but its geological pace is hundreds of thousands and millions of years. Enough spectacle for our age!

Dangerous trap in the valley of mud hills

Volcanoes are natural attractions that can be visited free of charge and without a schedule. But the guest must take the safety issue responsibly, being on the mudfield sometimes poses a threat to life, which should definitely be remembered by everyone who has chosen Crimean resorts for recreation.

The mud layer near Kerch is thick, it is not easy to guess exactly where the mouth of the next volcano lies under it (they do not act continuously, and the “center” can change the location). It is easy to fall into viscous clay, but getting out of it is a problem, do not forget about it.

Volcanoes began to be systematically studied in the 1920s. of the last century, and already in 1925, the geologist Wolf almost drowned, carelessly standing on the edge of one of the craters. He was lucky - he did not come here alone, a friend helped the scientist to get out of the clay. But his colleague by the name of Voitsekhovsky ventured to go to the volcanoes alone and ... did not return.

Due to the dangerous property, one of the hills during the Great Patriotic War became the hero of the Resistance Movement. She easily sucked in 1943 a careless fascist tank, the crew of which decided that the tanks were not afraid of dirt and to go around some kind of puddle - below Aryan dignity. Now, in the next world, fascist tankers have time to reflect on the benefits of modesty and caution.

But it is important for modern tourists not to repeat their mistakes and not to walk on dried mud. Moreover, you can’t go to inspect the hill field alone. "Swamp" sucks in correctly, but not quickly, so if there is a large company, her prisoner will have time to help. It is better to come here after a few dry days - then a thick hard crust forms. But it is still impossible to approach the places of eruptions.

In the 30s there was a whole plant near the object - valuable chemical compounds were extracted from mud deposits there. The methane erupted by volcanoes also went into business - a canteen for workers worked on it. But at 19In 69, the valley was recognized as a natural monument, now only dirt is collected here for the needs of sanatoriums and hospitals of the Kerch Peninsula and the Crimea.

Rest in the glare of the lunar landscape

It is with him that tourists compare the reviews of the valley of mud volcanoes in Kerch. There is no vegetation in it, life too - only a field of gray mud, reared in places by cones. Eruptions can look like just bubbles - hills are not always formed.

Hydrogen sulfide, emitted by volcanoes, has an unpleasant smell of rotten eggs, you will have to put up with this during the excursion. Methane is odorless, but flammable. Some tourists have fun setting fire to bubbles on the surface of the eruption, but it’s better not to do this - you can’t guess in which area a fire will occur. The erupted silty composition, unlike traditional volcanic lava, is cool.

The local hills have their own names, like real mountains. They are named after famous scientists who explored the Crimea at different times. The owner of the largest crater (15 m in diameter) is named after Nikolai Andrusov, but it does not differ in high height - only 7 m. The highest - 20 m in height - is named after him. Vladimir Obruchev, a famous geologist and paleontologist, an excellent science fiction writer.

In the Valley of Volcanoes, you can try to pick up mud. But you will have to take the procedure elsewhere - there is no water in the steppe near Bondarenkovo ​​at all.

Learn more