Find Your Mud Room (or Area)

Don't have a mudroom but want one?  You may have to be creative and steal a small area in your house near the most frequently used doorway.  It does not have to be big and doesn't have to be a whole room by any means - just a small stretch of wall or a corner of the room.

We don't have a real mudroom so to speak, despite our whole house reno 2 years ago (read all about that here).  We have what I call a "mud area" which is the landing on our stairs in front of our driveway door which is the main every day door in our house now.  We have a small set of hooks there (from Target), and a boot tray (also from Target) to organize the space.

The kids sit on the stairs to take their boots on and off.  Not the most ideal but it's better than nothing!  There is really no room for a stool.  The doors on the right go out to our driveway.  The one on the left is stationary (but can be opened to carry large things to the basement) and the right one we use every day.

The rug is a "water hog" from LL Bean.  I love that it's big enough to cover and protect most of the wood floors.  Well worth the investment even though I would have liked something with a bit more color and interest.

Of course the mess on the boot tray was driving me crazy.  Not much I can do about the boots and shoes that live there.  At least they are contained on the tray!  (more on my tray obsession here)

Then I figured out that the hats and gloves are really the issue, so I found a box at HomeGoods over the weekend for $7.99!  Wow - that is so much better!

  

So, how much was my "mud room"?  Here is how much I paid for my stuff but I gave you some suggestions in case you want to recreate a similar area in your home.  Note: The prices aren't the same because the products I purchased don't seem to be available any more.

Set of Hooks (similar to this) - about $25

Boot Tray (similar to this) - about $30

Mitten Box - $8

Water Hog Mat (find it here) - about $75

TOTAL - about $140

Well worth it to keep the coats and boots off the kitchen floor!