Even though we live in the Arizona desert I’ve always wanted a Mud Room. While we don’t have lots of snow or rain, we still have coats, shoes, and bags that need a place to be stashed when we come in the house. At first I had my heart set on one of them wooden coat stands, but we decided to create our own coat rack, we thought this would be more rewarding. Also, a bench to sit on while putting on or taking off shoes. Homes aren’t designed here with designated rooms. So I had to find a space in my home for a space to function as a mud room.
The perfect spot was a hallway that connected my kitchen and dining room with doors to the garage and pantry.
How I turned my hallway into a mudroom and command center
We covered the wall with beadboard and picture rails. Two horizontal boards were added for hooks. The hooks hold coats, purses, hats and school backpacks.
The bench was built using designs we found online (Anna White’s Large Rustic X Bench). Because space was limited, a built-in bench wouldn’t fit. The narrow bench is perfect plus it can be moved out of the hallway if needed.
A picture rail was added above the hooks. I love my Arizona Home art though I need to add more things to the rail.
We replaced the pantry door with a plan door and painted it with chalkboard paint. The PANTRY words were added with vinyl.
Over the door is a clock – always good for crazy mornings to keep us on schedule.
I picked up the wood mail organizer from Goodwill. It stores incoming mail, mail and papers I need to go through. The metal envelope for outgoing mail is from Target. I also store stamps here – why not store things where you need them? The Ikea RASKOG Utility Cart has replaced my ‘junk drawer’ and also holds my recipe notebooks and my son’s homework caddy.
On the opposite wall, I added a hook for keys to one side of the door to the garage. With the alarm system control on this wall, space is limited. The cupcake art, Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake, is from days when I own my Sweet Shoppe.
To the other side of the door to the garage, I added a cork board for cards, schedules and school awards. The rest of this wall has a coat/linen closet.
I don’t have before photos but it was just a blank hallway. I also don’t have specific plans but this is a project that needs to be adjusted for your hall size. Its pretty basic with beadboard with 3 horizontal boards that were edged using a router (optional). A picture rail to the top and hooks added to the horizontal boards. We also had a cutout for the lightswitch.
