The mudroom is every mother's dream. The perfect place to take off muddy shoes and hang up raincoats and backpacks, the mudroom is often considered a utility room, and its decorating possibilities are overlooked. DIY Design & Decorating host Nancy Golden offers some tips to help you make the most of it. Mudroom Necessities Every mudroom needs a chair or bench where you can sit to take off dirty shoes before entering the house. A bench with storage is ideal. Build one from plywood boxes topped by a cushion. Plywood boxes, like those used to make our mudroom bench, provide easy storage. Have one for each family member to toss shoes and boots into, and line a few more with big baskets to hold gloves and mittens. A tall metal planter is a good place to store umbrellas (figure A). Put up a peg rack or coat rack to catch jackets, scarves and backpacks. A tiny peg rack is perfect for keys. We used a decorative birdhouse with hooks as a key-catcher in this birdhouse-themed mudroom. A message center is necessary for a busy family whose members use the mudroom as their main entryway. Put up a cork bulletin board or dry-erase board for messages. Never pass up an opportunity to decorate. A birdhouse theme adds personality to our mudroom. Mudroom Storage Bench Our bench is made from three plywood boxes with a cushion on top. Make yours as long as you like, or build several. Materials:
Three 16"-square plywood boxes
Paint or stain
Paintbrush
One piece of 1/2" plywood, 16" wide x 48" long
Screws and screwdriver
Foam, batting and fabric to make a 16" x 48" cushion
Staple gun and staples
- Buy or build three 16"-square plywood boxes, and paint or stain them as desired. Place them side by side, with the open ends facing out (figure B).
- Layer foam, batting and fabric on the plywood board, and staple the fabric to the back of the board (figure C) to make a cushion. Choose heavy, durable fabric, and treat it with a fabric spray to make it stain- and water-resistant.
- Screw the cushion-topped plywood to the boxes that form the base of the bench.
- Add baskets for storing gloves and scarves in some of the cubicles.
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