One of our big projects for 2017 is a mudroom makeover! We already have a mudroom that the builders installed in our new home, but it just isn’t functioning for our family. It needs a makeover!

In our previous home, we created a mudroom out of a utility closet, and the design worked great for our family.  We loved having cubbies open to the floor because we could easily kick off our shoes under the bench.

mudroom closet
Mudroom closet from our previous home.

The mudroom worked out so well that in our new home, we were eager to have another one.  Lucky for us, there was a mudroom option in the plans of the new home we selected to build.  The pictures they showed us of the mudroom looked similar to our previous mudroom – a bench with open cubbies underneath.  What we ended up with was a little different…nice, but different. Unfortunately, it’s not functional for our family.

Our Current Mudroom

mudroom makeover with hinged bench

mudroom hinged bench

mudroom makeover bench with hinges

You see, the problem is that we are way too lazy to open up a bench and put shoes inside it.  So, the shoes just end up on the floor in front of the bench.  Plus, the bench is too deep (about 2 feet), and takes up way too much space.  And finally, there is no storage for other things like gloves, hats, etc.  It’s just not working for us.

Removing the Hinged Storage Bench

Mudrooms are great, but they have to be functional first and foremost.  So, at the beginning of the year, I ripped it out!  It broke my heart a little bit to demo something that was so new, but it just had to be done.

mudroom design

Plans for our Mudroom Makeover

The plan is to make a smaller bench with open cubbies underneath, and then add some vertical shelf cubbies on the right side for all of our other stuff.  We’ll also add a shelf above the hooks.  Something similar to this…only half the size.

mudroom cubbies with bench
Source: www.distinctivewoodcrafts.com

A New Bench for Our Mudroom

We started building and made some progress last weekend! The new bench and baseboards have been installed. We have some work to go with the side cubbies, trim, and then lots and lots of painting.

mudroom makeover design plans

It’s already working so much better for our family!  I’ll keep you posted as we make more progress on our mudroom makeover.

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