Get This Look: Small Space Mudroom Under the Stairs

Most homes, especially older homes, don’t have a designated mudroom and every family needs a drop zone (like these) to corral the clutter of everyday life. This small space mudroom is tucked away neatly under the stairs, providing needed storage without taking up part of a hallway or entry. Read on for 5 tips to making a small space mudroom in your home, under the stairs or elsewhere. (image via Better Homes and Gardens)

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5 Tips for a Small Space Mudroom

1. Clean Up The Surroundings

Clutter begets clutter, so if you can clean up the area surrounding your mudroom area, belongings are more likely to make it to the designated area’s hooks and bins — and not be strewn along the stairs or in the front hall. For an under the stairs mudroom like this, the clean look comes from the white painted stairs and colorful painted stair runner — plus limiting the furnishings and decor in the mudroom nook. Check out our favorite stairway makeovers here and learn how to paint a stair runner in this tutorial. 

2. Hang It Up

This modified chair rail hanging area is easy and looks great! Just grab a piece or two of thick trim (or even just a 1×4 or 1×6 board) and nail/glue it to the wall at the right height for your family and little ones. Add a few fun decorative knobs — they don’t even have to match!

3. Add Seating

A simple bench and cushion are perfect for you to be like Mr. Rogers 🙂 and take off your shoes as you enter and leave your home. Choose a simple bench that has storage to fit your family — build a corner mudroom bench, use a bench with cubbies and baskets to hold gloves and hats, store the family’s footwear in a bench with smaller shoe cubbies, or try a bench with a hinged lid to hide whatever you need out of sight! 

4. Find A Place For Everything

One of the organizer’s mantra’s is “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Labeled baskets and numbered/monogrammed hooks are great solutions to reminding family members where their stuff belongs. A boot tray or even a cute doormat makes a great landing place for shoes and keeps the floor clean — check out this great DIY boot tray by Sawdust and Embryos!

5. Think of the Flooring

In a high traffic and high tracked-in-mess area like an entryway or mudroom, you can save yourself some stress by just taking carpeting out of the equation. If you have linoleum already, you can update it by painting like Tasha did! If not, create an inexpensive low-maintenance floor by ripping out the carpet and

• installing peel and stick floor tiles
• painting a concrete floor
• or painting the plywood subfloor like Ashley Ann and Carrie did. 

Check out more mudroom ideas here on Remodelaholic or over on our Pinterest board
plus browse these small-space mudrooms:

Check out the entire Get This Look collection to see more room tips and inspiration like

Symmetrical Shared Bedroom

Small but Luxurious Kitchen

Living Room Built-Ins