DIY Mudroom Nook

One of the nice things about having limited space and a smaller house is finding creative ways to use the space – in the most effective, useful ways. It’s like a fun challenge, trying to find the smartest ways to use what we have. In our home, we don’t have much of a foyer, or a coat closet. So for a while, we used our main hallway to hang everything. I made a little rack using stained wood and knobs/hooks and it worked fine…but lately, it’s gotten a little out of control:

diy mudroom nook

What you can’t see in this photo, is just how close the opposite wall is. That little hallway is narrow and was feeling mighty crowded with all the coats and bookbags taking up space.

But I thought and I thought and I had just the solution!

Remember when we took the wall down this summer? When we did that, we combined the office and family room into one big space. I thought it would be a good idea to close up the office doorway when we did that, and use that little wall as a makeshift “mudroom.” Far from a real mudroom, but it’s a good spot to hang our coats, have a family calendar, etc.

This is what the entrance to the office looked like way back when:

diy mudroom nook

Then we closed it up when we tore down the wall to expand the room.

coat nook

And I immediately envisioned it with shiplap and black hooks, with a calendar on the little wall to the left, and black doors. So one day last week, I decided to devote one whole day to it, and cranked it out!

diy coat rack nook

Up went the planks (just like I did here, here, and here)…and the black paint (SW Tricorn Black)…

coat rack wall

Then the caulk and white paint (Behr White)…

DIY mudroom nook

diy coat rack nook

Up went the hooks (from Lowes) and a sign from Hobby Lobby…and here we are!

diy coat rack nook

diy mudroom nook

I wanted a big calendar so I picked up a desk calendar from Target, and found a perfect sized empty driftwood frame at Hobby Lobby (just like the one I used for my DIY Shiplap in a Frame project!) and a cute little thing for important papers and pencils at Hobby Lobby as well. (It didn’t come with the hanging mason jar, but I thought it would be great for pencils)…

diy coat rack nook

And now for the coats!

diy mudroom nook

Best part is, the hallway is nice and free of clutter:)

I hung my huge window (gifted to me from a dear friend) that used to be in the old family room:

diy coat rack nook

We have a few other things to do in here – finish replacing the baseboard and add quarter round, and add recessed lights in the hallway (including where the lamp shade light is – that’s on its way out!). And I ordered a runner for the hallway, fingers crossed on that one! I’m stepping outside my comfort zone…we shall see:)

But already it’s a huge improvement and a nice addition to the house. And I’m LOVING my black doors! Such a cool contrast, I don’t know why I didn’t do it years ago!

Anyway, that’s the scoop on how we solved the Swimming-in-Coats Problem. Hope you all are having a good week and checking lots off the never-ending to-do lists. Getting close…trying to soak up every minute of this season as I can – hope you have a great night, and stay warm!

Comments

  1. More shiplap! I love it! Does the door to the right go down to the basement?

  2. I just love what you’ve done w/ that space! btw, where does that door on the right lead to? Is that your basement? Living in Florida i’m always envious of anyone with a basement!

  3. You’ve done it once again…love how you used this great little space.

    Christmas Blessings…
    Sherri

  4. Very creative!

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