It’s that time of year again.  Spring.  That delicious season when the air turns warmer, birds start to sing, flowers start to bloom, and mud reigns supreme.  Spring is one time of year when mudrooms become near necessities in a home.  Unfortunately for many of us, all homes are not equipped with these nice-to-have rooms.

But never fear, creating a mudroom – or a mud-area as I have affectionately termed them – is easier than you might think.  It just requires a little creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Here are three simple ideas to add mudroom functionality to your home.

Add a boot tray and a basket.  This is perhaps the simplest way to save your floors from the mud season.  Boot trays are inexpensive and easy to find.  Placing one just inside the door, along with a catch all basket for umbrellas and other outdoor necessities is a space-saving idea for those with little extra room.

Renovate a closet.  This is an idea we incorporated in our last home.  There was a rarely-used,  storage-closet located near our back door which was the entrance most often used by our family.  So we removed the closet door by removing the door, adding a built in seat with a basket beneath for shoe storage, and hooks above for coats.  Proof positive that a little space can make a fabulous mudroom!

Add a bench.  In our current home, there were already hooks installed just inside the side door (which is, again, the main entrance used by our family).  But the space was small and cramped due to a door that led into the kitchen.  To open up the space, we removed the door and then added a bench so that we had a place to sit while putting on shoes – and to stash shoes beneath.  Such an easy solution and now we have a functional mudroom!

The moral of the story is that with a little bit of creative thinking, and a little effort, just about any house can have a mudroom.  And that  just may help you enjoy this season of mud a little bit  more.