Are you ready for what Mother Nature throws your way when you bring the outdoors to your indoors? No matter what the season, mud rooms are the catch-all.

Mud rooms and entryways start before you enter your home. Having durable matting outside your door to catch what lies on the bottom of your shoe or boot is a good start, followed by indoor entrance matting to catch what wasn’t caught on the outside mat. If you have kids or dogs, then you know all about the chaos when they enter the house.

What makes the perfect mud room? We have list of great items that will help bring the right kind of function for you and your family.

• Storage is a vital element. You want to be able to go from outdoor to indoor and vice-versa easily. Knowing what you need as far as shoes or boots, outerwear, pet-related accessories will help with your plan. Whether you use shelving, cubbies, closed cupboards or baskets, you simply can’t have enough storage.
• Hooks or peg racks are a great way to keep day-to-day jackets, scarves and hats easy to grab while heading out the door.
• What about all those shoes and boots? Allocate space for a shoe rack, tray or closed storage.
• A place to sit down to put on your shoes or boots is helpful no matter what your age. Add seating like a bench that can also store bins or baskets underneath for added storage. If space is limited, add a storage cube so you can store hats or pet supplies underneath, or add chair on which you can hang decorative bags.
• Space permitting, having a table to throw down your keys or the dog leash can come in handy.
• During rainy seasons, adding an umbrella rack is useful.

The function of your mud room or entryway is entirely up to you and the amount of space you have to work with. However, even the smallest of areas can pack a lot of function. Consider how you would like use the area the moment you walk in the door. Do you want to throw your keys down, sit and take off your footwear, hang your coat or stow away a hat? Answers to these questions will help with laying out the area based on your use. Write them down and keep the list handy so you can refer back as you progress through the design process.

Now that you have determined the function of the mud room or entryway, let’s look at how to make this hard-working space aesthetically pleasing.

The mud room or entryway is very much part of your home, so don’t make it an afterthought in your home décor. Start with an overall colour scheme. The smaller the area, the lighter the wall colour. You also want to be sure it flows with the rest of your home.

You can add in colour with accent pieces like decorative pillows or art for the wall if you have a larger space to work with. If you have a smaller area, consider coloured hooks or fabric on seating to provide the touch of colour.

Adding a rug or runner to the space will help protect your floor and can also add colour, pattern and texture to the area. For that last check before you head out, adding a mirror to the area is always good. It adds light reflection and makes the area feel bigger.

These simple solutions! Whether you incorporate a few or all of them, it’s sure to make life easier when your mud room or entryway is less cluttered and offers freedom of movement.