Mudrooms have become the center of family organization in many homes. That space where everyone first walks into from the garage becomes a catchall for backpacks, shoes, sports equipment, jackets, etc. Off-the-floor solutions to organizing these areas rarely fulfill all the needs of a homeowner, so we receive many calls to build custom mudroom cabinetry.

For the Carmel home pictured above, our client was looking to fill a blank wall in her back hallway to help organize her family. The space was right next to the laundry room on the way to the garage, and served as the “drop zone” for all their stuff when they arrived home. She wanted everyone to be able to hang their coats, as well as have a place to put their bags and shoes. Baskets for hidden storage were also important, and a bench to make taking shoes on and off easier. Another main goal was to keep items out of the pathway to and from the garage.

The final design was inspired by images our client had saved from design websites like Houzz.com. She was looking for a custom, built-in look that would match the rest of the architectural detailing throughout the rest of her home. We began with wainscoting to create the custom look, and then built the framework for the bench and the storage cubbies at the top. The cubbies were designed to fit the baskets she had purchased, which is much easier than finding pieces that fit the already built space! We added crown molding, corbels, and molding on the wall panels to bring the details our client was looking for. The cabinet-grade plywood and paint-grade poplar were then painted to match the trim molding in rest of the house.

The bench was secured to the wall on two sides and has a small under wall to support the outer portion. We went with this support design on purpose; a single leg would not have hidden the visual mess of shoes etc. The bench was crafted at standard seat height and depth for comfort and functionality.

The crown molding adds to the finished look of the piece but it has a functional purpose as well. We capped it rather than leaving a deep empty well, offering additional storage space up to the ceiling with enough room to store more baskets etc.

Forcing ready-built solutions into a space that you use every day can lead to even more frustration. Marvelous Woodworking can design and build a custom solution that perfectly suits your needs and style. Contact us about your custom woodworking project by sending an email or calling (317) 679-5890.