Is a mudroom/entry worth it? Most useful features?

[Anonymous]

If you only had a small space for your entry/mudroom, what would you prioritize (and why)? Seating? Storage (what kinds/for what)? Having enough open floor space for 3-4 people to comfortably use the area at once (how much space would be needed for that)? Something else?

What are the specific things that make the space most useful to you, versus what things can/should be left out because they're only nice-to-haves or they turn out to be rarely/never used?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you only had a small space for your entry/mudroom, what would you prioritize (and why)? Seating? Storage (what kinds/for what)? Having enough open floor space for 3-4 people to comfortably use the area at once (how much space would be needed for that)? Something else?

What are the specific things that make the space most useful to you, versus what things can/should be left out because they're only nice-to-haves or they turn out to be rarely/never used?

Think about how your family uses and tidies their entry space. For us (family of 4 with 2 teen boys) we prioritized hooks and open storage to access shoes, backpacks, hats, sunscreen, car keys over benches and compartmentalized cubbies and lockers.

For us, a bench is neither a nice-to-have nor an essential. It just gathers stuff that should have been put away. All four of us never sit at the same time, so I have two metal stools instead. They stay empty and are used for putting on shoes.

Closed lockers and divided cubbies do not work for us. The dividers take up space. You can have 20 hooks along a wall vs 12 hooks along a wall divided into cubbies. Closed doors just worsen the chaos inside, do not allow you to see the contents, and adds two steps to retrieval, opening and closing. Not to mention opening and closing the wrong doors. We have one wall with hooks and another with open ikea pax units with glass front drawers, shelves and hanging rods. Shoes are stored on shelves. Everyone gets a drawer with their socks, gloves, hats etc. Outdoor wear out of season is hung. Outdoor wear in season, backpacks, towels are hung on the hooks. There is a laundry truck next to the hook wall for dirty clothes.

I like to think of the mudroom more like a pantry than a locker room. You don’t want to have to open and close multiple doors and squeeze your dry food in cubbies. You want them to be easily accessible and visible.