Unless you are a housecleaner by nature or by profession, you’ve likely found yourself wishing for more square footage in your home. (If you are a housecleaner, you’ve probably wanted less space to clean!) I, for one, have coveted internal real estate nearly every day after school, when my children burst through the door with their fresh faces of youth (yes!) and mindlessly drop their “luggage” of backpacks, lunch sacks, coats, gloves, and shoes in a heap in their wake (nooo!). At those moments, I would give nearly anything for a proper sized mudroom, equipped with all the essentials of containing such tossable items.

However, after doing a bit of research, I’ve found that there are many ideas for maximizing a hallway, a corner, even three feet of wall space and turning it into a highly functional “mudroom” area. Here are some of those ideas for your perusal:

Barely more than a cornered dead-end hallway, this mudroom is maximized with functionality. Benches allow for easy-on, easy-off shoe access, floor-level shelves provide pragmatic space for said shoes, and upper cubby shelves give people a place to put miscellaneous items. The hooks are easily accessible for hanging outerwear…and there’s even a window to see what the weather’s like out there.

Again, this mudroom is hardly more than the dead wall space behind an exterior door, but check out how many storage options are available! Individual cubbies make all the difference in storage space for this one-wall mudroom (whereas beadboard adds great style). Conveniently, everyone has his/her own space here – both accessibly open and private via cupboard doors. A bench wraps around to the wall opposite the door, which further maximizes every last inch of available space here. And the grey color is warm and serene and just so pretty.

What if you literally have just 2-3 feet of wall space? I’d recommend doing what these homeowners did – use it! Ultimately, a functional mudroom (or mud corner, here) has a place for jackets, shoes, and miscellaneous items like umbrellas or hats. This space has that covered, and using an amazingly small amount of indoor real estate. And, when they’re exposed like this, light-colored and/or matching baskets are the way to go in exhibiting order where, in reality, it might not naturally exist.

This mudroom does double-duty as an office. Although the overall room in the photo looks large, you’ll notice that the space dedicated to the mudroom is not. However small it might be, this mudroom has practical options that are sufficient for someone coming or going here, without having to dump items on the computer desk or the kitchen counters. Even this small shelf-cubby-bench combo keeps stuff contained and organized by the door, where it needs to be. Success!

If your mudroom space is more like a hallway, consider turning one wall into functional storage units and leaving the rest of the hallway open. Of course, one has to organize in the way that works best for her household, but I especially like how this whole-family mudroom incorporates individual baskets for miscellaneous items while shoe space and jacket hooks are up for grabs by anyone. The paneled ceiling brings a sense of coziness to this small space, and the lantern chandelier gives a nod to the indoor-outdoor transition.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.