by Christy Heitger-Ewing

When it comes to running a household, the name of the game is order – hence, the saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Especially in busy households with children, crazy morning and afternoon routines are a part of life. With custom designed mudrooms, however, organization reigns.

“When there’s mom, dad, and multiple kids, creating a bit of order while trying to manage a bunch of backpacks, shoes, homework, and sports equipment can be challenging,” says Erin Moore, Executive Designer at California Closets’ Carmel Showroom. “A mudroom can become an organizing and planning area. ”Traditionally, mudrooms are located near the garage, making it easy for family members to access them as they enter and exit the house.

“It’s a landing zone in that it’s the last thing you go to before leaving and the first thing you get to when you return,” says Moore.

There are several different ways to organize a mudroom depending on a family’s needs. Some people want closed doors over everything while others prefer a more open locker/cubby look. Some clients have specific requests like a hidden litter box to be built into a bench. Whatever the request, the team at California Closets makes the design flow with rest of the house – sometimes by adding fun hardware or colorful inserts on doors.

“No matter the family dynamic, we can come up with a solution for any scenario,” says Moore. For instance, if there’s not a dedicated space for a mudroom, they might take the doors off of a coat closet and repurpose that space into a mudroom type look with a bench or lockers. Another option is to build a wall unit outside the door in the garage.

“The garage is often where people like to keep heavy-duty sports equipment anyway,” says Moore. “Making intentional space creates forced organization, and that’s a great thing for everyone.”

Organize your ideal landing zone with a custom mudroom, schedule a consultation online with the design team at californiaclosets.com to get started.