Do you have any spaces in your home that are just embarrassing? I’m talking dirty, disorganized, and dated messes?
My garage entryway was one of those. It featured a wobbly shoe tower, a scrap wood pile, crumbling leaves that had blown in who knows how long ago, and more spiders than I care to count.
But I finally decided to do something about the mess, and I have to say . . . it has been life-changing! (OK, that might be a little dramatic, but it’s been really good. How about that?)
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to create a garage mudroom or garage drop zone, let this be it. You will not regret it. I’ll show you how I did it and all of the products I used to create this functional space.
Defining the “Mud Room” Space with Paint
After cleaning out the mess and washing the walls (they were covered in dirt and leaf bits), I decided to do something I’d been wanting to do for years: paint the door.
I primed with my favorite adhesion primer, BEHR Multi-Surface Stain Blocking Primer, and then applied two coats of BEHR Cabinet and Trim Enamel in Woodland Moss.
I picked this color because it is really close to the color of our exterior siding, Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green, and I wanted it to flow with the outside when the garage door is open.
I then decided to block off part of the area with painter’s tape and paint the lower part of the walls the same color.
I thought that if I defined the space, we would be less likely to let junk encroach again.
For this, I used BEHR Premium Plus paint in eggshell finish. Eggshell is a little shinier than I wanted, but I felt like this was a good choice because of the scrubability.
Adding Shoe Storage and Sports Bag Storage
After touching up paint bleedthrough on the walls, I was ready to get to work on the actual functionality of this garage mudroom.
Wall-mount shoe cabinets from IKEA
For shoe storage, I settled on two sets of the IKEA Trones wall-mount shoe cabinets for the wall perpendicular to the door.
These shoe cabinets are very narrow, which makes them an ideal choice for this wall, since the door opens onto it. Also, they’re plastic, so they’re easy to clean, and they are quite affordable.
They come pre-assembled, which is AMAZING. And they were easy to hang with wall anchors (or into the studs if it works out that way for you).
Creating hanging storage with wall hooks
Then I attached some pretty gold coat hooks to a scrap board that I stained, and added hanging storage for sports bags above the shoe storage. (One of the other scrap boards sits on top of the shoe cabinets to serve as a little ledge or drop zone.)
I also attached a couple of hooks to the other wall and hung my husband’s swim bag and some umbrellas there.
A little wooden storage stool (also from IKEA) next to the door is the perfect spot to sit down and take the shoes off before coming inside.
The Impact of a Garage Mudroom
After several weeks and a full sports schedule for my family, I can honestly say that this garage mudroom or drop zone was the best thing I could have done to this space!
It has made my indoor mudroom or entryway so much cleaner. The dirt is staying outside, and the clutter of all of the sports bags and gear is staying out there, too.
It took a little while, but my family is finally getting the hang of taking off their “outdoor” shoes and putting them away before coming inside. And I am SO happy!
So I encourage you to claim a little portion of your garage and make it the drop zone you didn’t know you needed. I think you’ll be so happy you did!