Walking into your house always seems to create a bit of a bottleneck, doesn’t it? Everyone’s trying to get their coats and shoes off, and if you don’t have a big enough entryway this can lead to a big crowd of people all wrestling with their backpacks, vying for space. Even if you don’t have the room or resources for a big entryway renovation, there is a solution: why not turn an old closet into a tiny mudroom? A lot of houses have coat closets near the door, and with a little ingenuity you can turn these closets into a perfect entryway area to help streamline your traffic! Clean Out Anything In There: Of course, you’re going to want to start by taking out whatever’s in there already: coat hooks, unused clothing, inconveniently placed shelves, and the like. The best way to design your new mudroom is to leave one shelf up high and try to clear out everything else to make enough room. Start With The Coat Hooks: Next, take out the standard closet rod and replace it with a wire coat rack or set of coat hangers. This will allow easier access to your coats, and will help free up overhead space, which you’ll need for… The Bench: A key part of any mudroom is a good bench! It’ll help free up space when people have to put their shoes on, and if you use a storage bench it can increase the amount of room you can store things like shoes, purses, and umbrellas right by the door. Extra Shelves Up Top: If you have enough height, you might want to add a wall mounted shelf near the top of the closet to add a little extra storage capacity. This shelf can be used to hold boxes of winter clothes you don’t need, extra shoes/rainboots, or whatever else you might need to hang onto in your kitchen! Take The Door Off: This might be the hardest step, but you’ll want to consider taking the door off to increase accessibility and space. Removing the door will help free up space in the entryway (since you won’t have an open door swinging around) and will allow you to get to the bench and the coat hangers easier...and isn’t that the point of all this? With these tips, you should be able to turn any small closet into a mudroom, and while it might look like a big project, you’ll notice the difference the next time your kids have to get ready for school. And trust us...you’ll be glad you did it!