Mud Spaces for Small Hallways

1. The perfect mini mudroom - image by Charlie Kingham 

Not everyone has the luxury of a separate mudroom, however, with some thoughtful design, even a small hallway or entry can achieve organisation for coats, hats, shoes and the dog paraphernalia many of us accrue. 

I have always been envious of those beautiful mudrooms seen in Hampton style homes, so when I spotted some gorgeous, black iron coat hooks on a UK website, Abodent.com I had a fair idea of how I could use them. Abodent is a small company that have not lost their way in the big wide web, I love the personal touch their website has. Abodent have an array of knobs, hooks and home-ware and more excitingly, ship world wide. Abodent have traditional style hooks and handles plus some rather quirky ones too. I wanted to check if the hooks could be shipped to NZ so emailed them and I was pleased to get a prompt reply from Kate, saying "yes".

My hooks arrived quickly, just over a week from placing the order which surprised me considering they came from the other side of the world. Initially I was going to use the hooks to hang 2 hats, however as I unwrapped them I thought I might be a little more creative and considered designing a small mud space for our entrance hall. Currently our hats hang on a candelabra on the other side of the hall and my little hall table is overflowing with keys, dog leads and collars and more, the whole thing is just not working!

My two traditional style hooks from Abodent

When planning a home decor project, I always start with initial inspiration, this helps me to consider what might work in my situation. The black, iron hooks I ordered are similar to the ones seen in typical Hamptons style mudrooms. The shape of the ends of the hooks remind me of horse shoe nails, hence they are definitely more traditional than some of Abodent's more quirky hooks so I wanted to find some traditional country/Hamptons inspiration to help design something for my small space.

2. If you have limited space, think about a narrow bench seat where you could store baskets beneath for shoes. A few coat hooks mounted on the wall will suffice for coats, hats and the occasional dog lead and you can also hang car keys on hooks- Design by Jan Gleysteen Architects

3. In a more generous hallway you might want to consider some built in furniture. Drawers are handy for hiding bunches of keys and fold up umbrellas for a tidy look - Design by Fluidesign Studio 

4. A mud space can have that designer touch, there is no reason not to display a pretty vignette on a shelf and baskets are great for storing bits and bobs - Design by Mowlem & Co

5. Above all, keep the space tidy as it may be the first thing your guests see when they walk in. A tidy mud space is welcoming to visitors. Storage helps to keep things in order - Design by KBK Interior Design 

6. This clever designer made use of the area to add a little desk area, "genius", although I personally don't have that much space - Design by Carlyn and Company Interiors 

7. The perfect small mud space. This design has all the essentials which takes up very little space - By Heartwood Design 

8. Another small well designed area. This is in a kitchen/laundry area but would work equally as well in an entrance hall.  I especially love the idea of the cupboards beneath - Design by Morgan

9. Make sure you match your hooks with your handles when it comes to materials, black hooks, black handles, stainless hooks, stainless handles - Design by Robert Paige Cabinetry LLC

10. For very limited space a simple bench seat with hooks above. You can achieve this look by fixing your hooks to a panel of wood which you then screw into your wall or you could purchase one from Abodent as seen below - Image via ZeroEnergy Design

Hooks from Abodent, other designs available

Photo by David Small Designs - Browse entryway ideas

Photo by George Ramos Woodworking 

A couple of unique hooks spotted on Abodent...




and a great range of cute knobs...

After looking at all the inspirational photos of mud spaces, I have decided on a shelf, hooks and a small built in seat below. I think I will mount the coat hooks onto a decorative shaped board and fix them to the wall above the seat and maybe put some brackets up for a shelf where I can place some baskets for keys and gloves. It looks like it might be a summer holiday project which I will definitely share on completion. 

There are many more designs of coat hooks, handles and other homeware so please hop over and check out their products (link above), I know you won't be disappointed.