What Makes a Good Mud Room Great?

I'm just gonna state the fact that I have always wanted/longed for/coveted a mud room.  I don't know why, it's just a quirky thing that I always loved in other people's houses and in magazines.  The house I grew up in didn't have one. All the apartments, townhouses, etc. that I have lived in through the years never had one.  The house that we bought over a year ago has one.  So if you don't have a mud room, don't stop reading, there are take away ideas for everyone in this post.  But please, don't hate me because I have a mud room.  I can't help it - it came with the house.

So what makes a good mud room?  In my opinion: storage, clean-a-bility, washable rug(s), hooks to hang coats and bags on, shoe storage, a little wall decor, and a good paint color.  Our dog's kennel is also in our mud room, so we have to fit that into our space. 

So do you have to have a whole room for these things?  Absolutely not.  You can make a "mud room" area at any entrance/exit of a home.  A mud room in theory is merely a place to contain the outside dirt and mud from entering into the home - and why have I wanted one for so long?

Here are a couple pics of some DREAM mud rooms courtesy of BHG.com.  If yours looks like this, 

don't tell me.

I'd love to have been able to hire a carpenter to create beautiful built-in cabinets perfect for our space, but we decided to just make the space more affordable and usable.  Here's how we "equipped" our mudroom to fit our space and needs in accordance to what I think makes a good mud room.

Storage and Clean-a-bility

PB Bench/Baskets and Linoleum Floor

Washable Rug(s) - get a runner - much more room to walk in the room without getting dirt on the floor.

This is a runner from IKEA -$7 - I have washed it no less than 50 times -LOVE IT!

Hooks to Hang Coats and Bags

Cast Iron Row of Hooks from PB

I love that there are 12 places to hang stuff from and that it's super sturdy.

Shoe Storage - kids shoes are in their bins and adult shoes are in this closet.

Notice the cute wall art to jazz up the area.

And the pooch parlor next to the shoe and broom closet.

So tell me, am I the only one with this weird mud room obsession?