Stylish Small Benches to Beautify Tiny Mudroom Spaces

Entering your home through a small, cluttered mudroom can set a stressful tone for the rest of your day. However, transforming that tiny space into an organized and stylish entryway is easier than you may think. The simple addition of a thoughtfully designed small bench can provide both form and function to elevate your compact mudroom.

With creative solutions like built-ins, standing benches, corner nooks, and multi-purpose furniture with storage, you can maximize every inch of your mudroom.

Benefits of Having a Bench in Your Mudroom

Before diving into the specifics on sizes and styles, let's look at why a bench is a worthwhile investment for your home's entryway:

• Provides a place to sit comfortably while taking off shoes or boots after a long day
• Gives you room set down bags, lunches, sports equipment when coming and going
• Adds an element of sophistication and completeness to the space
• Can utilize corners, walls, and other unused areas as a clever space saver
• Keeps winter boots, shoes, umbrellas, and outdoor gear organized

For such a small room that is often given little thought, a mudroom handles an abundance of traffic and clutter from day-to-day activities. Having a specifically designed spot to place bags, shoes, pet leashes, and everything else coming in and out of your home allows this space to function properly and not spread disorder to the rest of your rooms.

Preserving Your Floors

Another advantage of a padded mudroom bench is preserving your existing floors. Whether you have brand new wood floorboards or polished concrete you want to keep pristine, a bench gives you a designated spot to leave potentially wet or dirty shoes.

Instead of trail of footfall leading through the house, family and guests have a tidy spot to remove their rain or snow-covered shoes after coming inside. This saves your floors from premature scratches and stains.

Making Use of Tight Quarters

In most homes, the mudroom/entryway tends to be one of the smallest nooks. With space at a premium, a narrow or corner bench maximizes even the most awkward areas. It is important to carefully measure the empty spaces in your existing mudroom to determine what bench dimensions will fit.

If you have a completely blank wall, a long built-in bench is an ideal choice. For angled corners or narrow spots alongside doors, try a corner nook bench customized with the features you need. There are even benches specifically made for odd measurements and sloping ceilings to take advantage of every bit of available room.

Maximizing Space with a Tiny Mudroom Bench

Now that you know the useful role a bench plays in your home's entrance, we can dive into space-saving solutions to fit one into your modest square footage. From creative built-ins to standing benches requiring zero floor space, you can make any mudroom design work for your home and lifestyle.

Exploring Built-In Mudroom Bench Ideas

Custom built-in benches rank among the most popular options for small mudrooms. Expertly constructed to flawlessly match the exact dimensions of your space, they provide seating and storage without cramming.

Benefits of custom built-in mudroom benches include:

• Completely utilize awkward narrow spaces and corners
• Provide copious storage with shelves, cabinets, and cubbies
• Allow customization of bench height, depth, color to suit your needs
• Seamlessly blend into your home's architecture and style

Draw inspiration online from the many clever built-in bench blueprints fellow DIYers have created. Use their insight to craft the ideal bench for where your family drops keys, charges devices, steps in and out each day.

Choosing Multi-Purpose Mudroom Benches

Another space-saving suggestion is a storage bench or cubby that pulls double duty. For instance, you can select a bench with lift-up lid storage to accommodate larger items like cleaning tools or sports equipment. Or try hooks above and below to hang everything from jackets to leashes to handbags.

Storage benches also allow you to neatly tuck away items like gloves, hats, cleaning products in fabric bins and baskets within the bench itself. This is invaluable for keeping your modest square footage clutter free and soothing to the eye.

Making Use of Walls and Corners

For exceptionally small mudrooms, consider using the walls, corners or other unused vertical real estate. Wall mounted benches provide a place to sit while taking zero floorspace. You can also have a carpenter custom build a bench perfectly sized for an angled corner.

Benches made specifically for corners maximize awkward layouts in older homes with non-standard dimensions. If there is room right inside your exterior door, a corner bench with ample storage compartments allows you to utilize every inch of available space in your modest mudroom.

Choosing the Right Small Bench Design

Benches made for tight mudrooms come in an exciting range of styles, sizes, colors and building materials to enliven your entryway. Assess your family's specific needs along with the room's physical dimensions when selecting compact bench concepts.

Considering Ergonomic Bench Heights

An importance facet of picking a bench is selecting an appropriate height and depth. Standard bench heights average 18-20" tall. However, the ideal, ergonomic height allows most users' feet to rest flat on the floor with thighs parallel.

If family members differ substantially in height, consider an adjustable bench. Or include a step stool that slides discretely under the bench when not in use. There are even tiered benches with multiple height options built right in.

Prioritizing Comfort Features

Aside from optimal height dimensions for comfort, also consider:

• Padded seat
• Supportive backrest
• Armrests for comfort and accessibility

Selecting Durable Building Materials

Mudrooms handle abundant moisture, muck, and foot traffic. Choose benches made from long-lasting woods like oak, maple, and walnut famous for durability. For budget DIY builds, pine, plywood and poplar offer attractive grain patterns on a smaller scale.

Moisture-resistant woods like teak and eucalyptus also hold up well. And don't shy away from metal, especially powder coated steel. Aluminum withstands heavy use while resisting rust.

No matter the material, apply a high grade polyurethane finish formulated for floors. This protects against scrapes, stains and fading while simplifying cleaning.

DIY Small Mudroom Bench Concepts

Creating your own petite mudroom bench allows customization to perfectly suit your family's lifestyle. While each DIY bench requires varying skillsets, these thrifty projects not only save money but let you control the final product.

This straightforward bench fits snuggly into a 90 corner to provide out-of-the-way seating. Using readily available 1 x 10 boards and basic tools like a circular saw, drill and sandpaper makes construction a beginner project.

Customize this basic design by adding built-in storage cubbies between the bench slats. Coat hooks mounted above give you a dedicated spot for jackets and bags. For comfort, secure weather-resistant 2" foam cushions covered in your choice of durable, easy-clean fabric.