How to utilize your mudroom for back-to-school preparation with these five tips

American Legend homes have endless opportunities to create spaces that simplify your life, especially the mudroom. This frequently under-utilized area can be a great tool to make your back-to-school routine easy and organized.  Better Homes and Gardens gave us some fabulous ideas to make the most of your mudroom. Here are our favorites:

Simple setup
Using all components of a mudroom, assign a space to everything you need in a drop-off and pickup spot. Shoes shuffle into floor-level compartments, and small items take their place in cabinet drawers. Wall hooks make places to hang coats and bulkier items, and the overhead compartments give homes to any stray belongings, such as mittens and hats in winter, and sunscreen and sunglasses in summer. 

Cabinets
Tall cabinets can make the most of a hall space which opens into a kitchen and breakfast nook. Inside the cabinets, there's plenty of space for kids to stash coats and scarves. The cabinet door neatly conceals everything from sight.

Seats
A place to sit while putting on or taking off shoes is a smart addition to an entryway. A two-person bench is easy to incorporate, and the area beneath the bench is perfect for stashing footwear.

Small-space mudrooms
Use a minimal amount of space to the maximum with a few simple solutions. Wall hooks organize bags and jackets while a boot tray on the floor keeps mud and snow off the floor. A bench offers seating for putting on boots or as a spot to place items to grab as you walk out the door.

Open storage
Open nooks and shelves give instant access to whatever is stored in a mudroom. Large baskets are great for containing a number of small items -- sports equipment, school supplies, or winter gear.