DIY Mudroom Organization with Hidden Dog Kennel & Shoe Storage (Custom Built-In)

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Mudrooms are one of those spaces that have to work really hard. They’re the drop zone, the shoe pile, the dog station, and sometimes even a mini office. Ours was doing none of that very well.

We had shoes taking over the floor, a dog kennel to trip over daily, and no real workspace for everyday tasks. It had loads of storage… but it wasn’t functional.

Why I Designed a Custom Desk for Our Mudroom

So I decided to build a custom DIY desk that could solve all three problems at once. This one built-in piece hides our dog’s kennel, adds organized shoe storage, and gives us a practical desk that actually fits our life.

And the best part? It looks like it was always meant to be there.

In this post, I’m sharing how this DIY completely transformed our mudroom organization, along with simple, realistic ways you can customize your own mudroom without a full renovation.

Whether you’re dealing with clutter, awkward layouts, or just want your space to feel more intentional, this project proves that a little creativity can make your mudroom both beautiful and hardworking.

Post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

The Problems We Were Trying to Solve

One thing this home offers that we’ve never had at any other house is an entire room to use as a mudroom. We converted the original dining room into a mudroom because it was centrally located between the front and back doors.

Having an entire room for this purpose is a dream; especially in a damp, muddy, cold state where we have lots of winter gear to store. But there were three major problems this room didn’t solve for us in spite of its size.

Shoes Taking Over the Entry

We are only a family of four. But all our shoes are stored in this room.

Winter boots. Summer flip flops. And everything in between. On top of that, there is no shoe smaller than a size 10 women’s (and up to a men’s 15!).

So our shoes are BIG and plentiful. They don’t fit into a traditional store bought shoe organizer.

A Dog Kennel With No Where Else to Go

Next up, we got a puppy this year. Just like the baby stage, you tend to forget how much “gear” a puppy requires.

Her crate had no where else to go and sat in the middle of the room for months. This needed a solution.

No Functional Work Space

You know how the kitchen island ends up being the landing zone for all the things that need attention? I wanted to move that landing zone to the mudroom where it is out of sight, but not out of mind.

A landing zone for returns that have to go back, paperwork that needs to be filed, school papers that need to be signed and returned, and grandma’s dishes you need to get back to her. You know, the real life stuff.

Additionally, when I built my custom peg rack, I underestimated the number of hats my family has. The precious space needed for coats and back packs was quickly overrun by hats. So. Many. Hats.

So I needed to create more than one solution for hanging items in the new design.

The Design Plan: One Built-In, Three Functions

With the problems identified, I got to work designing one mudroom built-in to cover all three functions.

This solution is perfect if you have existing cabinetry with a small nook off to one side. Or, you can create your own storage around it.

With one built in, I added:

• Desk Space for Everyday Life
• Hidden Dog Kennel
• Integrated Shoe Storage

How This DIY Mudroom Organization Transformed Our Space

Let’s start with what I already had working well in this space.

• Set of 4 Ikea Pax units stores all our coats, gloves, scarves, snorkel gear, beach towels, paper towel stash, toilet paper stock, and more. These are the workhorse of the room and you can see how I built them in this video.
• In floor heat we installed during our renovation makes the large format tile dry quickly on muddy or snowy days. Great investment!
• Custom peg rack holds an incredible amount of coats and hats for daily easy access.
• Antique pine cabinet, converted to broom closet, holds all our vacuums, mops, brooms and cleaning supplies.

With the need for this DIY desk, I removed the peg rack and swapped the broom cabinet to that wall. This room has a door or window on every wall except the wall the Ikea cabinets are on. So that wall was my only option for this project.

I then built the desk and cut down and reused my custom peg rack above it.

Building the Custom Built-In Desk

Moving that antique cabinet created the perfect little nook to add my DIY desk to. All that was left to do was build it.

If you’d like to see my process for building the desk, you can watch that here.

I built the desk simply out of plywood and 1x2s, and then painted it to color match the Ikea cabinets.

It offers the right height to fit my dog’s kennel under, with enough width to add a shoe rack next to it.

Within the desk itself, I included a shelf which can be used for more shoe storage, and/or for paperwork and other everyday items. We use the top of the desk to hold returns and other items that we need to quickly grab.

Additionally, I added an adorable cafe rod and curtains (which I hemmed) so the unattractive items can easily be hidden away when guests arrive at the front door.

You could certainly create doors with mesh for breathability for your pup instead of a curtain. But I went this route because someday she won’t need a kennel, and I wanted the flexibility to reimagine the space down the road.

Finally, I moved the bench off the wall to float in the middle of the room with a washable rug.

This has created an excellent option for putting on shoes easily. It also created a natural walkway for easy access to all the surrounding cabinetry.

Easy Ways to Customize Any Mudroom (No Full Renovation Needed)

As you can see from the before photos, I also updated our mudroom aesthetically with paint (Otter by SW) and wallpaper (from Loomwell.)

However, there are many ways to update a room without a full renovation!

Add Furniture That Works Double Duty

Choose functional furniture that can double as mudroom organization.

Our bench seat has a flip up top to store bulky seasonal items like beach bags or snow suits in the off season.

If more shoe storage is a higher priority, there are many options for bench seating with built in shoe racks too.

Hide the Practical Stuff Behind Pretty Design

For mudrooms, closed storage is essential. But don’t feel like exposed storage can’t be included!

It should just be done with good design.

In my space, I used simple accents like:

• walnut pegs on a highly functional peg rack
• an easy to open and close curtain to hide shoes
• an antique cabinet for cleaning supplies

Think Vertically with Storage

Use the height in your room for optimal storage. Our Ikea cabinets go all the way to the ceiling (8 ft.).

In the tallest part of the cabinet, I store bulk paper products and seasonal items. This frees up the small amount of storage we have in our bathrooms and bedrooms.

Use Trim and Paint to Make DIYs Look Built-In

And finally, we added crown moulding and face framing to the Ikea cabinets and DIY desk to make it look like one unit with the room.

Color matched paint blends it all together seamlessly for a more custom appearance.

Final Thoughts: Creating a Mudroom That Works for Real Life

I’ve tried several iterations of mudroom storage since we moved into this home and this layout is by far the most functional!

If you have the space, float a bench or small table in the middle of the room. It feels counterintuitive, but it actually creates more function than having everything up against a wall.

Here are some of my tried and true organization tools and furnishings that can be adapted to most spaces.

Also, create landing spots for specific bulky items.

Before, I had one peg rack for everything. With this new design, I designed two individual hooks for bulky backpacks and a zone for ball caps.

These are separate from the coat rack and it works much better!

I hope this has been helpful as you create your own mudroom organization in your home!

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. Make sure to browse more options for small mudroom organization from my past homes below.

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~Sarah