Recipe for the Perfect Mudroom

I don't have a mudroom in my apartment. But with 2 dogs and a husband, it is high up there on my wishlist for when I buy a house. A mudroom is a room in your home that acts as the pass-through between the inside and outside. It is usually a place for hanging coats, taking off dirty boots, cleaning the dogs and sometimes even doing laundry.

Let's take a look at the essential elements of the perfect mudroom that will keep the winter where it belongs: outdoors!

1. Easy-to-clean floors. Any mud, dirt, sand, snow, rain, grass or whatever else your family tracks in can be cleaned up in a jiffy if you choose the right floors. Linoleum or ceramic tile are probably the best choices for these rooms. However, you could also use a waterproof surface, such as cork.

2. Hooks or a coat rack. You need somewhere for your family to put coats, hats, purses, umbrellas, backpacks and more! What better solution than a row of sturdy hooks. Check out my hook recommendations below:

From top left, clockwise: Birds on A Branch Hook, $16, Urban Outfitters; Lewis Hyman Kensington Hook Wall Shelf, $86, Mercantila; Mission Wall Hooks, $59, Target; Branch Hook, $40, Live Wire Farm; Eames Hang It All, $179, Highbrow Furniture; Flip Hook Rack, $29.99, The Container Store; Cast Iron Row of Hooks, $99, Pottery Barn.

3. Storage. Storage is a broad word, and its very subjective depending on your needs. However, it's a mudroom must-have. You could install bookcases or open shelving, build cabinets with doors or add bench seating with hidden storage compartments. Any way you slice it, you're gonna need places for baseball helmets, soccer gear, gloves, extra towels, tool belts and who knows what else! Invest wisely.

From top left, clockwise: Chesterfield Hall Tree, $159 to $269, Home Decorators Collection; Brighton Storage Bench, $299, Crate & Barrel; Monterey Cubby Bench, $109.99, Overstock; Wire 9 Cube Wall Shelf, $89.95, cb2; Winsome Storage Bench With Baskets, $122.99, Amazon; Rustic Storage Bin, $79.99, JCPenney; Stackable Cedar Shoe Rack, $24, Organize.com.

4. Shoe racks or cubbies. Shoe racks of some kind are essential in a mudroom because everyone who comes through is likely to take off their sneaks or boots. You'll need someplace neat to put them when they're not in use. They might be caked with mud, so think about a surface that is easy to clean.

5. Seating. You will definitely need somewhere to sit when you put on and take off your boots. I like the idea of trying to combine storage with seating, whether in the form of a storage bench or placing shoe cubbies underneath open seating.

If you've got these five essentials, even if they're in a teeny corner, then you've got yourself a mudroom!