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aokat15_gw

OT - mudroom lockers

aokat15
12 years ago

I'm have to get back to my contractor about what I'm looking for for my mudroom cubbies/lockers and wanted to see what you all thought in terms of size of each locker/cubby. The wall space I have for the lockers is 125" wall to wall. I have three little ones (4 and under) and my sister lives with me and my husband, so we have 6 people in the house, but it doesn't bother me to have fewer lockers than people - I just want enough space in each. What do you think? 4? 5? 6? Thanks so much for your help!

Comments (14)

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    12 years ago

    Our cubbies are 20.5 wide except for the corner cubby and seem plenty big enough so I would think you could fit 6 easily.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    12 years ago

    for organizational purposes, you will really want one for each person at some point. Probably the most important thing is that they will fit a backpack, and that is only 16"-18" wide.

    But you may also want to think about a basket for each cubby (for shoes if its on the bottom, or on the top, for gloves hats mittens etc). If you are using that (and it does cut down on clutter) then you will want to identify those and build with them in mind (you will probably change them over time, but it might be a useful start).

    Here is a link that might be useful: i like this style, but it is pretty casual

  • editionk
    12 years ago

    Will you have a coat closet nearby too?

    I personally don't like the look of clutter that can accumulate in lockers, but I do like their function.

    I would do lockers for the kids (and maybe an extra?) and not for the adults.

    My kids can't reach the bar in our coat closet and if they had coats/backpacks in their lockers they could be more self-reliant. But I like my coat put away out of sight.

    Maybe some sort of combo that includes closed-door storage in addition to lockers, baskets, a shelf and seating for everyone? Oh, and can you incorporate charging stations in the design?

  • aokat15
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for all the input! I do have a very large coat closet right around the corner from the lockers. It will house all the excess as I don't like overly clutter lockers as well. I'm going to look into baskets and have that help with sizing...

  • andi_k
    12 years ago

    While I love the look of lockers, I personally think you lose some space with the dividers. We took this pic we found on houzz and are modeling our mudroom after that. It's simple, but I actually prefer it. I think it allows the kids to just kick their shoes off under the bench and then use whatever spot they want IMO.

    Here's what we are doing....

    Here is a link that might be useful: [Houzz Mudroom Pic[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/derby-hill-farm-lyme-nh-traditional-entry-burlington-phvw-vp~107397)

  • fourkids4us
    12 years ago

    I have four kids with a small mudroom. Dh built me a locker system that looks very similar to beagles picture, except mine are white and don't have beadboard. I have a window to the right of ours, so we had to wrap ours around the corner just like beagle. We only have one shelf/cubby above instead of two. Dh and I don't have cubbies, but if we had room, I'd consider it - dh brings a backpack to work that holds his laptop. He always leaves it in the kitchen but wish he had a place to store it! I don't really need one but I suppose I'd use it if I had one. Dh and I keep our coats in the front entry closet.

    I actually prefer having the dividers b/c it keeps the kids' things contained in their own space so they don't have to look through or sort through their siblings things to find their own. They each have a basket in the cubby on the top of their "locker" that holds gloves, hats and extraneous items. They keep coats/sweatshirts on hooks in the locker, then each has a large basket underneath the bench area (also divided below) that contains all of their shoes. With four kids, multiple shoes, flip flops,cleats, boots, etc, I prefer that they each have their own spot for shoes.

    As for sizing, our cubbies are 14" wide. Backpacks fit easily, but if I had more space I'd probably have added an inch or two in width. Each cubby has two hooks. I got all the baskets at IKEA - small ones for up top and larger ones for underneath.

    I love having the mudroom but due to space constraints it's not as big as I would have liked! I guess I'm just happy to have a space to contain all the clutter and yes, mine is cluttered. Try as I might to keep it neat, it's not so easy with four kids! That's why I'm not posting a picture LOL.

  • fourkids4us
    12 years ago

    Wait, I found a picture of mine but it is very old - my oldest daughter wore that black and white coat when she was three and now she is 12! Those little baskets are now kept up top but this was back when none of my kids were in school yet. This was immediately after dh finished and before my kids had clutter. Dh is no carpenter and while I would have liked a more "professional" look, I was quite satisfied with how his turned out. I have seen some gorgeous mudrooms on this board and mine doesnt come close in comparison.

  • bostonpam
    12 years ago

    Ours are not finished but functional. We had 6' to work with. DH took four 15" Ikea tall kitchen cabinets, cut them down to 18" deep and bring them off the floor. I also had him drill 5 largish holes in each shelf and top and bottom so we would have air circulation. There are multiple hooks inside including in the center. Each person has a bin underneath for shoes. On the side each person has a small bin for glasses, keys, etc. plus my in box and my two kids out box for permission slips, lunch money, etc. It still needs some paint touch up and trim but you get the idea.

  • fourkids4us
    12 years ago

    Bostonpam, what a great idea! I love that yours have doors to contain the clutter and keep the space looking neat. Pretty color on the walls too. Can you share with me the color? Thanks!

  • bostonpam
    12 years ago

    fourkids4us - the color is BM HC152 - whipple blue. It's a little more gray IRL than the pictures. I tried out a few other great colors but this went the best with the floor. (2062-40 Blue Daisy, 2062-50 Blue Jean, 2062-60 Blue Hydrangea, HC-153 Marlboro Blue)

    For lockers - I love the doors - it helps keep the chaos contained. 15" works but if we had the space then I would have gone with 18" (Ikea doesn't come in that size though). I have a rule - if your bin doesn't fit underneath or the door doesn't close then it has to go somewhere else. It helps to contain the chaos.

  • skyedog
    12 years ago

    Since you have a closet nearby for coats and longer items, perhaps you could consider more of a flexible shelving system. If your put vertical dividers in, you can be limited in the size of storage containers that will fit, boot trays that will fit, etc. And as your kids get older and their backpacks get heavier (my kids' packs weigh more than their golf bags) hooks aren't a great option. Ditto if they play musical instruments. You still need some seating but I would try to think in terms of a an overall storage space instead of compartmentalizing each kid's space. I would also be putting in a fair amount of outlets in there too.

  • aliris19
    12 years ago

    4kids and Pam - those are so great! I *love* them both. sigh.

  • norcalpeetnik
    12 years ago

    One brilliant thing I have seen in mudroom cubbies is an outlet in each separate cubby so that there is a home base for each person to charge phones, etc. I have seen the outlets in the top shelf, but I suppose you could put them anywhere in the cubby that worked for you. Even though your kids may be too young for phones at this point, it is amazing how quickly they grow up and accumulate those electronics!!