By Amber Katz
It happens every day at 3 p.m.
The door swings open, backpacks hit the floor, shoes go flying, and whatever was in someone’s hands lands on the nearest flat surface.
By dinner, the entryway looks like a yard sale.
It doesn’t have to.
Whether you have a proper mudroom, a narrow hallway, or just a wall near the door, the right setup can transform that daily chaos into something functional.
We asked Rye-based interior designers Natalie Miller of Natalie Miller Interiors and Erica Bienashski of Erica Lynn Design, and Rye residents Viktoria Horvath Giese and Carly Doshi to share how they’ve cracked the code.
Conceal the Chaos
Natalie Miller follows a simple philosophy: if you can’t see it, it doesn’t stress you out.
“When you’re walking into the house, everything’s got its spot,” she said.
Her go-to for families is built-in cabinetry with enclosed storage so that the only thing visible when you walk in is backpacks on hooks. Coats, shoes, sports equipment, cleaning supplies, even the robotic vacuum — all of it disappears behind cabinet doors.
For families who can’t do a full custom build, the principle still applies. Closed bins, lidded baskets, and cubbies with doors all do the heavy lifting of keeping a space looking calm even when it isn’t.
Double Up on Hooks
Erica Bienashski of Erica Lynn Design designed what she calls her “mini mudroom” when building her home, working within tight square footage but making every inch count. Her MVP: double hooks.
“They allow us to hang twice as many bags, hats, and jackets,” she said.
Each of her three kids has a dedicated hook and a shoe basket, which keeps ownership clear and prevents the pile-up that happens when everything shares the same spot.
Miller echoes this for larger projects. In a Harrison mudroom she recently completed, she built in hooks at kid height with enclosed cabinetry above and below. The result is a drop zone that works for the whole family without requiring anyone to think about where things go.
Think Beyond Backpacks
The best mudrooms anticipate everything that comes through the door, not just the backpack.
Miller designs with sports equipment, shoes, coats, and even electronics in mind. On one project, she installed electrical outlets inside the cabinetry so devices could charge out of sight.
“It had to be especially functional because the room was versatile,” she said. “You have to think about what sports the kids play, what they need access to every day.”
That’s why with three competitive dancers at home, Rye resident Viktoria Horvath Giese converted the laundry room off her garage into what she calls a “dance mudroom.”
Drawing on more than 20 years in the custom clothing industry, she designed the space around her daughters’ competition season: hanging space for costumes, dedicated storage for dance gear, and a system that keeps everything accessible when they need it and tucked away when they don’t.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” she said.
Make It Kid-Proof
The best drop zone is one kids actually use.
That means hooks at the right height, labels if your family needs them, and a spot for everything that tends to accumulate: permission slips, library books, sports schedules, chargers. Miller noted clear labeling is essential so everyone’s on the same page.
Bienashski is realistic about expectations.
“They still manage to create chaos,” she said of her kids. “But the benefit of a tiny mudroom is the quick clean-up.”
When everything has a designated spot, restoring order takes minutes instead of a full reorganization.
You don’t need a renovation budget to make progress. A row of hooks, a shoe rack, and a single basket for loose items can go a long way. The key is deciding what needs to live there and committing to a spot for each thing before you buy a single bin or hook.
The chaos will still show up at 3 p.m. The goal is simply to give it somewhere to go.
