Mudroom Bench with Storage
A built-in bench with cubbies and coat hooks that finally tames bags, shoes, and winter gear.
The back door was a dumping ground for backpacks and boots. We needed a place to sit, stash shoes, and hang coats without turning the mudroom into a closet. This bench does all three.
The base is 2x4 framing skinned with 3/4” ply and 1x4 face frames. Each cubby is sized for a standard storage bin; the top is 1” hardwood so it can take abuse. I used pocket screws for the face frames and dados for the horizontal dividers.
We added heavy-duty coat hooks above and a row of hooks under the seat for bags. Everything is painted to match the trim so it reads as built-in rather than furniture. Total build was two weekends; the mudroom is actually usable now.