I am looking at all of that, and I am wondering why the kids can't take their bookbags, back packs and coats to their own rooms? The wet boots I understand, but not all of that other stuff. If they are going to be able to leave all of that stuff there each time they enter your home, no amount of remodeling is going to make much difference particularly since you say there is not space for cubbies. 6 people's coats, bags, purses, scarves, hats and all that other stuff I see is still going to be there. It looks like multiple coats for each person. Are the bedroom closets limited in space? That might be a good alternative if not.

You're asking a lot of that space, but I think what you're asking for is doable.

I think the first step would be a floating bench around 3 sides - that is, secured to wall framing and not supported at the floor. We want to make sure the space beneath it is a open and flexible as possible. That said, I would probably put some kind of basket or bin in the corners under the bench to keep toys and shoes from getting lost in the back. An LED strip underneath wouldn't be a bad idea either. And last for the bench, make it a non slip surface - kids climb on everything and with wet shoes that can cause slips

Above, we definitely need hooks along the wall. I would have several rows starting 30" above the bench top.

Along one or two sides I would install fold-down hooks like this for back packs/ sports bags, etc.

At the ceiling is where I would install the row of cubbies, and I would suggest they be at least 16" deep.

The overall idea is that the farther you get from the floor, the longer term the storage is. I hope this helps!

What gear do you need to keep there for regular use? School backpacks, dance bag, gym bags, hats& mittens, football/baseball/hockey gear? Do you have off season storage elsewhere?
I see small shoes that will grow and take up more space. 🙃

Sorry but I agree with Armjim there is no way all that needs to be ther eon adaily basis. Back packs go to bedrooms brought down in the morning with completed homework and rweady to load with lunch. I coat per person dirty clothes in a hamper in the laundry room. I had 3 boys into sports , no mud room we all took our stuff to our rooms I had some hooks for guests at the front door . All the sports stuff that could be stored was in a n unheated small garge by the back door entry . You need to be a bit bossy reight now to see how much is absolutely needed daily in that space . You can only were one pair of shoes at a time. When you get dressed bring down the shoes you want to wear that day runners, winter boots can be in the mud room not every pair of shoes you own. Some organization and rules will be ahuge improvement . I like the bench idea that allows for some stuff under the bench large hooks that are easy to hang things on not those tily ones I see in the pic. Bins just ask to be filled so not bins I had one small bin for mitts in the winter our kids played outside all the time so they could change mitts when a pair got snowy not need for a ton of bins

Thank you!! I agree we have a lot of stuff and minimizing that will help and is definitely needed! I want to make sure as the kids grow the mudroom still works. Ages 8-2 right now. Each kid is playing a sport a season.

Mudroom Cabinet Design and Storage Ideas | The Closet Works (closetworksinc.com)

You draw and measure the entire space. Every opening, wall window in feet and inches.

If the house isn't very old? You may have the floor plan.....take a picture, note the actual dimensions of everything, and upload both, either whatever !!! as clear and legible jpeg below.

Add a picture of your garage interior. I assume there is a garage and this is a friends entrance? Show it all!

You are going to need every blessed inch even with a massive edit of what you keep in the space.

Perhaps you can work with tall metal lockers. They can be slimmer than cubbies. Here we can find them for sale on Craigslist:

Coats go in a coat closet. a bench at the door is used for shoe removal (not storage!) Backpacks, shoes, and clothes go in individual bedrooms. sport equipment goes in the garage.

Let’s keep in mind that 5 kids might be sharing bedrooms, where storage might also be limited.

It looks like your ceiling height is taller than the average 8 feet, so be sure to make use of the higher areas, at least for the adults at this point.

If you live in a snowy/wet climate, a ceiling mounted drying rack might be useful.

Please clarify for us - your post title says family of 6 - but then refers to 4 boys, 1 girl and two parents. Are there 4 or 5 children to accommodate?

Orchard’s plan for bench and hooks is the most useful and flexible space. And some kind of rack, if not ceiling then fold down, for wet hats, gloves, etc.

Patricia, in many climates you might need a down jacket one day and a light jacket or raincoat the next, so we always had several coats going per person!

For shoes, we found that lining the space under the coat hooks, not under the bench. was easiest. We use normal boot trays, and conveniently they hold a standard 24” ventilated wire shelf from the hardware store. They are more effective at letting snow and water drip off and the boot to dry, than just sitting on the boot tray’s ridges.

I agree that “ organized open storage “ is much better than lockers or lots of dividing short walls, Insta notwithstanding. Much more flexible.

bpath’s specific suggestion is also much more user- friendly , hence realistic, than constantly reaching under a long bench, which will create height restrictions for taller boots, and boots/ shoes much more likely to be jumbled/ falling over, footwear still has to be shoved onto some kind of boot trays. or alternatively , harder to go in & neaten up/ sort/ seasonal change. You do need SOME bench or other seating, but it might even be preferable for that to be a free- standing piece. But at least not building in the whole wall. Not sure, of course depends on the space.

I had problems with the math too. But personally, once you have three kids, you may as well have ten, so who’s counting? And we need a floor plan. Mom and Dad can be on a wet coats and boots status only. Hooks for coats near the door if possible, a bench and boot trays for wet and dirty footwear absolutely near the door. You can do hooks above the bench for dry items such as sports backpacks, but you don’t want wet stuff dripping on benches. A bin for laundry. A drying rack for gloves, hats etc to drip dry, or a laundry basket for wet items to be carried to the dryer. Do not do shoe/boot cubbies, they will get dirty and are hard to clean, especially down low! I would not do skinny locker because things just get squished into them and the door pressed closed. Helmets and other gear don’t fit into skinny lockers. Hit up Pinterest for things you like that might work well for you.

I roughed out a concept based on suggestions above. It's not likely to work as is, since there are many variables we don't know - like how many kids and which wall is about 6' and which is 8'. (I expect the OP has plenty to distract her from returning to this project....)But it's a starting point that could be shifted around a bit. My daughter has 4 kids between 3 and 9; drawing from them, I'm advocating for shoe cubbies. Her kids are pretty good about tossing their shoes in their own baskets, but I don't see kids that age lining shoes up neatly under a bench. They need some limits. Also think plenty of bench space is needed - kids that close in age are going to be coming and going at the same time for years. And bringing friends home to add to the shoes and gear!

Thank you for all the great ideas! We have three boys and a girl. And all active. I am realizing there is no perfect answer so thinking a closet like 30 inches and then a cubbie system l style around the rest. And the tilt out shoe holders. I like the idea of the floating bench!

Here's some that

A Mudroom For All · More Info

Tidy Mudroom · More Info

we've built for clients:

Once a Screened Porch · More Info

Coats on hangers take up far less space than coats on hooks, and your space definitely has room for that. You don't need to add doors (at least not now, perhaps when you are down to 2 kids).

Years ago I put shelves in the bottom of our coat closet, so instead of a pile of shoes on the floor, we had a larger and much tidier place for shoes. Carpeted stair treads on each shelf kept wet shoes from dripping on the ones below.

This is our family entry closet, for a family of 3. Obviously not intended as a solution for the OP, but it shows the shoe shelves, as well as shelves that hold hats, mittens, sunglasses, purses, some sporting gear.baskets help keep things contained (the shelves have been neater, but even messy it still works).

If you are actually bringing mud and dirt into the mud room, you do NOT want shoe cubbies. They look cute, but are really difficult to clean. Here is a picture of the entry to my mud room where we actually get muddy. Had some snow yesterday and today so lots of slushy stuff came in. Note that I slid the boot tray away from the walls so the coats would not drip onto the boots. Coats will not drip dry on hangers. I have 4 shoe cubbies on the opposite wall and I hate them. I have ski boots and my ski bag stuffed into them, and they are a pain to clean out.

For small stuff like mittens and hats, clear pocket organizers can be useful in tight spaces where built-in storage won’t work.

ShadyWillowFarm, I agree that coats will not dry on a hanger in a closet. When we have wet coats (which is a very small percentage of the time we use them), we hang them on hangers over the shower curtain rod, with space between for air flow.