The paradox of building storage and organization into your project is that if you do it right, no one will notice. This is especially true in the mudroom where concealing the clutter means everything has its place, but no one needs to see every last backpack and cleat.

That’s the beauty of the hidden mudroom, which can take shape a couple of different ways. Normandy Designer Leslie Lee tucked a mudroom under the stairwell for a La Grange family as a part of their kitchen remodel. “It seemed like they didn’t have room for a mudroom, but we figured a way. We took out a wall between the entrance to the garage and the kitchen,” says Leslie.

Bags and keys stay organized and unless you know it’s there, you’d never realize that there’s a small mudroom in this formerly unused space.

“Making the most of difficult areas is an excellent way to get the organizational space that everyone wants these days,” says Leslie.

When you can’t carve out space, you can still create a mudroom that will keep you discreetly organized. You’ll need a bit of space in the kitchen, garage or hallway for cabinets that keep gear ready to go and out of sight. You and your designer can determine if it’s possible to convert existing cabinets by adding hooks and partitions. It’s more likely that your new cabinet order will include specialty storage with built-in separation, shelves and even drawers for organizing.

“As we spend more time at home, families are exploring more ways to keep day to day necessities out of the eye line. Hiding things in a concealed cabinet creates a sense of calm,” says Leslie.

If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen and maybe even creating a hidden mudroom of your own, set up a time to talk to Leslie about all your storage needs. The Normandy Remodeling photo galleries are filled with inspiration. You can always follow along with us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.