For all of us who either have big kids or little kids or maybe none but love organization, the mudroom is the hub of coming and going activity.
You don’t have a mudroom? Well here are a few things to consider if you are thinking of adding one to you home.
The kids come home from school, their coats, hats boots, shoes and backpacks all end up on the floor near the door they just came thru. Usually the side or garage door ensuing in clutter and chaos.
Well, if you build it…they will use it? My clients say yes they will and yes they do.
I have found that every mudroom is as individual as the people that use it. The configuration of the room depends on how you want to use the space, what you want to store and how you want to store it.
Some people do not want to see any clutter, if that’s the case I use built in cabinetry with doors.
Others want everything easily accessible and easy to find so the natural choice would be hooks and cubbies.
Whichever fits your needs the best, the room must have good flow. The mudroom is a high traffic area and should be easy to enter and exit and have enough room that people are not stepping over each other to get from one end to the other.
Also consider site lines, do you want to see back packs and boots from your living room? Probably not, so make sure your mudroom is situated so you can’t see in it from other areas of your home.
Flooring, seating and colour are other components that area very important in the mudroom. You can’t go wrong with light and bright for colour and some wood for warmth and accents. It’s much easier to put your shoes and boots on when you’re sitting down, so don’t forget a built in bench with open storage below. The floor should be a mid-tone colour that will hide both dirt in the nice weather and salt stains from boots in the winter, easy to clean and slip resistant. I always tell my clients, “The best floor colour is the colour of nice dirt.”
Always remember, your mudroom needs to work for you and how you live.
– Shelley DeFrancisco