mudroom
For example, if you are a no-shoes-indoors household and shoes tend to pile up near your home’s entrance, consider having an attractive built-in added to the front entry or the garage (or wherever you enter the house) to store shoes. Or you could add a freestanding shoe shelf or cabinet for the same purpose.
“We really needed to max out storage for each of them, for the dogs and to create drop zones in here,” the designer says. She set up the space for launching off on walks and putting things away as they return home. It also contains the wet snow during the winter so it doesn’t make it beyond the hexagonal floor into the living room.
Innenausbau Binder GmbH In this narrow hallway in Cologne, Germany, Houzzers were drawn to the gorro (Spanish for hat frame) and Schuhbank (German for shoe bench), among other things. Yes, folks, Houzz is very international. The bright red ropes on the coat rack and hat frame are original and playful, adding a nice dash of color to the white hallway. Detail worth noting: Having a full-length mirror is great for function (checking your look before you head out the door) and aesthetics (making a narrow space feel wider and lighter).
Axiom Design Build Smart Storage and European Style This Seattle home has Scandinavian modern farmhouse style that carries through to the mudroom. The simple black, white and wood palette gets shots of color and texture from books and baskets. Hooks provide places to hang coats and bags. Detail worth noting: The lively pattern on the floor tile gives the room personality.
Smart Storage and Farmhouse Style This was the most popular entry photo of the past three months. Not only is it full of space for books, shoes, bags, mail and chargers, but it also has great style. The cubbies are backed by tongue-and-groove paneling. The bench is a lovely wood that warms up all that white. A new door opens to a floor of matte gray porcelain tiles, and the runner adds pattern atop the tiles. Detail worth noting: The doors on the upper cabinets are antiqued mirror.
Raised washer and dryer. The owners of this Cincinnati, Ohio, home complained about having to bend over to load and unload their machines, so designer Candice Mayhall at Sunday Home Interiors devised a plan for the front-load washer and dryer both to be raised. Beneath the two machines is storage. And yes — this setup required some extra work to guard against potential leaks. Mayhall made sure the storage cabinets underneath the washer and dryer were not attached to the rest of the cabinets, making replacement easier should those cabinets get damaged. Mayhall also left a few inches around the appliances to make things easier if and when the machines need to be moved.
When the cabinet doors are closed, it’s hard to imagine that the mudroom actually contains the shoes, coats and gear of a five-person family. But when they’re open, it’s all there: one cabinet per person, with specific spaces for each type of item. It’s organization at its best — flexible, thought-through and realistic. “I love that as the kids get older, we can rearrange these endlessly,” Peggi says.
The homeowners knew they wanted shiplap in the mudroom entry, and Connor Homes designed the convenient locker-like millwork. Crestin helped with paint selection, lighting and the tiles, which are ceramic but resemble bluestone. “Using predominantly bronze lighting was an early decision that we repeat throughout the home,” Crestin says. “When you’re trying to tie a home together, repetition is your friend.” She landed on dark bronze because it’s up to date, and works well with modern farmhouse style and the kinds of industrial touches that the husband likes. The lighting played a big role in creating
Idea Space Architecture + Design Save Email To bring in just the right dose of brighter color that one of the homeowners loved, the designers tracked down stools with yellow bases and pendant lights with electric yellow cords. The tops of the stools coordinate well with the reclaimed wood on the island.
In the mudroom space they designed a built-in bench where everyone can pull off their shoes, complete with cubbies outfitted with baskets for shoes, hats, scarves and mittens. “Because they already have coat hooks they use elsewhere on the first floor, they opted for a tackboard for invitations, photos, calendars and kid’s artwork in here,” Julie says.
bright picture in entrance
If your square footage allows, a mudroom can be an ideal dump zone for these items as well as for jackets and keys. A mudroom also can be the perfect place to stash things you need to return (to people or stores) so they don’t clutter up your main living space. I also would advise creating a space in the mudroom to house a small recycling bin and shredder so you can quickly deal with mail that doesn’t need to enter the home.
Q