If you mentioned to your family about building a mudroom, your kids may go outside cheering gleefully while turning on the water hose and rolling in the mud. On the other hand, your spouse probably sighed over the imagined mess on her hardwood flooring she’ll have to clean.
Gather the family back together for another sit-down to explain what a mudroom really is. Mudrooms are small spaces at the entrances to your home where you keep outdoor coats, rain boots, and other types of clothing that you put on before going outside. Think of it as a coatroom but on a little larger scale.
Mudrooms have become a hot trend in every climate, although you will more often see them in homes located in colder, northern states. Also, the trends for mudrooms are moving away from just occupying family homes to now being the do-it-yourself project in homes for couples and individuals.
A basic mudroom will have seating for people to sit and remove muddy shoes and boots. It will also have coat racks or a small closet to hang up coats and sweaters, and perhaps a small shelf or basket to hold hats and gloves.
Most mudrooms will carry the same decor style as the room they are connected to inside the house. This means that if you have a mudroom connected to the door leading into the kitchen, you may have the same style of cabinetry or granite counters. Mudrooms located off of the living room will have the same paint color and style of hardwood flooring to match, with a non-slip rug or mat where people can wipe their feet clean. By matching decor, it makes the mudroom look like a natural extension of the home inside of a mismatched addition.
Above all else, a mudroom needs to be organized and easy to clean. Storage space can come in many forms such as cubby spaces, cabinets, shelves or even sturdy storage containers. Pick the type of storage based on the size of the room and what can accommodate it.
Don’t forget about the seating. While it may be easy (and cost efficient) to just bring in an extra chair from the dining room to add seating, people are instead buying or building their own benches. A hinged-top bench gives extra storage space to tuck away extra shoes or other clothing accessories.