The Makings Of A Mudroom
Just like laundry rooms, mudrooms are often times an afterthought by some builders. Obviously, there are house plans which do not incorporate mudrooms into the plan. I applaud the architects that incorporate a mudroom when drawing up the blueprints for a house. It just makes sense.
It's one of those features that's really nice to have in a house because it gives the residents somewhere to store their gear and outerwear in an organized fashion upon entering their home, not to mention giving muddy boots a home without tracking mud into the house.
A nice boot scraper just outside of the side door or back door is a useful addition to have around, too.
I'm going to show you a few pictures of mudrooms and you'll probably notice a formula that most builders tend to follow...bench...storage cabinets...tile or stone floor...hooks, although not many hooks were installed when I took the photos because they were not complete. You've got to have hooks in a mudroom to hang coats, hats, book bags, and anything else you can think of.
A Few Mudroom Pictures To Give You A Few Great Ideas
You don't necessarily have to have a "room" in order to have an area of your home to put your things when you arrive. If you have an oversized garage you can easily construct a mudroom bench with plenty of storage like the photo below.
The photos below are more examples of builder-constructed mudrooms. I especially like the slate flooring in the first two photos. That particular mudroom is in a multi-million dollar mansion with a multi-million dollar view of north Georgia sitting on the side of Lost Mountain. The stone masonry work is simply incredible.
The next two photos show an entry hall from the garage. It doesn't show the mudroom itself, but it gives an example of the type of flooring that is a great choice upon entering the home from your side door or garage. It happens to be used brick pavers supplied by Simons.
A Charmingly Simple Mudroom
The last photo I wanted to show is one that my wife found, by chance, in a 1999 Southern Living the other day. I want to show it because it gives a great example of a mudroom that doesn't look "manufactured" or sterile. All you need for a great mudroom is a nice bench, a shelf or two, some hooks for hats, bags, etc. and a side table to set your keys and mail down on until you get inside of your house. The point is to make it your own.
photo credit: Southern Living/Sylvia Martin
Please remember that you should have a little fun in decorating your mudroom to suit your tastes and needs. It should be comfortable and serve a purpose. Good luck with yours!
Related:
Mudroom Design Solutions via Remodeling Center
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