It's All About the Mudroom

As I mentioned in the previous post, the house was really designed around the mudroom.  With four busy people, we need a space in the house for triage.   (I can only imagine what this is like with a larger family). 

Where will the kids put their gloves when they come in from playing outside?  Where will I put the household bills so they don’t get lost?  Where do I place the all-important junk drawer?  Where do we store household cleaning supplies?  The ubiquitous solution:  the mud room.  (Is it one word or two?  I dont really know.  But it is definitely the one answer!)

It is surprising to me how many large, expensive homes do not have adequate space for managing the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life.  Our mudroom will help to keep us sane and organized.  It is the pivot point between the house and the garage.  It has doors to the front porch and the back screened porch.  So whether we are on our way out of the house, coming in from the garage, or scrambling in from playing in the front yard, we will be able to don or shed our outerwear and get what we need without muddying up the house.  (Please note that the foundation for the house hasn’t even been poured yet, so I am definitely dwelling in the world of fantasy).

Speaking of fantasy, my wonderful real estate agent Amy Webb, who has been with me every step of the way in this process, was a great counselor on what to include in the mudroom.  She has practical sensibilities and an esthetic eye.  She is living out her mudroom fantasies through me!

So, without any further ado, here’s what the mudroom will feature:

“Locker area” — I have yet to come up with a more elegant phrase, but this space is critical.  We will have a wall dedicated to four divided spaces with 3 hooks each for jackets, backpacks, etc.  There will be a long beam of wood below these “lockers” to place things, and sit if needed.  Below that will be open space on the floor for shoes.  (I’ve seen some where there is a shelf right off the floor to put shoes.  But I think that from an ease-of-use perspective, it is best to be able to just kick them in place and not have to lift the footwear to put them away.  Some would call this lazy.  I call this the path of least resistance).  There will be a closed cabinet space next to the open lockers and a bench with a deep drawer below for sitting.

A note on the lockers:  I have seen some houses where there are cabinet faces that close the lockers so that things can look completely pristine.  From a functionality perspective, the point of the mudroom is for things to be in their place, but also easy to locate.  I want us to be able to see where things are!  There is a door between the mudroom and the rest of the house.  It can be closed to hide the clutter for guests, etc.

Desk Area:  I chose to put the desk in the mudroom instead of the kitchen area.  We are renting a house while we build and it has a desk area in the kitchen.  I find myself trying to straighten it up every time I have someone over.  By keeping the desk “backstage” I dont have to worry about things piling up there.

Sink Area:  Although the mudroom is not also serving as a laundry room, it is important to have a sink here.  We will be able to rinse off muddy shoes, clean off toys from outside, etc.  There will be ample storage in the cabinets above and below here.  Perfect place for the junk drawer, lightbulbs, batteries, etc.  (Of course, these things can be stored in the garage too, but with us being in the country, this will reduce the number of cobwebs, and other creepy things we have to deal with).

Side Foyer:  This is the entrance off of the front porch.  It will feature a generous closet divided into two:  One side will be for hanging up coats, and other off-season outerwear.  The other side will house the vacuum cleaner, brooms and cleaning supplies.  (Separating these spaces is important to me — and I’ve seen many beautiful homes that force the homeowner to squish the vacuum between their ski coat and rain jacket).