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The mudroom is an old design concept, but one that is invaluable to any home.

Keeping things clean and organized in our homes can be troubling at times, especially with our drastically changing seasons in Minnesota and Wisconsin. With the right planning and design, your new mudroom will provide everyone a place to stash their gear anytime of the year and you won’t be stuck with the clean up.

Benefits of a mudroom:

• Provides extra storage
• One high traffic common location with open spaces to easily store/clean items
• Better organization and neatness

Overall:

Adding this open storage space keeps the rest of your home cleaner and more organized. This also awards the homeowners of less time spent cleaning up after children, pets or houseguests after their comings and goings.

Where to put your mudroom:

A mudroom is typically located at a secondary entrance to the home. They can vary from simply being an enlarged entry area with some seating and storage to a completely separate room just inside the entrance. If you do not have a secondary entrance or a space big enough for a mudroom at that entrance, revert back to your main entrance. Start thinking about how you could transform that space into an area that can facilitate your needs. Given the space that’s available to use the mudroom will vary in size. It is most important to focus on its functionality, practicality and how it transitions people from the outside to the inside of your home.

Areas commonly targeted to add a mudroom are:

• The kitchen if there is space to spare and an entrance
• Just inside the garage entry or using some spare space available inside the garage
• Converted utility and/or storage rooms
• Creating an addition to go off of the existing house structure

#TrendingMudrooms

Mudrooms are not only becoming more common in every home floor plan but they are also growing in their functionality. They’re being created with larger space than in the past and with more options for usage such as pairing them up with a laundry room or workspace. They have also become a great way to add your own signature style to your existing home without having to do a major overhaul.

Take a look at this mudroom we built that includes a built-in dog shower. It gives the homeowners a convenient hidden spot to easily clean off their dogs muddy paws and a spot to use for feeding their pooch, keeping their floors clear and clean throughout the rest of their home. If you’d like to take a look at some more mudroom ideas like the one above click here.

Think of what you want this room for?

Take into consideration all that will typically be stored in this area. Take account for the size and amount of the items that will be placed in this space and design the appropriate closets or shelving to accommodate. Lastly, think about how you or your family live per day and per season. Establish what type of layout and/or amenities would best fit those day to day activities and the flow off traffic in and out of your house.

The common mudroom is a place of storage but it’s also an area for clean-up. This could involve the addition of a sink, pet shower or even a small bathroom area. The floor needs to be a durable material that is easy to keep clean. The walls need to be painted in a heavy duty paint finish for ease of cleaning without showing wear. As beautiful as you make this space with the design, color and finish, you should not be worried about using it for what it is made for and that is keeping the rest of the home clean and clutter free.

Mudroom Planning Ideas

• The space should be at least 5 feet wide. This will allow at least two people to enter the house at the same time and remove their shoes, clothing and items without feeling crowded.
• Possibly add a small bathroom or powder room area in or just outside the mudroom. This will allow guests and pets to be cleaned or freshened up without having to track all the way through the house.
• Including more outlets. This area can be a place to recharge devices for the following day of school or work. Other cleaning or household chores can be taken care of in this area, limiting the mess throughout the rest of the house.
• Surfaces should be easy to keep clean. Non slip flooring and heavy duty wall paint make for easy clean up.
• Include a washer and dryer in this space if possible. Where would be better for all of those dirty clothes to go than directly into the washer?!