Mud rooms are becoming more and more of an interest. Leading the charge are the crafty, resourceful and exuberant moms who are either building these rooms literally from scratch out of lumber, or are re-purposing old lockers that naturally add that coveted “vintage” look which seems to be more popular…
-->Either way, mud rooms are becoming the rage across the country—especially in places like the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, or back East where rainfall, sleet and snow give ample reasons for having a family mud room.
And when you think about it, having a mud room does make quite a bit of sense, especially if you do live in those parts of the country.
So if you’re antsy and looking for a new spring project, here are four ideas which can help you make a mud room that is both attractive and functional.
1. Remember this mudroom is used to perform the following chores; shed wet/dirty clothing, store umbrellas and other outdoor items and keep all your family member items organized and in ONE place that saves you from having to run all across the house! A mud room also ensures that if you have four-legged family members, it can be used for providing a “staging area” for wet and dirty pets when they charge into your home from the great outdoors.
Therefore the perfect mudroom requires a simple and neat set up. It can and will get messy, so your mud room needs to be designed and built with materials that are rugged enough and can handle a bit of abuse. This is why we are seeing more and more used lockers, school lockers and even gym lockers of heavier gauge steel being re-purposed for mud rooms.
-->2. Where do you build an effective mud room? Usually it is near a doorway leading to the side or back of the house. It could be a hallway designated for such and maybe not a full-blown “mudroom” per say. If you are strapped for space, perhaps try converting the laundry area, or remodel that second entryway into the official laundry room and therefore kill two muddy birds with one stone.
Why have the laundry room and mud room coexist? Because otherwise you would need to haul all that dirty and wet laundry to another section of the house to be washed, rather than have your washer and dryer right there at the place your kids turn into Ground Zero when they come in muddy and wet.
3. Next the entryway to the mud room. It needs a good, open area where you can wipe the mud from your feet or pause long enough to let the buckets of water run off your overcoat and onto…?
Yes! You guessed it!
…Onto a very large rug! This rug will be washed time and time and time again. And not only will the rug add an accent color to the mud room, but it will also be functional and fabulous on those days when Mother Nature brings her game into your home.
-->The entry way should also be an area wide enough to handle a fully-opened umbrella, a small herd of kids and pack of excited dogs if you have more than one, so before you build your hutches, place furniture and other design ideas, make sure you have enough room to open/close an umbrella and accommodate these other minor invasions.
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4. Cubby holes are AWESOME! These types of storage compartments can either used or new lockers that once were gym lockers, school lockers, or sports lockers and they are built into the walls as independent shelves, become hidden drawers under a seat, or laid out in the open sports locker/team gym locker style layout. Wherever you put these cubby holes, you can rest assured these storage units will be stuffed with muddy shoes, boots and other footwear. These repositories can also be filled with other outdoor items you commonly use in foul weather, and will always be where you need them—right there in the mud room.
Since some people think Rover’s natural place is in a mud room, these cubby holes and old gym lockers, school lockers, and sports lockers can also be the perfect place for keeping pet food, leashes and their favorite, chewed up tennis balls—all out of sight and neatly stored.
-->Now admittedly if you’ve seen photos of mud rooms—and there are many—you can build it from whatever resources you can find. The only boundary is your imagination.
-->No matter which look you prefer, you will want to concentrate on these four items. As for the rest, it is as imaginative as you want to get with it!
