How To Design A Mud Room

Looking to squeeze a space into your home to stash shoes and outdoor paraphernalia? Victoria Hansen, Editor for Houzz UK & Ireland, runs through everything you need to know before designing an ensuite, below.

Mudrooms are essentially a buffer between the outside world and the interior of your home. As well as offering somewhere to leave shoes and coats, they can be a space to store anything you frequently take in and out of your home, keeping the rest of your space clean and tidy. You don’t need to have a large home to find the space for one, either. They come in all shapes and sizes. Here’s how to plan yours.

Write Your Wish List

At its most basic, a mudroom can be a simple storage space by the door to tidy up shoes and coats. However, with a bit of thought and planning, it can also become a bespoke storage space that can help your household run smoothly. The key to designing yours is to think about which elements of outdoor life you need to find space for indoors.

To help you work out what you need, write a list of everything you frequently take outdoors and bring back inside. For example, do you need space for muddy sports equipment and kits, or do you have a tangle of dog leads and damp umbrellas that are asking to be organised? Are you at the school-bag stage of family life, or do you still need space for a muddy pram? Once you have a wish list of the elements you’d like to include, you can start to plan your space.

Try Bespoke

Bespoke doesn’t always have to mean expensive, and when it comes to storage, having cupboards custom-made for your home can often be the smartest option. By having storage made to measure, you can maximise every last bit of floor and wall space, overcome any tricky corners, and get tailor-made cupboards that work for your household.

Combine With Seating

When you’re pulling shoes on and off, seating is obviously helpful. Shoe benches combine lots of storage with a useful perch and will help upgrade a hallway to a mudroom.

Utilize Shoe Drawers

If you like to keep everything tidied away and your floor space free shoe drawers are a brilliant idea. Double the height of a regular drawer, they can take several pairs of tall boots, then simply glide shut to sweep them out of view.

Choose Mop-Clean Flooring

A mudroom area will get a lot of wear, so tough, easy-clean flooring is key. A tile floor provides the perfect mop-clean surface for muddy boots and shoes. A boot tray is also a good investment, as you can stand any wet or muddy boots directly onto this as soon as you walk through the door, then leave them to dry.

Use A Tough Paint Finish

Gloss paint is easier to wipe down. Choosing a gloss finish over a matte will help your wall look cleaner for longer and will have less on an impact on the paint work.

Turn Up The Heat

In many climates, mudrooms really come into their own in the rainy winter months, when wet and muddy shoes need to be dried out. In our country, however, they can be ideal all year round – from dry, dusty summers to wet winters. If you can incorporate heating into this area, such as a heating duct, it will help to speed up the drying process and keep your shoes and clothes toasty warm.

Tuck It Into A Cupboard

Mudrooms can be messy; with several family members shedding coats, shoes and bags numerous times a day, it’s easy for this area to get into a tangle. By tucking your mudroom into a cupboard, you can avoid looking at the worst of the mess by simply closing the doors when it’s not in use. An under stairs cupboard could be requisitioned for this use, although ventilation should be considered if you’re going to use this area to store damp shoes, umbrellas and coats.

Here at Hurst Homes we offer complete customised homes that can be as individual as the owner. We guide your through the entire process including your selections to ensure you create your dream home. Just another reason why we are considered Waggas best builder. With over 30 years in the industry as a Wagga Builder you can trust Hurst Homes with your dream home. For information on our upcoming custom wagga house & land packages, contact us today on 0438 692 962 or fill out the contact us page on our website.

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