From Outside-2-In-Defining the Mudroom

Let’s not muddy the waters; the easiest way to define your ideal mudroom is to make a clear list of its uses. The mudroom has evolved into one of the most important spaces in your home. Often it is the pathway, breezeway, or space situated between the inside and the outside. Newer homes connect from the garage to the kitchen – making an easy spot to take off wet clothes, dry dog fur, or leave the office behind.  Older homes might best use a side entrance making a space to leave your wet boots, hang up coats before heading to the rest of the house to relax.   

Mudrooms are so much more than mud! According to Letter2Word designer, Sally Dailey, “The mudroom is the workhorse of your home and the threshold to your lives.” That means don’t underestimate its importance in daily living. Generally, this area tends to be an informal entrance to the home—a side or back door that encourages family members to use as their primary entry spot while guests are welcomed through the front door.

UNMUDDY “the rest of the house” LIST:

• U Can Keep It Clean (the house, that is, by including a laundry room/sink: A mud room that doubles as a laundry room is handy, since soiled or wet clothing can be immediately dumped into a washer without being tracked through the house. (In my house—built in 1920-- the side entrance leads to the basement laundry room—there isn’t a shoot for the dirty stuff, but we’re all good at hitting the basket hidden at the base of the steps).
• Nail IT!-Hooks are paramount, if you don’t have a closet or lockers, just buy some cute hooks or a horizontal rack to get those coats off the stair rail and drying! French etiquette hooks are sturdy enough for your rain jackets, available from Anthropologie. Find more interesting hook options at http://www.designlovefest.com/2016/04/weekend-at-home-13/.

• My space---Make your own statement…you can lockers embellished with names/initials or use walls for art or leaving that message you like to say! “Xoxoxo” and “It’s all good” are some of our favorites at Letter2word! "Off We Go" designs are new to signify heading outside with a positive or playful attitude. 

• Undress your dirty feet—Put your boots, garden mocs, and soccer cleats HERE! Ballard Designs sells a very popular rubber tray that's big enough for a whole family's wet, soggy boots!

• Doggy don’t—keep the dog or any pet from tracking in after a romp in the yard or walk in the rain. Dry them off in the mudroom—they will feel better about coming inside as long as YOU do!
• Dump-Ster don’ts —The best way to train the peeps like the pets is to NOT use the mudroom as their dump zone for papers, mail, cell phone chargers, keys etc. . Be sure to offer bins and baskets with their names on them. This provides a solution for the age-old question…”Where did you put my keys?” because they will have put them away themselves!
• YOUR Sanity is your Own—You can stay calm after you’ve run through the family training session to use the mudroom according to your list. Certainly everyone wants the household to be a happy, clean one!

This indoor/outdoor breezeway flows from one room to the next. Incorporate elements from both indoor and outdoor surroundings in room-to-room mudroom pathways. Here, stone floors and walls pull in outdoor elements that also coordinate with the rest of the interior. Photo: Architect Don Giambastiani of Solomon+Bauer+Giambastiani Architects …http://www.hgtv.com/design/rooms/other-rooms/22-mudroom-storage-and-decorating-ideas-pictures

The most important thing to remember in your mudroom is to make it your own. You might want to include a mirror, a phrase that you want your family to see as they leave for the day, and an umbrella stand.

Mirror,  mirror right by the door is a nice addition to the mudroom for  last-minute outfit checks.

By: Ann K. Nicknish

The Blogging Word Girl (BWG)