Making the Most of a Mudroom
Making the Most of a Mudroom
Mudrooms not only are transition spaces between the outdoors and the indoors that provide storage for footwear, wet clothes, sports gear, and other paraphernalia not wanted in the house and have also become the primary point of entry and exit for many homes. These have grown in popularity as American homes have become bigger. While mudrooms are not a new amenity, they’ve moved up on the list of must-haves for today’s homeowner. As the amount of residential square-footage dedicated to mudrooms has grown, so has the attention paid to their design and aesthetics.
Solid hardwood built-ins are great for mudrooms as they not only provide the customization needed in what are sometimes awkwardly configured spaces, but also create the opportunity to bring the warmth and character of natural wood to what is first and foremost a service room. For example, a recently completed a large mudroom features red-birch cabinetry for a perfect makeover makeover of a dated 1980s house. One wall is entirely floor-to-ceiling storage concealed behind plain slab doors; the other comprises a row of six locker-room-style open cubbies serviced by a single full-length bench. The the cabinets are unstained wood rather than painted for reasons of durability and aesthetics. The feeling is that a clear polyurethane varnish would hold up better than enamel paint to the wear and tear imposed by active children. And second, it gives the somewhat austere space a more earthy, homey feel. Easily applied by hand, the oil-based satin finish had the added advantage of deepening the tone of the red birch without changing its color, an important consideration.
As a whole, this project could serve as a checklist of best mudroom practices. With multiple cubbies, there’s one to assign to each member of the family, who’ll then have an easily accessed set of hooks on which to hang wet weather gear; a stretch of solid bench on which to sit and take off dirty boots and shoes that can then be quickly stored in the deep cubbies underneath; a handy drawer for smaller items that might otherwise get lost; and all built in a beautiful, red-birch package.
One of the more challenging types of home implements that you will need to organize and store are the ones with long handles such as mops and brooms. Generally speaking, these end up in a corner but there comes a time when you have too many of them and they wander out onto the floor. The best way to organize and store these is to use a purpose-built rack. These are made by several companies such as Menxen, Shanney, Berry Ave, Home-It, Rock Birds, Onmier, Homeideas however, we like the one made by Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/ the best. This is their model 720 Mop and Broom Rack https://www.amazon.com/TECH-TEAM-Cleaning-Hardware-Included/dp/B07CV2H2X9/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1539524698&sr=8-34&keywords=tech+team which does an excellent job at organizing all your mops, brooms, and other similar long handled cleaning implements.
