If there were laws against room abuse, many of us could be prosecuted for neglect of those spaces – ignominiously referred to as “mudrooms” – that lie just inside the back door or the door leading from the garage to the house.
Poor cousin to the fancy and infrequently used foyer out front, the mudroom is for millions of us the first room we see when we come home and the last one we see when we depart. Coming or going, what we often see along the way are a washer and dryer, baskets of dirty clothes, piles of shoes and boots, brooms and mops and Tabby’s litter box or Rover’s bowls.
Unfortunately, it is through this minefield – this depressed and compressed passage – that we and those closest to our hearts must pass on a daily basis. Trudging through such a space does nothing to heighten the experience of arrival or departure. In fact, it demeans and diminishes it.
But it shouldn’t be that way. More than utilitarian and furiously functional, a mudroom should be welcoming and well-
mannered. Despite its workhorse nature, it should be hospitable and inviting. It should make you glad to come home and a little wistful to leave.
There is nothing that deprives a mudroom of respectability more than taking for granted that it will always deserve the unfortunate name given to it. Instead, if you just think of the space as “entry hall,” you’re well on your way to transforming its character. After such an attitude adjustment, there are any number of strategies you can employ to improve conditions.
If you’re building a new home or remodeling an old one, devote more space to a mudroom than you might typically. Plan on a generous corridor through the space, at least 6 to 8 feet wide. This is a high-
traffic zone that must accommodate not just humans, but strollers, golf carts, luggage, appliances, groceries, furniture, stepladders and all manner of bulky objects destined for almost every other room in the house.
If a mudroom must double as a laundry room (an often less-
than-ideal marriage), buy front-loading machines that can be tucked under a countertop or housed in an alcove with louvered bi-fold doors. If space is lacking, think about a stacked washer-dryer combination to conserve floor space.
Install plenty of cabinets with pullout bins and baskets, a few of which can be used as laundry hampers. Others can hold recyclables or dog food. Squeeze in as much counter space as you can so that you have a landing pad just inside the door for groceries, shopping bags, book bags, diaper bags and briefcases.
Get as much space – expanding daylight into the room as possible via windows, a back door with full-length glass, a door flanked by sidelights or surrounded by glass blocks, and a skylight or two. Install recessed ceiling can lights for overall lighting and attractive pendants or sconces for decorative lighting. Use dimming light switches to adjust the mood of the room.
Choose a back door at least 36 inches wide, providing plenty of clearance for an incoming refrigerator or an outgoing range. A pair of French doors would be even better, especially if there’s a worthy view to a backyard or garden.
Rather than the kind of coat closet typical of a front entry hall, think about providing an ample number of easily accessible coat hooks in a “locker” system such as one available from HomeCrest Cabinetry (homecrestcabinetry.com). Benches provide convenient places to sit while tying shoes, and high and low shelves minimize clutter.
A tall pantry-style cabinet can be used for brooms, mops, cleaning supplies and a vacuum. Or, save space in the room for an ample broom closet.
Do something decorative with the walls – beadboard wainscoting, a chair rail, a wallpaper border, a ceramic tile backsplash between the countertops and wall cabinets, framed artwork or textured wallcovering. Grant the mudroom the status of a room that is actually lived in, not just used as a tunnel to and from the outside. Design and decorate it just as you would any other room in the house.
Choose a flooring material that is not just serviceable and durable but (dare we say it?) elegant – hardwood, slate, terra cotta, ceramic. Why is it that the underemployed front entry is worthy of marble or granite tile, but not the high-traffic back entry? These days, you can get natural stone tile starting about $4 per square foot at home centers.
The objective here is not to impress others, but to create a satisfying sense of procession, to heighten the experience of arriving and departing. Despite its name, a mudroom should convey a sense of warmth, familiarity and friendliness, not just to visitors, but for those who live in the house.
A front door and entry hall may imply “welcome,” but it’s the back door and mudroom that say clearly, “Welcome home.”
