Time to clean out the winter equipment that’s been cluttering up your entryway and make space for new spring finds. Join us this week as we explore eight approaches to freshen up that hardest working of chambers, the mudroom. Whether it is a complete room or a sliver of wall from the doorway, this space must greet you warmly, offer storage for your belongings and set the tone for the remainder of your home. Let’s dig in.
Jennifer Grey Interiors Design & Color Specialist
1. List your requirements. Next time you are home, take note of what you’re carrying, as this can point you toward the furniture and accessories that can best serve you. For example, silky scarves might beg for a drawer or basket, while luggage would succeed on shelves or hooks. You might need:
HooksBoot trayShelvingChest of drawers
RugMirrorBasketsClockTray for mailRecycling bin
Warmington & North
2. Think creatively about furniture. When you’ve got the room, you might be able to repurpose something you own instead of buying a new piece. Who says you want a tough wood seat from the mudroom? A loveseat or a armchair are a magical addition (throw onto a slipcover if you’re worried about stains), along with an old dresser can discover new life as an ample storage unit.
Jeanette Lunde
3. Brighten up with colour and art. A small can of paint can do miracles. Paint the walls, stencil a pattern on the flooring, or repaint your furniture for a whole new appearance. A bracing light mint green looks especially fresh when paired with white, and it yells spring.
Artwork is one other way to make a fast change, and there is no need to devote a whole lot of money to acquire a fantastic appearance. Here are a few ideas for inexpensive wall art.
• Cut a vintage book of botanical illustrations.
• Frame pages by a gorgeous calendar.
• Press leaves and blossoms from your own backyard and frame them.
• Cover a corkboard in burlap and utilize it like a inspiration board.
• Fill embroidery hoops from the craft shop with swatches of vibrant cloth.
Tim Cuppett Architects
4. Take advantage of a small area. Simply because you do not have a mudroom doesn’t mean you can’t have an attractive and orderly region to corral your possessions when you stumble in the doorway. A simple built-in or floating shelf and a few hooks are all you actually need.
If you want to earn this zone feel like its own miniroom, try painting or wallpapering a accent wall to frame the region. Want it to blend in instead? Paint the shelving and wall to coordinate with the colour of the surrounding area to get a smooth transition.
Mark English Architects, AIA
5. Consider flooring choices. The mudroom is a high traffic zone, often handling mud, dirt and snow, so think carefully about what you place on the ground. If you’re starting from scratch, consider a weatherproof material such as stone or tile. Otherwise, cover existing flooring with a challenging natural-fiber rug or perhaps one meant for outside.
LDa Architecture & Interiors
6. Make order for the whole household. If you share the space, it is critical to carve out an area for each individual. A basket, shelf and pair of hooks for each man, woman and child will maintain possessions off the ground and somewhat contained. Be absolutely certain everyone is responsible for draining those baskets until they float, or you’re back to square one.
Rethink Design Studio
7. Insert a command centre. Because it is often the last place we look before leaving the home, the mudroom is a great location for a command centre. Like a miniature office, the command centre acts as an organizational hub for the whole family. Here are a Couple of things you might want to include in yours:
ChalkboardWall calendarChairSmall deskFloating shelfFile basket
Just a Girl
8. Locate additional space. Not enough room indoors? Make your garagedoor or rear deck work by setting up an exterior mudroom close to the doorway. If you live in an apartment building, you might even be able to put a small locked cupboard close to your door.
Read more mudroom photos
More:
Entryway, Mudroom and Laundry Room Wish List
The Handsome Mudroom
Makeshift Mudroom