what to do in this office/mudroom space?
ANC J
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
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Help me design my mudroom and office area
Comments (11)Oh wow! Thanks for posting your mudroom design with the 3/4 bath and office. I want the same thing but couldn't find anything to compare what was in my head to something I could find online to put in my notes. EVERY single plan I see is the office is connected to the bathroom and it's usually a half bath and the exterior door is so far from the mudroom that I couldn't see why there was a mudroom to begin with. I also want a door in between the living areas and the mudroom area so it can be closed off. I know how my 3 older boys are. I also have a 4th boy who is still a baby, so it will get it's fair use. I would also rework the door to open to the freezer rather than toward the drop zone. In our house we want the garage, mudroom and office at the back of the house since I like a plan that features a symmetrical front elevation. Of course, I like balance in everything. LOL...See MoreWhat would you do with this mudroom/laundry space in a remodel?
Comments (17)I typed out a whole response for you yesterday, but then lost it somehow. I was going to recommend the same thing as forbamblues. Is this powder room the bathroom that your guests will be using? If so, I'd much rather have the door off the kitchen than having them traipse through my mudroom. For one thing, I wouldn't want my guests having to see that clutter, and for another, they will then be walking all the way through your kitchen rather than just utilizing the top corner of the space (outside your work triangle). I'm also going to be the oddball here and say I'd actually prefer my W/D to be on the first floor b/c that's where I spend all my time. Right now, my laundry is in our basement. Aside from the obvious walk up/down two flights of stairs, the other reason I don't like it there is because I hate having to go up and down the stairs all the time (from the kitchen/family room) to switch out loads of laundry. The same thing would happen if I had the laundry upstairs near the bedrooms - constantly having to go upstairs to switch out the loads. Perhaps my viewpoint is a bit jaded by the amount of laundry I do as a family of six, but I'd rather have the laundry nearby so when a load is done, I can more quickly get to it. That said, I do see the benefits of having the W/D near the hampers upstairs! If, however, you find that you don't have it in your budget to move the W/D, this would be my suggestion. Close off the door from the mudroom to the powder room and move your W/D over to that wall where the door is now. You'd have to also take out the closet on the side wall, but then you could add cabinetry above the W/D to store what is in that closet. Then in the space where the W/D is currently you could put cubby/lockers. As for shoe storage, we have a cubby system that dh built in our mudroom for our four kids. It looks very similar to the second photo that Melissa posted with the open storage underneath. I bought baskets from IKEA that my kids use for their shoes, but we don't' have an issue much with mud/rain/etc as they typically leave their boots or sports cleats in the garage. However, if you have to deal with that often, I'd suggest just buying an indoor/outdoor rug and put it underneath the cubby space to catch the dirt and water. They are very easy to keep clean (I have one in my entryway). In my own space, I just pull the baskets out every once in a while and vacuum with a handheld vacuum underneath the cubbies to get up all the dirt/dust/etc. BTW, am I the only one who has this nice divided space for my kids to leave their backpacks/coats/shoes but they still manage to leave their crap all over? There are days I walk in the mudroom, and despite having a basket RIGHT THERE for their shoes, they still leave them all over the floor b/c they are too lazy to pull out their basket! Or they leave their sweatshirts/jackets/etc on the bench instead of hanging them up. Drives me nuts! Good luck with your remodel - you have a great space to work with!...See MoreThinking about removing office to make decent mudroom - resale??
Comments (8)My children are growing quickly. I have a small laundry/mud room sitting between the kitchen and back door. I do wish it was bigger, but even more I wish I had a home office. It's not just the computers ( and we have 3 now, not counting laptops). There are also 2 printers, and 2 photo printers and scanners. I can't even count all the electronics we have now, DH LOVES them, and I love him. Don't forget docking stations to sync your iPhone and iPod, and photo card scanners........ Now that the kids are older, it would be great to have a special place for them to do homework, besides the kitchen table or hidden away in their rooms (or basement). Keeping the computers in a central open place is part of child internet safety. If helps parents stay vigilant. Unless you plan on selling our home very soon, I wouldn't worry about resell issues. But if you [plan on staying there a long time, think about what you may need in the not so distant future too. Your kids will be doing homework on the computer by 2nd grade. And with 3 kids I can already fill a lot of bookcases. An office space would be heaven. But I'b have to sell and move first. How about a mudroom in your finished basement instead?...See Moreplease help with mudroom pantry space
Comments (10)My question is when you come in from the garage, do you have a place for your purse? Is one of those cubbies for your use or just for the kids/pets? If the cubbies are for the kids, I would think you would want the small counter space. If one of those cubbies is dedicated to you, then you most likely wouldn't need the counter. While I am not usually a big fan of the open shelving because the clutter shows, I think doors in my mudroom might be a pain. While the kids are trying to put on their shoes, they sit, then if the cubby is open, they reach behind them and pack their backpack or search for their umbrella, etc. If the door is on the cubby, won't the open doors be hitting the person seated next to them? I do see why you want the junk contained and hidden, but most likely the only people seeing it might be you--and maybe that's one too many :), but in this case I might choose function over form. I chose cubbies for the kids and a counter for me. But, our office is right next door to this room so I can see the mail, etc being dumped just two steps further. From Menlo Farmhouse Your first floor looks wonderful! So nice to hear that you are progressing and your kitchen will be in May 16....my wood floors go in starting tomorrow and I am just crazed to get everything done. Hopefully done by June 15 or so--a belated Mother's Day present!...See Morehousegal200
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