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The Handsome Mud Room
How to Set Up a Drop Zone for a Great Welcome Home
Whether you have a mud room proper at the back entrance of your suburban estate or your entry hall performs double duty in an urban apartment, the first space you enter upon walking through the door is the place you put down your keys and bags, take off your shoes and jacket, and breathe. This space is important functionally, but it's also your greeting into the home, so the more organized and handsome it is the better you will feel after a long day. Let's take a look at examples of homes that have maximized the appeal of their mud rooms.
Even with a tiny space, a custom compact shelving system can be built around the window or door to maximize storage.
The traditional mud room has a country feel in its simplicity: low cubbies for shoes, open lockers with hooks for coats, additional hooks for bags, and a bench to sit. Don't forget resilient flooring to mop dirt away. Here, flirty lighting balances out the otherwise austere space. And it all works.
Here's a more glamorous take on the traditional mudroom with nice detailing to make it for a luxurious feel. Perhaps you would find this in a town home. Closed cabinet doors and woven baskets for stowing away loose items. Two bright chandeliers for illuminating a small space. A ladder for reaching higher shelves adds a touch of unexpected appeal.
Besides cubbies and hooks, consider a small writing surface and key hooks near the back door for convenience.
If you have space to spare, the built-ins in the back door to this kitchen find space for a writing surface, lockers and cubbies, even a wet bar. With ample lighting, this kitchen will naturally become the central hub for family activity.
The mud room does not have to be traditional. A funky light fixture, striped wall paint, and a bold graphic rug transform the basic mud room components into a modern-looking space.
Another modern take on mud room components shows gorgeous minimalist detailing. Just look at that bench silouette and how it joins with the frosted glass window.
Here's a rustic entry/mud room with grass cloth wallpaper, many wood tones — even a trophy head. It gets a refined look from quality materials, hanging pictures, plants and decorative knickknacks. This room is not an afterthought. Instead it is revered space.
Locker door faces offer another fun idea for chalkboard paint: Family members can write lists or reminders to each other as they come and go.
Don’t forget that under the stairs is a great space to carve out a mud room from otherwise wasted real estate. A bench can fit under there to make a sweet little nook with small cubbies around the corner.
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Browse mudroom ideas