A few months ago, I moved into a ‘new’ old house. It’s a 1940 Cape Cod with all kinds of charm. When I bought it, one of the big selling features was the side entry. At about 6’-0” x 8’-0”, it even had a shallow closet for cleaning supplies and recycling items. AND there was a bathroom adjacent … perfect for guests or washing up after an afternoon in the garden. Frankly, I have never had a mudroom in all my years of home ownership. Now, I am in mudroom heaven.
Mudrooms can perform a lot of functions. From a place to hang up jackets and organize everyday shoes to a charging station for all our handheld electronics, life gets better with a mudroom. Here are some other tasks that can be worked into a mudroom if there is enough room:
- A chalkboard or cork board to post the family’s schedules
- A space to keep keys
- Leashes and other pet supplies
- A chair or bench for putting on shoes and boots
- Umbrella stand
- A place for outgoing mail and even dry cleaning to be dropped off
- A water dispenser for the kids to save on muddy feet throughout the home
This interesting mudroom in an older home was created as part of a major remodeling. It is just off the kitchen and is the primary entrance for the family. It features tall storage cabinets that hide all the family clutter. Just think of all the ways you could get organized with this much storage! Hooks on the grooved paneling make a perfect place for jackets but my favorite part of this area is the bench with a lift up lid and loads of storage beneath. It was created on the job site from matching cabinet materials and makes the whole space even more useful.
