You know the economy is coming around when homeowners are putting as much thought and planning into their mud rooms as they once put into their kitchens. Here at Design Build Planners, we have been designing an increasing number of multi-purpose laundry and mud rooms for homeowners throughout the United States.
Jason Parsons, lead project designer at Design Build Planners, explains the modern mud and laundry room combo:
Expanded Mud and Laundry Rooms have moved from the “want” category to the “need” category for many homeowners. Often combined into a single multi-purpose room, space is allocated for a washer/dryer, hanging racks, and basket storage for the laundry, as well as shoe baskets, coat and backpack hooks, and benches for easily coming and going.
Aesthetically, homeowners want durable floors, composite beadboard or tile halfway up the walls, bright colors, and a combination of good natural and artificial lighting.
Pets have always had a special place in their owner’s hearts, and now they are earning a place in their mud room projects. The addition of “Pet Stations”, which are simply spaces for food/water consumption and storage, leashes, and treats; keep bowls from being consistently kicked in the kitchen. In addition, a well designed mud room provides an excellent alternative to crating your dog. A bright, but confined space for your furry family member to rest until your return.
While you may not think a mud room is very important, today’s mud rooms have so many functional uses that they can make the rest of your home more livable. Many homes have a space where family members hang coats, store shoes, and use as a catch-all for outdoor gear and overflow storage. But without proper planning, these spaces can quickly turn into a cluttered mess.
By taking a little time to plan and design your mud room for your family’s needs, it can become one of the most used rooms in the home. Follow these 5 Steps and you’ll be amazed at how much more organized your home becomes.
1 – Find a Space
Most mud rooms are at the rear of the house in between the back door and the kitchen, or the garage and the kitchen. However, you can make a functional mud room out of any underutilized space in your home, such as a larger front foyer, a section of your garage, or even an oversized hallway. With proper organization, even a small space can be transformed into a great multi-purpose room.
2 – Determine Your Needs
Take an inventory of your family members, their gear, and their needs. What will you need room for? And think of the different seasons. In winter, depending on your climate, you’ll need room for boots, heavy coats, and other cold-weather gear. In warmer months, you may need room for sports equipment, cleats, bags, and wet beach or pool towels.
How about pets? Do you want to keep your home cleaner by having a pet washing station in your mudroom?
What is taking up space elsewhere in your home that you can move to your new mud room? An extra fridge, a chest freezer, a sewing machine or craft table, your laptop and mail station, or cleaning supplies?
Now you’re probably starting to see how a room like this can truly be multi-purpose.
3 – Estimate Your Budget
Trust us, there are mud rooms for every budget. At the basic end of the spectrum, there are plenty of DIY options, from building shelves and storage areas yourself to purchasing basic storage units from Ikea. And if you’re not the DIY type, you may want to look into hiring a designer or remodeling contractor to make sure your new room is perfect.
Many of our clients choose to add a mud room as part of a larger home remodeling project. This is a great option, as the remodeling company is already working on the home, so it’s not too much extra work to add on a mud or laundry room.
4 – Research Ideas
With websites like Pinterest and Houzz, there are is no shortage of mud room design ideas. You’ll see everything from compact mud room spaces in garages to elaborate 200 square foot rooms.
To get your creative juices flowing, here are some laundry room and mud room ideas for you:
- Built-in hampers
- Drip dry stations for wet clothes
- Pet washing stations
- Stacked washer & dryer
- Sewing or crafting stations
- Floor drains
- Radiant floor heat
- Cubbies for sports gear
- Sliding doors or barn doors to hide clutter
- Boot trays
- Extra fridge or chest freezer
- Big drawers for storing pet food and accessories
- Desk or work station
- Cabinet for cleaning supplies
- Beadboard walls for easy cleaning
- Wash basin
- Pull-out folding surface or ironing board
5 – Design & Build Your Space
When you work with a home design firm like Design Build Planners, you can leverage our extensive experience in designing and building functional rooms and homes.
On the other hand, you may know a local handyman or you may even elect to do everything yourself.
The path you choose will depend on how elaborate you want your space to be and how much you are looking to invest.
Regardless of who builds your multi-purpose room, we encourage you to take the time up front to plan and design your space for maximum efficiency.
Keeping a home neat and clean goes a long way to creating a good first impression for guests. It also provides personal peace of mind and adds to the pride of ownership. Well designed mud rooms and laundry areas greatly help a busy family, with hectic schedules, achieve this. ~ Neil Parsons, Design Build Planners
Looking for More Mud Room Design Ideas?
Read more about mud room designs and see what others are doing. If you are looking for professional assistance, Design Build Planners offer remodeling project design and planning throughout the United States. We invite you to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation with us so we can learn more about your project and see if we can help you with your exciting project.