A mud room and laundry room are important spaces within the home, but they are typically underutilized. The mud room, which is a small area in between the front or back door and the rest of the home, is a place to store shoes and coats. It prevents family members and guests from tracking dirt, water, and other elements into the home. A laundry room, sometimes also known as a utility room, is often located in the basement or near the master bedroom in more modern homes.

It’s very easy to let your mud room become a disorganized mess. After all, it’s not a room you spend time in, so it’s easy to just drop things there and forget about them. However, a well designed mud room should include a few key items including a shoe rack, coat hooks, and bench seat storage. The bench is a great place to sit down, right when walking in, and remove your shoes and coat. Ideally, the shoe rack should be compartmentalized so that anything that is tracked in does not get on any other pairs of shoes. A properly hung coat rack and hooks will support and evenly distribute several pounds of heavy jackets. Homeowners should also consider adding a floor drain, which comes in handy when washing tiled floors or washing off muddy shoes and pets.

Your laundry room doesn’t come to mind as one of the top places you’d like to spend time in, but a little organization and design can go a long way to change your mind! First, investing in a stackable washer and dryer will create feet of space for hanging racks, shelving units, cabinetry, and various lighting options to brighten up the space. Also, consider using water resistant material in your laundry room, such as ceramic tiles, which are easy to clean and durable.

Whether you’re planning to create a new mud room or laundry room, or are simply looking to update an old space, Design Build Planners can work with you to create an inviting, organized, and efficient area within your home.

Below are some additional mud room and laundry room design idea photos.