Expert-Approved Essentials for Mud Room Design
The most useful room that you never knew you always wanted
Photo credit: Project architecture by TKP Architects, Interior Design by ReStyle Design, Built by Monarch Homes Inc, Photographed by Kathy Peden Photography
The mud room may not be the most glamorous room in the house, but this wonderfully useful space shouldn’t be overlooked.
Whether you’re house hunting with a realtor or designing a custom home with an architect, take some time to think about how this space can be arranged to serve your lifestyle.
Your future self will thank you for the day-in-day-out convenience that a well-designed mud room has to offer.
What is a mud room?
It’s the room where the mud goes. It’s the transition space between inside and outside, between cold and warm, between messy and clean.
Here you can kick off your muddy boots, hang your wet ski clothes up to dry, or towel off the kids after a good run through the sprinklers.
It’s practical and functional and it contains the mess that would otherwise spread throughout your home. But that doesn’t mean your mud room has to look like a disaster.
Read on to see how this utilitarian room can be as charming as the rest of your home.
Photo credit: Architecture and Interior Design by TKP Architects, Built by Bella Villa Builders, Photographed by Mark Woolcott photography
A mud room can be as simple as a bench in a hallway, or as elaborate as a “family studio” workspace. But these are the must-have features that make an ideal mud room:
A “Stop & Drop” adjacent to the outer door. This is simply a bank of cabinets with counter space where you can set groceries and Amazon packages as you enter your home. It’s a great place to sort mail, stock household goods, and stash the infamous junk drawer (every house has one).
A bench for perching and tying shoes. Hinge the seat to make a lid for chest storage, or divide up the space below the seat into drawers or shoe cubbies.
Lockers for easy access to coats and hats that rotate seasonally. But these aren’t the metal boxes in school that you could never figure out how to unlock. Built-in cabinetry lockers can be as beautiful as they are convenient.
A closet for storing out-of-season gear, sports equipment, or cleaning supplies. Out of sight, out of mind.
An indestructible floor will give you peace of mind no matter what mess the dog or kids track in. Tile is the defending champion of durable flooring, while LVP (luxury vinyl plank) is a warmer, softer option that’s still waterproof, scratch resistant, and easy to clean.
Beyond these essentials, a mud room can grow into a multipurpose workspace, what we like to call a family studio. This might include a sink for potting plants, a rolling cart for crafts, or a desk for sorting bills and writing emails.
Often it makes sense to incorporate the laundry functions into this room as well, whether for saving space in a tight floor plan, or to have ready access to a dryer for wet jackets.
Photo credit: Architecture by TKP Architects; Interior Design by homeowner; Built by Lee Barker Builder LLC, Photographed by PHOCO
Tim Barstad is a Project Architect at TKP Architects, an award-winning architecture firm based in Golden, Colorado. View their profile or contact them at 303.278.8840.
Content for this article provided by TKP Architects.
