Mud Room Designs

Are you looking for mud room designs? While the idea of adding on or renovating a mud room might not have all the excitement and pizzazz of, say, a complete master bedroom makeover, you are likely to end up pretty thrilled at the prospects of what a mud room can actually add to your home.

What makes a mud room a great addition to a home? Well, picture it. What does your entryway look like when the kids come in from playing outside or you get caught in the rain and come into the house soaked? The area around the main entrance of the home is probably often marked by muddy footprints, wet shoes and umbrellas, and of course, all of the usual stuff we carry in to the house with us, like school bags, purses, briefcases and coats. Keeping that area clean can be a job in and of itself.

Mud rooms create a solution to that problem. When you have a mud room, that mud, dirt, rain water and snow don’t make it past the mud room door, keeping the rest of your home clean. Instead of everyone dropping their bags and coats wherever the mood strikes, they are placed in the mud room – out of the way and where they will be easy to find when they are needed again. No more searching high and low for that school bag as the bus is coming around the corner!

Mud rooms help keep a home organized and clean, but they don't have to be plain and drab. There are mud room designs that are both functional and stylish.

Before you can get down to deciding what your mud room is actually going to look like, you have to decide on what you will need in your mud room so that is most functional for you. To decide how to make the perfect mud room for you, consider the following:

Your mud room should be located just off the entry to the house that your family uses the most. Ideally, this location would be away from the entrance that your guests use when they visit the home, such as building your mud room off the garage entrance, which you use the most often, when your guests typically come through the front door. However, if the entrance you use is the one that your guests use, it still should be the location of your mud room.

The storage you need in your mud room should be ample for the number of people using the room and what you hope to keep in there. A rack for muddy shoes and hooks or a rod and hangers for coats and sweats are both important features. You may also want to have a storage unit in which each member of the family can have their own cubby where they can store scarf, gloves, car keys and such. An umbrella stand and extra hanging space for purses and small bags are handy to have. If you will be storing backpacks and larger bags in the mud room, make sure there is a space to put them rather than just tossing them on the floor.

Seating isn’t an absolute necessity in a mud room, but it does make a nice addition. The seating can used for putting on and taking off muddy shoes and socks. There are storage units that double as benches that are designed for a mud room and make a great choice when space is at a premium.

The floors in your mud room should be durable, water resistant and easy to clean. This isn’t a space for carpet. Vinyl, concrete, tiles and rubber all make good choices for mud room floors.

There are two other optional ideas to keep in mind for mud room designs. When possible, it’s convenient to have your mud room and laundry room share the same space, so muddied clothing and socks can simply be tossed into the washing machine. Also, when possible, your mud room should have a door, so you can close any mess in there away from the house. Although neither of these two features are a must by any means, if you can make them work, they will make your mud room even more convenient.

For more mud room design inspiration, see Ideas for a Mud Room.

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