| Now that our thoughts are turning again to outdoor | | | | Consider, for example, finding an antique pine dry |
| living, it's agreat time to think about making room this | | | | sink: a perfect solution for storing unwieldy items like |
| year for what may beone of the most practical | | | | bags of dog food, home canning paraphernalia, or |
| places in the house: the mudroom. | | | | potting soil - and a great place to set the groceries |
| Never mind that we may associate mudrooms with | | | | as you come in the door. |
| images of country houses, English wellies and walking | | | | How about a big ceramic bowl to hold the day's mail? |
| sticks - the premise is the same in our modern lives. | | | | Crowded for space in the kitchen? Think about a |
| Every home must find a way to manage that | | | | pantry cupboard to store extra canned, bottled, and |
| transition that its inhabitants make between life | | | | dry goods. And keep a first-aid kit in an old-fashioned |
| outdoors and life inside. A mudroom is perfectly | | | | black lunchbox - for backyard emergencies. |
| practical - and can also be perfectly pleasing. | | | | Take A Load Off |
| The Struggle For Order | | | | Every mudroom needs a bench (preferably built in |
| It's funny how the whole house can be thrown into | | | | with a hinged lid) in which you can store helmets, |
| chaos by all those indoor/outdoor transition problems. | | | | towels, garden hats... and it's such a pleasure to be |
| Where to put backpacks, skis, muddy boots, litter | | | | able to sit when you are getting in or out of shoes |
| box, dog leash, wet mittens, bicycle helmets, | | | | and boots. |
| sunscreen, rain slickers and wild bird seed? The | | | | Bead Board Paneling |
| mudroom is the perfect answer - and it can be either | | | | Either painted or natural bead board paneling is the |
| grand or modest in scale. | | | | perfect wall treatment. Nothing too precious in this |
| Find Some Space, Or Make Some | | | | room -- just easy to maintain surfaces that can take |
| You may be able to design a mudroom using space | | | | rough and tumble treatment. |
| you already have: in a front or back porch, in an | | | | Floors should be stone, tile, or vinyl. Be sure to use |
| underused main floor laundry room, in an attached | | | | an absorbentwashable mat too, and a bristle mat at |
| garage, or perhaps in a back hall. If you can't find the | | | | the very entrance is necessary for maximum mud |
| necessary square footage for this marvelous utility | | | | removal. |
| room, it's a great time to think seriously about | | | | Plumb The Mudroom And Install A Big Sink |
| making a mudroom part of a home addition; there's | | | | This is truly a luxury, but how great would it be to |
| never been a better time to finance that kind of | | | | have a dedicated sink for houseplant potting, washing |
| project. | | | | up from gardening, or rinsing off a muddy child or pet |
| Not only is it an energy saving airlock, but also -- | | | | before entering the rest of the house? A French |
| penny for penny, inch for inch -- it's space that will | | | | farmhouse sink would be fabulous...but a stainless |
| add ease and comfort to your daily routine. | | | | steel basin works too! |
| Think High-School Locker And Go Vertical | | | | Make it command central |
| Each family member gets his or her own space fitted | | | | Why not put up a blackboard, and a cork bulletin |
| with hooks (for outerwear, caps, backpacks, skates), | | | | board for daily messages and reminders? Have you |
| shelves (for sweaters and sweatshirts),and baskets | | | | noticed lately that many of the best show homes |
| (for mittens, sunglasses, gloves, sunscreen, keys, | | | | and design magazines are sporting handsome, |
| etc.) Put pegs at different levels for various ages of | | | | organized mudrooms? |
| family members. | | | | No secret behind this growing trend; smart designers |
| A Place For Everything | | | | have simplycaught up with the reality of our indoor |
| This should be one of the best-organized spaces in | | | | outdoor lifestyles! This spring, make room for your |
| your home. Think about how you will use the room. | | | | own mudroom! |