I have often wondered why so many new homes have such horribly designed mud rooms. First of all, the washer and dryer are typically situated in this space. Secondly, this is a space where there tends to be the most traffic in and out of the house. Seriously, could there be a worse design for young families?
Let’s face it, if you have an attached garage, you are most likely going to come in through the mud room. This becomes the drop zone for backpacks, coats, jackets, boots, shoes, etc. While this very limited space can become a messy space quickly, here is a design that can be altered to fit a number of different-sized mud rooms that also contain a washer and dryer.
Go vertical
When you have a room that is compact and multifunctional, there is only one way to create more space without having to take down a wall. The solution? Go vertical.
Let’s take a typical 9’ X 6’ size mud room in a home; there isn’t a lot of space. Typically, the washer and dryer cannot be easily moved as there is plumbing involved. Here’s where going vertical is a great way to get additional storage!
First of all, I would break down this small space into two task areas: a space to do laundry and a space to either come home and unload all of your stuff or a space to get ready to head out the door.
For the laundry area, I would add in cabinetry above the washer and dryer. I am a huge fan of tucking things away behind cabinets, so the space remains clean and tidy. Here is what I would install on the laundry side:
I know open shelving is a huge trend right now. However, if you know you won’t be able to keep open shelving tidy, then I would not install it!
The cabinets I would use are wall cabinets that hinge upward. For the upper, top cabinets, I would use those for seasonal items that you do not necessarily have to have access to at all times. (I’m pretty short, so I would need to have a stool to access those items.)
For the tall cabinet to the left of the washer and dryer, this cabinet could be allocated a number of ways. The drawers could be used to store hats, mitts, toques, etc. Alternatively, if you have two children, each child could be assigned a drawer to house their personal belongings.
Inside the upper portion of the cabinet, you could have a rod so that coats and jackets could be easily hung up. You could also install coat hooks instead of rods, if you desire.
Above the washer and dryer, you could also install a countertop so that you can use that to fold laundry or to keep laundry baskets off the floor.
On the other side, this is where I recommend shoe storage to go.
One of my most pinned images on my Pinterest page is that of the IKEA shoe storage that I have personally used in my own boot room.
There are many reasons why this is a great shoe storage:
Here is what a mud room space can look like:
For all of the materials in this space, I have used IKEA. IKEA is a great place to source all of these items needed for this boot room.
Here is the breakdown of pricing:
For all of the products, the grand total is: $2,178.91.
If you have a larger budget, you could have a custom cabinet company make the cabinets, as well.
I designed a very similar laundry room for clients of mine some time ago. Above is the image of how theirs turned out.
While your space may feel small and non-functional, there are always ways to improve both!
Sheri is the owner of Get It Together, gityyc.com. As an Interior Design Professional, Sheri helps her clients renovate with confidence. She takes spaces in homes that individuals and families don’t love and transforms them into their dreams.
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