Kitchens’ Dirty Secrets: Mudrooms Are Cleaning Up Their Acts!

December 20, 2013

Mud Room No longer expect to find mudrooms only in suburbia and rural farmhouses. Mudrooms have become very chic and sophisticated, as they’ve started becoming actual rooms and not just a part of the front hall or a section of the back porch.

Architects and builders are drafting plans for beautiful auxiliary rooms off the kitchen space, where kids can run in from off the school bus and unhitch their backpacks, lunch pails and dirty shoes.

The Tidiest Catch-All Room in the House
If you’re in the process of designing your home, this is the right time to sit down with your architect, builder and designer to formulate a plan that most likely will lead to a multifunctional space. Mudrooms are great for:

  • An extra powder room. When there’s boiling pasta on the stove the cook wants to be close by. It’s also helpful when the kids run in after school or from playing: It makes sense to clean their hands before they move to other parts of the house.
  • Storage for seasonal clothes. Each member should have their own clothes hooks, drawers and bins, however, an extra space for your pets’ needs is a smart idea, and after all, pets are members of the family, too!
  • Housing washer, dryer and extra sink. You might find yourself doing messier food prep over this sink. Also advantageous for science projects!

Mudroom Materials
You may want to consider using easy to clean floors with minimal grout lines and nonskid tiles. Additionally, the door leading to the kitchen might be swinging open and closed more than you might have realized. Pocket doors are great – they are neater, hidden and allow for more useable space Benches for seating can be almost any material but when using seat cushions, removable covers in easy wash and dry fabrics are recommended in. One last note, when drill clothing hooks for smaller children, make sure to visualize them from their eye level, not yours.

Once you’ve experienced the multiple uses of a well-designed mudroom, you’ll wonder how you ever go along without one!

Contact Schrapper’s to help design your mudroom!