August 22, 2019

This week’s KBTribeChat talked about one of our favorite add-on spaces: the mudroom. We’ve been seeing this more often in kitchen renovations in particular, where it only makes logical sense to give a main entranceway its own facelift. Here’s what we picked up during the chat about the best ways to outfit this passthrough space:

Laying out the benefits for your client:

• Mudrooms catch and store everyday items to maintain clutter.
• More than a dumping ground for shoes, a mudroom provides storage for items you need ready on your way out the door.
• It’s a perfect place to hang items like purses and backpacks (especially since it’s back-to-school season).
• This space provides a buffer zone for dirty shoes and clothes – as well as pets!

Locations that work best:

• The entryway is still a given.
• If your client has a back entryway, that might be better than the front in some cases if kids are often coming and going through here. 
• It can be the first room entered from the garage, making it an easy spot to deposit keys and belongings.
• Placing it next to the laundry makes it simple to throw dirty items in the wash.

Features to Include

• A locker for each member of the household – both child and adult
• A place to sit down and take off shoes
• Hooks, hooks and more hooks!
• A small countertop for keys and other pocket items
• Overhead compartments for storing out-of-season items like winter hats in the summer or flip flops in the winter
• A pet shower
• A ladder to reach the tallest storage spots

Materials to include:

• Durable and easily cleanable flooring
• For this type of space, anything waterproof and stain- and impact-resistant is necessary.
• Materials that are darker will hide dirt better in here.

Making it organized:

• Install built-ins with a base cabinet and a countertop for dropping items.
• Include a variety of organizational items, like hoods, shelves, drawers and cubbies.
• Create a drop zone that fits the family’s lifestyle – like including a filing system for mail, an area for completed homework, a spot for keys, etc. Incorporate storage at varying heights so it can be used by every member of the family.
• Use a magnetic wall for displaying notes and memos.
• Hang a “to-do” board for an especially busy family.

What do you think? Join next week’s KBTribeChat by searching for #KBTribeChat in Twitter at 2 p.m. EST next Wednesday, August 28.