Defining a Mudroom - KBG Design Roundup

More than ever, our clients with young families are needing a space for their kids - or themselves - to put their "stuff" when coming or going from the house. The stuff can vary, of course, depending on their kid's or lifestyle activities, but creative storage solutions are always on our must-have checklist.

This below Mudroom space is from our Classic Romantic Ranch project completed with Z and M Construction.

Given that almost all of our projects are located here in the South Bay Area, homes in this area are not exactly monstrous mid-Western sized McMansions😆. Out typical client's home is almost always at least 50+ years old, limited in square footage, with an outdated and compartmentalized floor plan BUT it's located in a highly desirable location. Location, location, LOCATION, right?! So, where does a Mudroom even fit in when we're planning and drafting out solutions for our clients?

Enter the reimagining of the Mudroom space...

We have found that combining a mudroom space along with the laundry space can be one of the most effective and efficient approaches. Some of our clients have enough square footage to achieve this while others need a more space - which would lead us to designing an addition of some sort to achieve the best possible layout.

Here's an example of a combo laundry + mudroom space and this required a small addition, but those added square feet became hugely beneficial compared to the original laundry space.

Here's the after floor plan layout:

Here's what the before floor plan used to be...which was about 1/3rd the size of the remodeled finished space.

And oh what a difference an extra 45 square feet can make, right?!

The cutest little Dutch door ever. Our clients needed this to access the pool and side yard:

And here's the laundry room half of this combined Laundry-Mudroom space:

Faucet by Hansgrohe

Engineered quartz countertop material from MSI

Knobs and pulls by Anthropologie

Backsplash and floor tile by Bedrosians

Custom Cabinetry by Chris Hyland

White basket from World Market

See more pics from this project here & here.

Now, onto another great project where we combined both the laundry + mudroom together. Here are some pics from our Modern Farmhouse Project:

Now, for this particular project, we also needed to add some square feet, however, instead of adding outside the home's existing footprint, we ended up encroaching into the garage about 5'. Luckily, our client's garage started especially large/ deep so it could easily spare some space to make room for this beautiful space.

Faucet by Rohl

Sink by Native Trails

Backsplash tile and floor tile by Bedrosians

Custom wood countertop product by Aura Hardwoods

Cabinet hardware by Restoration Hardware

Cabinetry by Crystal Cabinets

Let's talk wall cubbies! I'm kind of obsessed with them, actually. I think these are the perfect solution for a small or narrow space; perfect for purses, backpacks, hats, keys - you name it. How darling is this cubby wall?

Wall hooks by Rejuvenation

Triple wardrobe hook by House of Antique Hardware

Warm white DEW380 paint by Dunn Edwards

The back wall here is the perfect spot to sit and put-on or take off your shoes.

Cabinet hardware by Restoration Hardware

Ceiling flush-mount light by Shades of Light

And here's the Laundry room portion of this combination space.

Faucet by Rohl

Sink by Native Trails

Laundry Baskets by Crate and Barrel

Backsplash tile and floor tile by Bedrosians

Custom wood countertop product by Aura Hardwoods

Cabinetry by Crystal Cabinets

Now, there are definitely scenarios where the new Mudroom isn't anywhere near the Laundry room...and it's technically not located in its own room, however, we still call them Mudroom built-ins.

Sometimes, we dress it up and put it right off our client's main Entry door. In my opinion, a front entry Mudroom is the most successful when the storage is more fully enclosed/ hidden with solid doors and drawers. This is still just as functional, but instead of seeing the stuff, it can be tucked away with everything having a space and everything in its place.

Pendant lights from Shades of Light

Pulls from Restoration Hardware

Glass knobs from Emtek

Wall hooks from Rejuvenation

Cabinetry by Souza's Cabinets Inc

And finally, the most traditional Mudroom location is right off the garage to house entry door. The below pics are the perfect example of this. See more about this home's details in a previous blog here. Storage can be much more open since this space isn't in the line of sight from the main living areas which means open baskets, wall hooks, and a less an overall less formal approach, but still equally beautiful and functional.