Marvelous Mudrooms for Your Snow-Covered Soles

A light dusting of snow over a quiet East End landscape is a beautiful thing. Bringing the ice and slush into your home? Not so much. A well-designed mudroom can serve as a functional and fashionable space to store shoes, hang heavy coats and keep your “can’t leave without” items. A mudroom can also serve as a transitional space from outside to in, and can be far more fashionable than the name implies. There are several closet design firms on Long Island that can help design and install a mudroom in your home. Further, there are many ways a homeowner can create one with thoughtfully placed and storage-conscious furniture.

Sue O’Brien of Long Island Closet Design offers tips and advice for those designing a mudroom.

What sort of questions should a homeowner address when designing a mudroom?
Where is the heavy traffic area—is it by the front door or a side entrance? Do they want drawers on the bottom or shelves? Do they want doors on top or open? Doors hide a lot of messes, with little kids. Divided sections for each person or set up for more entire family use?

A lot of people don’t have an alcove in their home that’s begging to be a mudroom. How can a client design a corner or entryway to have a more structured, mudroom feel?
Any entryway can really be set up for a mudroom feel. Set it back from the front door. You can make it sleek, country style or contemporary to fit in. In my house personally, I have a large foyer so behind the door and the length of the foyer, I put one in. It is so functional and fits the feel of my home. Example, number 2 above is for a small space that has a heater vent. We just worked around it and made it possible.

Mudrooms can quickly become the room equivalent of a junk drawer. What do you recommend for making the functionality of a mudroom fashionable?
Custom doors and drawers, fashionable hooks and handles, bench seating to match the color and texture of your home…wainscoting as backing is an option as well, and baskets, baskets and baskets!

What sort of budget should people allocate for adding a mudroom to their home?
Everything is customizable to the homeowners’ budget. Be it $1,500 or $6,000, you can get a mudroom to suit your functionality and needs, or something with a little more glam for a fashion statement.

If you’re DIY-inclined or don’t have the time or space to put an addition onto your home, local retailers offer pieces that can turn a corner by the door into a mudroom, renovation-free. These fashionable and functional items are so pretty they’ll make you wish guests used the side door more often!

66” Byron Bench
Design Furniture Outlet, 301 Tanger Mall Drive, Riverhead
631-528-5600, designfurnitureoutlet.com
No mudroom is complete without a bench for putting your shoes on. The supports on this bench don’t cut into the space underneath, making it the perfect place to put shoe polish, extra laces or even more shoes.

Woven Stripes Basket, Set of Two
Design Furniture Outlet
Baskets are a great way to make the most of small spaces. Place these baskets inside a storage cubby or underneath a bench to stash cold weather accessories.

Perennials Rhodes Rug
Serena and Lily Design Shop, 332 Montauk Highway, Wainscott
631-537-5544, serenaandlily.com
Consider an outdoor rug that can withstand washing and high traffic. This rug from Serena and Lily is simple, elegant, and dirty shoe-friendly.

For more information on Long Island Closet Design, visit longislandclosetdesign.com.