This is an example of a front door in Phoenix with white walls, terra-cotta floors, a single front door, a black front door and red floor.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional vestibule in Chicago with beige walls, porcelain floors and red floor.

This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury front door in Other with slate floors, a double front door, a white front door and green floor.

A warm and inviting mudroom and entry area with herringbone brick flooring, blue cubbies and white shiplap wood wall covering.
This is an example of a small traditional mudroom in Other with white walls, brick floors, a dutch front door, a white front door and red floor.

Angle Eye Photography
Design ideas for a small country mudroom in Philadelphia with white walls, brick floors, a dutch front door, a medium wood front door and red floor.

Andrea Rugg Photography
This is an example of a transitional mudroom in Minneapolis with white walls and green floor.

Is your closet busting at the seams? Or do you perhaps have no closet at all? Time to consider adding a mudroom to your house. Mudrooms are a popular interior design trend these days, and for good reason - they can house far more than a simple coat closet can. They can serve as a family command center for kids' school flyers and menus, for backpacks and shoes, for art supplies and sports equipment. Some mudrooms contain a laundry area, and some contain a mail station. Some mudrooms serve as a home base for a dog or a cat, with easy to clean, low maintenance building materials. A mudroom may consist of custom built-ins, or may simply be a corner of an existing room with pulled some clever, freestanding furniture, hooks, or shelves to house your most essential mudroom items. Whatever your storage needs, extensive or streamlined, carving out a mudroom area can keep the whole family more organized. And, being more organized saves you stress and countless hours that would otherwise be spent searching for misplaced items. While we love to design mudroom niches, a full mudroom interior design allows us to do what we do best here at Down2Earth Interior Design: elevate a space that is primarily driven by pragmatic requirements into a space that is also beautiful to look at and comfortable to occupy. I find myself voluntarily taking phone calls while sitting on the bench of my mudroom, simply because it's a comfortable place to be. My kids do their homework in the mudroom sometimes. My cat loves to curl up on sweatshirts temporarily left on the bench, or cuddle up in boxes on their way out to the recycling bins, just outside the door. Designing a custom mudroom for our family has elevated our lifestyle in so many ways, and I look forward to the opportunity to help make your mudroom design dreams a reality as well. Photos by Ryan Macchione

Asian front door in Other with a double front door, a medium wood front door, grey walls, ceramic floors and red floor.

Mediterranean front door in Los Angeles with white walls, brick floors, a single front door, a black front door and red floor.

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

These clients reached out to Hillcrest Construction when their family began out-growing their Phoenixville-area home. Through a comprehensive design phase, opportunities to add square footage were identified along with a reorganization of the typical traffic flow throughout the house. All household traffic into the hastily-designed, existing family room bump-out addition was funneled through a 3’ berth within the kitchen making meal prep and other kitchen activities somewhat similar to a shift at a PA turnpike toll booth. In the existing bump-out addition, the family room was relatively tight and the dining room barely fit the 6-person dining table. Access to the backyard was somewhat obstructed by the necessary furniture and the kitchen alone didn’t satisfy storage needs beyond a quick trip to the grocery store. The home’s existing front door was the only front entrance, and without a foyer or mudroom, the front formal room often doubled as a drop-zone for groceries, bookbags, and other on-the-go items. Hillcrest Construction designed a remedy to both address the function and flow issues along with adding square footage via a 150 sq ft addition to the family room and converting the garage into a mudroom entry and walk-through pantry. - The project’s addition was not especially large but was able to facilitate a new pathway to the home’s rear family room. The existing brick wall at the bottom of the second-floor staircase was opened up and created a new, natural flow from the second-floor bedrooms to the front formal room, and into the rear family hang-out space- all without having to cut through the often busy kitchen. The dining room area was relocated to remove it from the pathway to the door to the backyard. Additionally, free and clear access to the rear yard was established for both two-legged and four-legged friends. The existing chunky slider door was removed and in its place was fabricated and installed a custom centerpiece that included a new gas fireplace insert with custom brick surround, two side towers for display items and choice vinyl, and two base cabinets with metal-grated doors to house a subwoofer, wifi equipment, and other stow-away items. The black walnut countertops and mantle pop from the white cabinetry, and the wall-mounted TV with soundbar complete the central A/V hub. The custom cabs and tops were designed and built at Hillcrest’s custom shop. The farmhouse appeal was completed with distressed engineered hardwood floors and craftsman-style window and door trim throughout. - Another major component of the project was the conversion of the garage into a pantry+mudroom+everyday entry. The clients had used their smallish garage for storage of outdoor yard and recreational equipment. With those storage needs being addressed at the exterior, the space was transformed into a custom pantry and mudroom. The floor level within the space was raised to meet the rest of the house and insulated appropriately. A newly installed pocket door divided the dining room area from the designed-to-spec pantry/beverage center. The pantry was designed to house dry storage, cleaning supplies, and dry bar supplies when the cleaning and shopping are complete. A window seat with doggie supply storage below was worked into the design to accommodate the existing elevation of the original garage window. A coat closet and a small set of steps divide the pantry from the mudroom entry. The mudroom entry is marked with a striking combo of the herringbone thin-brick flooring and a custom hutch. Kids returning home from school have a designated spot to hang their coats and bookbags with two deep drawers for shoes. A custom cherry bench top adds a punctuation of warmth. The entry door and window replaced the old overhead garage doors to create the daily-used informal entry off the driveway. With the house being such a favorable area, and the clients not looking to pull up roots, Hillcrest Construction facilitated a collaborative experience and comprehensive plan to change the house for the better and make it a home to grow within.

Design ideas for a mid-sized beach style mudroom in Salt Lake City with brick floors and red floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional mudroom in Other with grey walls, terra-cotta floors, a single front door, a medium wood front door and red floor.

The mudroom received an updated palette that suited the coastal area, with fresh whites and navy. New sconces were added, as well as durable rugs for this high-traffic area that has entries from the back, front and garage. Additional storage was added with a free-standing bench seat, a great place to pull on boots in the winter. Pillows and local art soften the space. Custom hooks were designed to mark each cubby for Mom, Dad, Thing 1 & Thing 2.

Design: Michelle Berwick Photos: Larry Arnal The entryway that started it all. The tile floor we fell in love with that was our jumping off point for the design. I loved working with you on this project; this home is so beautiful and each room fits perfectly. When working with a designer have the whole home in mind when working towards new designs. Color pallets are a great way to find the thread that brings it all together. I'd like to thank the homeowners of #ProjectEverson, they were amazing to work with and their townhouse is stunning and functional.

PHOTO: Steve Keating
Design ideas for a traditional front door in Seattle with red walls, brick floors, a single front door, a white front door and red floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized beach style front door in Other with beige walls, brick floors, a single front door, a dark wood front door and red floor.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary front door in Jacksonville with white walls, brick floors, a single front door, a dark wood front door and red floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized arts and crafts foyer in Other with white walls, brick floors, a single front door, a dark wood front door and red floor.