Entry

Photo of a large traditional mudroom in Columbus with brown walls, brick floors, a single front door and brown floor.

The mud room in this Bloomfield Hills residence was a part of a whole house renovation and addition, completed in 2016. Directly adjacent to the indoor gym, outdoor pool, and motor court, this room had to serve a variety of functions. The tile floor in the mud room is in a herringbone pattern with a tile border that extends the length of the hallway. Two sliding doors conceal a utility room that features cabinet storage of the children's backpacks, supplies, coats, and shoes. The room also has a stackable washer/dryer and sink to clean off items after using the gym, pool, or from outside. Arched French doors along the motor court wall allow natural light to fill the space and help the hallway feel more open.

Inspiration for a traditional mudroom in Phoenix with brick floors, a dutch front door and a dark wood front door.

Photo of a country mudroom in Minneapolis with white walls, brick floors and multi-coloured floor.

Photo of a country mudroom in Surrey with green walls, brick floors, red floor, planked wall panelling and wallpaper.

Large Mud Room with lots of storage and hand-washing station!
Inspiration for a large country mudroom in Chicago with white walls, brick floors, a single front door, a medium wood front door and red floor.

Entryway with updated front door and mid-century modern wood seperator between living space.
Inspiration for a midcentury entryway in Denver with white walls, brick floors, a single front door and a white front door.

Wonderful original entrance to Arts & Craft country house.
Inspiration for a country front door in Surrey with white walls, a single front door, a dark wood front door, brick floors and brown floor.

mudroom storage and seating with entry to large walk-in storage closet
Large country mudroom in Philadelphia with white walls, brick floors, a single front door, a gray front door and multi-coloured floor.

Mid-sized country mudroom in Philadelphia with white walls, brick floors and red floor.

Alterations to an idyllic Cotswold Cottage in Gloucestershire. The works included complete internal refurbishment, together with an entirely new panelled Dining Room, a small oak framed bay window extension to the Kitchen and a new Boot Room / Utility extension.

Emma Lewis
Design ideas for a large traditional mudroom in Surrey with green walls, brick floors and orange floor.

Placed on a large site with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy at the rear boundary, this one story residence presents a modest, composed public façade to the street while opening to the rear yard with two wings surrounding a large loggia or “outdoor living room.” With its thick walls, overhangs, and ample cross ventilation, the project demonstrates the simple idea that a building should respond carefully to its environment. Laura Hull Photography

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

Photo of a large mudroom in Denver with grey walls, brick floors and grey floor.

Inspiration for a country mudroom in Boston with grey walls, brick floors and red floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional mudroom in Chicago with grey walls and brick floors.

Photo of a mid-sized traditional vestibule in Surrey with white walls, terra-cotta floors, a double front door and a white front door.

The owners of this New Braunfels house have a love of Spanish Colonial architecture, and were influenced by the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. The home elegantly showcases their collection of furniture and artifacts. Handmade cement tiles are used as stair risers, and beautifully accent the Saltillo tile floor.