Why You Should Never Forget About The Mudroom
Elevate your everyday by creating beautiful moments in unexpected spaces.
Meet The Experts
Bill Holloway, Partner / Lead Designer Lake and Land Studio, LLC, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Lake and Land Studio is the residential design firm of the 2023 Idea House
Laura Hodges, Owner and principal interior designer for Laura Hodges Studio in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. She is the designer for the 2023 Southern Living Idea House.
While you might just think of the mudroom as a pass-through space to take off shoes and drop bags, we think it deserves a little more attention. “The mudroom is your everyday foyer. It’s often the first thing you see when you come into the house as the homeowner,” says architect Bill Holloway. “And those kinds of everyday moments should be celebrated and functional, but also be pretty.” Just as beauty and function are important in the rest of a home, the same should extend even to the tucked away, hardworking rooms. So while there is still bound to be a hodgepodge of coats, bags, and leashes, designer Laura Hodges took care when designing this mudroom in the 2023 Idea House to be a mess-free, cheerful send off when you leave for the day, and a warm welcome when you arrive home.
Make The Mudroom It’s Own Space
“The mudroom is not typically a grand spot that people think about, but I think it’s important to put a little thought and effort into the spaces you use everyday,” says Holloway. To create a well-designed rear entryway, Hodges used interesting textures and finishes. Here, she leaned on floor-to-ceiling custom cabinetry to conceal clutter and added in unique detail with board-and-batten walls and thoughtful light fixtures. Consider a similar look with built-in cabinetry, cubbies, or a flip-top bench. To really create a wow moment, the designer added a modern touch to the flooring. “I love taking a utilitarian space and elevating it with really beautiful, classic design like this checkerboard floor,” says Hodges of the bardiglio- and-white Carrara marble floors.
Add Special Touches
“I like for all spaces to feel like they have some sort of visual reward for the person walking through them. Even if it’s just a mudroom,” says Hodges. “I still think you can have functionality and something really pretty to look at.” She brought in an antique side table, while relatively simple in shape, adds impact without overwhelming the room. It frames the doorway as a drop table for keys and wallets, while providing a surface to display a treasured trinket, framed photo, or fresh clippings.
Don’t Crowd the Room
With multiple entry points and doorways to the small space it was important to keep it simple while still adding interest. “In general, there’s a certain minimalism that we brought to this design because I didn't want it to feel like a bunch of stuff everywhere. I wanted it to feel intentional and thoughtful,” says Hodges. While the area is spacious, the bulk of the mudroom’s working space is confined to a singular, compact wall to avoid belongings sprawled everywhere. The balance of open cubbies and shelves keeps it from feeling too heavy or closed off while still providing cabinets to hide other items.
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