Mudrooms

A mudroom provides a transition between the outdoors and the indoors – and a place to capture the mud (as the name implies) as well as some of the daily accumulated clutter like footwear, wet clothes and sports gear. Mudrooms have become increasingly more popular as American homes have become bigger.

Mudrooms can provide extra storage space and organization for seasonal clothes and kids’ sports equipment, so all the clutter won’t creep into the main living space. They can also help prolong the life of your primary rooms’ flooring, since the dirt and grime will be captured on the mudroom floor instead of ground into the carpet. Dirty shoes can be left in the mudroom, and dirty paws can get a quick wash or wipe before they bring the outdoors in!

Storage cubbies can be created for each family member’s coats, boots, backpacks and other outerwear for even more extreme levels of zen and organization. Imagine being able to find everything when you want it, because the kids knew exactly where to leave it when they trailed in from school! A strategically placed bench lets everyone sit down to remove boots and snowpants, and also provide additional hidden storage for more infrequently used items.

At Tinwood we can help you make the most of the space available to build a super-organized mudroom and/or laundry to keep your home ultra tidy and organized.

Laundry Rooms

Many older homes housed the washing machine in the basement, down a full flight of stairs, which may have been more exercise than mom really wanted. In today’s homes the laundry room is typically part of the main level living, easily accessible from the kitchen or other well-used room. A well-organized laundry room would include space for hanging clothes, folding and ironing, as well as out-of-site storage for cleaning and laundry supplies. A splash sink for hand washing or giving the pet a bath is also a common laundry room asset.

Durable surfaces that withstand moisture and heat, as well as the occasional bleach spill, are assets of a great laundry room. It’s also important for most people to minimize bending when folding and sorting clothes – all things to consider when designing your laundry.

It’s also good to make use of natural light to brighten the laundry room and make it a cheerful place to attend to the laundry chores, from washing and folding to ironing. If natural light isn’t a possibility, we can help find ways to make use of under-cabinet fluorescent lights or under-cabinet fixtures. Good lighting helps eliminate unmatched socks and spotty clothes leaving the laundry space, and small items getting left behind in the dryer.

Many homes combine the mudroom and laundry room into just one room, and that’s fine too. Sometimes there’s not enough space to have two entirely separate rooms, so the laundry and mud rooms can easily combine into one efficient and organized home entry, storage and cleaning space.