When previewing homes that will be featured on this fall’s Renovator’s Home Tour, held September 25th at locations across Lancaster County, something became quite obvious. People like their mudrooms.
There was a time that mudrooms were as exciting as their name. They were joyless. One-dimensional. Traditionally, this space used to be narrow hallway off the kitchen or laundry room, devoid of décor, except perhaps for a coat of paint or drab wallpaper.
Meet today’s mudroom. These rooms are stylish with coordinating finishes and furnishing, and more often than not, they have multiple purposes. Mudrooms have become “the family hub;” and in many cases, they are often one of the most frequently used rooms in the house.
Case in point, Mark and Heather Shelton turned their mudroom into a multi-functional laundry room, mudroom, and wet bar, located just outside the kitchen and pantry area. When designing this space, the Sheltons kept the needs of their busy family in mind, as well as their guests. The room is attractive and organized, which invites guests to enter (and even hang out) when refreshing their drink at the bar.
When a mudroom becomes a part of more essential room, like an extension of a kitchen or living room, organization becomes important. Utilizing a space just off their kitchen, Marisa and Eric Morgan created a mudroom area by installing closets that were previously located in their home’s upstairs. The closets became key to ensuring that their downstairs remains clutter-free. Each family member gets their own cubby for storage. And, because the closets are tall, they have made the most out of every square inch by going vertical with their storage.
Kate Allegretti of School Lane Hills lights up when she enters her mudroom. She and her husband Paul created something closer to a command center than mudroom. The bright and uncluttered space seamlessly pulls together a desk for organizing papers, cubbies for hanging coats and bags, a second refrigerator for additional food storage, laundry machines and, best of all, a cool system for organizing trash (which Kate happily demonstrates.) Surrounded by sleek white and modern light fixtures, the mudroom is just as pleasant as the rest of the home.
Mudrooms are just one of the clever uses of space that will be featured at Renovator’s Home Tour: Threshold to Change on September 25th. The event will showcase homes across Lancaster County and offer examples of innovative design and architectural interest in home renovations. Tickets and information is available at RenovatorsHomeTour.com. Proceeds from ticket sales support Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity.