The rooms that take the wear
The mudroom and the laundry room see more traffic than any other room in a house, and they are usually the last to get any attention. Wire shelves, a single hook rail and a pile of shoes by the door are what most houses come with. Cabinetry changes how the whole house runs: coats, bags and shoes stop at the door, and the laundry has somewhere to be folded and put away.
Mudrooms
A good mudroom gives each person their own place. We size lockers to the household: a family of 4 gets 4 lockers, and often a 5th for guests, dog leashes and the things that belong to nobody in particular, with a hook for coats, a shelf for hats and gloves, and a cubby or drawer for shoes below a bench to sit on. A drop zone for keys, mail and phones keeps the kitchen counter clear. Cabinets above the lockers hold what is used only in one season, and the finishes are chosen to stand up to wet boots and backpacks.
- Open or doored lockers, one per person
- A bench with drawers or baskets underneath
- Ventilation for damp coats and sports gear
- A charging drawer and a mail slot by the door to the garage
Laundry rooms
The laundry room is designed around the machines. A counter across front-loaders turns them into a folding station; upper cabinets keep detergent out of reach of children; a tall cabinet holds the ironing board, the vacuum and the brooms. A hanging rod or a pull-out drying rack handles the clothes that cannot go in the dryer, and there is room left for a utility sink where the house can take one.
One room or two
In plenty of houses the laundry and the mudroom share a space off the garage. We lay it out so the two jobs do not get in each other’s way, with the lockers on one wall and the machines on the other, and a finish that ties the room into the kitchen it opens onto.