Long ago, the mudroom of a house was the area between the outside of the house and the inside. In winter ice and snow, and in spring with constant rain, this room with it’s tile floor was a barrier to keep mud off the finished wood floors of the house proper. In households with animals such as horses, you can imagine the dirt that otherwise would have been tracked inside.
Nowadays, I hear clients referring to their “mudroom” but most often I find it is the laundry room between the garage and the kitchen. We have been referring to this as the “Family Foyer” because guests use the formal front door, but the family goes in and out this informal “mudroom”. For families with children, this room can become a problem as the kids routinely dump the coats, backpacks, shoes and sporting equipment on the floor when they come home. What can be done?
We have been working in some solutions to such an area and making it pull double duty. This can be a place to store out of season outerwear and shoes if we can build up to the ceiling. (mittens/hats/ beach towels/ flip flops) Depending on how large the area is, we can create cubbies, often with coat hooks and a place to sit so that it’s easy to hang up the coats and back packs and put on, take off, and store shoes and boots. It’s also a great place for mom and dad to park some of their gear so it doesn’t wind up on the kitchen counters. A “charging” zone can be created for the various rechargeable devices (phones, cameras, GPS, laptop, I-pods) that could develop into a snake nest of wires in the more public parts of you home.
Me and my Mud (Room)
NARI President's Breakfast
Kleppinger Design Group hosted the NARI President's Breakfast on Sept. 23rd. June Stanish was on hand to snap a few pictures of the casual networking event. The monthly NARI President's Breakfast is an opportunity for NARI members and potential members to talk with the NARI Metro DC President Jerry Levine.
Tupperware Nightmare
Let’s face it. Getting dinner on the table is a big enough chore. There’s the planning, the shopping, the prep work, the retrieval of all the cookware, the actual cooking, and the endless clean up. Can we make this easier please????
I have worked with many families over the years to help them create their perfect dream kitchen. Each project presents me with a unique challenge which needs specific solutions to make life easier. Some areas are a common problem, but we have great ways to address them.
One complaint I almost know I’m going to hear about is the nightmare of the plastic containers we lovingly call Tupperware. There is no question that it is tough to store and retrieve. The lids go missing as they seem to jump off the shelf. Finding the right size container with a matching lid is frustrating at best.