It could be on account of this newfound interest in gardening (and the increased mud and dirt making its way into the kitchen). Or perhaps it’s my desire to be “lady of the manor” manifesting itself. Whatever it is, I’ve decided I want, need, a mudroom.
Interestingly when I think of mudrooms, it is in the English (or Irish!) country manor context. Y’know stone floors, old fashioned hooks, benches, cupboards and stools, lines of wellies (not gumboots!) and wax jackets, some sort of a sheepdog or setter on a dog blanket, and some horse riding gear (by the way, I don’t even ride that well).
OK. Back to Auckland. Really I should be thinking about how we incorporate this mudroom idea into the contemporary style extension we’re planning for our villa (which, incidentally is on a section less than 500 sq. m and not on acres of farmland so nothing like a manor at all really!) And no, I hadn’t thought of this when we briefed the architect!! Mind you, when he showed us one of his recent projects it had a separate entrance from the back garden directly into the kitchen (there were sliding doors from the back decked area through to the living and dining areas). So whack on a sort of porch to that side entrance, and hey presto, I’m thinking that’s my “mudroom”!
The following excerpts from wisegeek.com describe mudrooms rather satisfactorily I must say!
“A mud room or mudroom is a room which is built into some houses to act as a barrier between outdoors and indoors. Especially in regions with wet, muddy winters, a mud room can be a useful addition as it helps to keep the house clean. In addition, the mud room constitutes a clear boundary between indoors and out, which can be a useful reminder for animals and exuberant members of the household. Generally, a mud room has easily cleaned floors made in materials like tile, concrete, or linoleum. In extreme cases, a mud room may even have a drain in the floor to make sluicing the floor very easy. A well designed mud room also has ample hooks and racks for damp, wet clothing, as well as racks or cubbies for shoes. In addition, benches for people to sit on while they remove their shoes are not uncommon. All of these measures are designed to encourage people to remove sodden or dirty layers before entering the house.”
What do they mean by “exuberant members of the household” I wonder?!
“Generally, mud rooms are not the primary entrances of homes, since they tend to be informal in nature. A side or backyard door usually leads into the mud room, and family members may be encouraged to use it while guests are welcomed through the front door. Often, the washer and dryer are also tucked into the mud room, for the sake of convenience. A mud room which doubles as a laundry room is handy, since wet baskets of clothing do not need to be carried through the house to outdoor clotheslines, and soiled or wet clothing can be immediately dumped into a washer without being tracked through the house.”
My jury is still out on the combined mudroom/laundry idea though they do make a pretty good case for it here. I think a sink at least is a good idea.
“In addition to being useful in inclement weather, a mud room is also very handy for households with animals such as horses. Soiled clothing can be removed in the mud room so that scents and dirt are not tracked into the house, while animals such as farm dogs may be encouraged to wait in the mud room while their owners take care of business in the house. For animals who are allowed into the house, a mud room is a good staging area for washing off dirty paws and bodies.”
Aha! This screams English country manor to me, though I suppose in NZ this would be appropriate on a “lifestyle” plot.
Here are some more mudroom images to enjoy.
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| Via designyourdreamhome |
