15 years ago

Our mud room doubles as a laundry room and is the busiest room in the house!The door to our garage is there and it is a high traffice area. It is so chaotic that we are contemplating knocking the wall down between our mud/laundry room and the den on the others side to combine it as one large mud room/pantry/laundry. Thinking of if as a kitchen extension where there would be extra light and a small desk with a pc for kid homework. he room will be an L shape. The den will be moved upstairs to the bonus room off the MBR. Should I do this or should I move the laundry upstairs to the bonus room? I love the idea of an open floor plan and functional space but feel guilty about tearing the den out even though it's another drop zone for junk with no privacy for the working mom. Any thoughts? T

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Comments (9)

PRO
DeCocco Design
15 years ago
I prefer a laundry room upstairs, so I vote for that idea. Wouldn't it be great to enter this space if it just served as a mudroom? You could have a bench where the appliances are with a lid so that there's storage. Then nice built-in shelving--some with doors--to store jackets and "stuff." Finally, some coat hooks, like you have, to use for hoodies and jackets that are in current use, plus maybe the backpacks. Much nicer intro to home!
PRO
Bud Dietrich, AIA
15 years ago
I definitely agree with decocco. Laundry room upstairs is the way to go. And if the room is big enough you can use it as a place to wrap gifts and more. Then you can use the existing room as a proper mudroom. Giving every family member their own "cubbie" and a place to sit to take off boots, etc. will go a long way to keeping the rest of the house neat. I prefer simple, field built cubbies that can be a DIY project. It keeps the cost down while customizing the installation.
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fgrpgirl
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for your suggestions! I love the idea of using the laundry as a wrapping station too. As of late I have been leaning toward moving the laundry upstairs but I was trying to get a pantry added in the mud room to b/c we lack space in the kitchen. I think I may be able to incorporate 2 or 3 of the cubbies and a small pantry too. Appreciate the insights and also the photo!
PRO
Bud Dietrich, AIA
15 years ago
Here's a mudroom with cubbies and pantry cabinet with rollouts. The pantry cabinet makes a lot of sense as it's very efficient.
PRO
ORG Home
15 years ago
You definitely have a lot of options for this room! The company I work for creates a lot of solutions that could work. Do you have room to put cubbies in your garage? Check out http://www.TheStowCompany.com for ideas and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

-Adrienne
PRO
Anita Lewis Design Concepts
15 years ago
Also think about removing some doors, or replacing the one or the other door as a glass door to add transparency and light. Think about new tile, floor and wall, new more attractive cabinetry and shelving, new washer and dryer as front loaders to be able to create a counterspace on the top of the W and D for folding clothes, or stackable W and D to add more cabinet space. That would also save $$ instead of creating new hook-ups and plumbing/exhaust upstairs which can be costly. Also think of flooding on an upper floor. Never did like the thought of laundry rooms on upper floors. If an appliance ever flooded, it was the washmachine.
fgrpgirl
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the inspiration and pictures everyone! I also like the idea of removing the door to let in light and was planning on using the cherry cabinetry from the kitchen for the pantry. I just need to work out the details because the room is only 7'10' L x 6'6"W with a door in the corner to the garage and the door to kitchen. I will plan on moving w/d upstairs. I am concerned about flooding anitalewis, but I think b/c the bonus room is over the garage I am bit more willing to take the risk but it is a very good point-tnx. Looks like my husband wins and we will keep the office in tact.
Thanks again - it's fantastic to have an completely different perspective.
Patricia
15 years ago
So glad to read that the den will not be disturbed. Moving laundry upstairs is a great idea. I have a laundry room/pantry which has doors leading to the garage and outside. This works well for us.
PRO
Kathryn Peltier Design
15 years ago
fgrpgirl: I am glad to hear you will relocate the laundry upstairs - much more functional in that location and clears the way for a larger mud room. I just wanted to add that, unless you think it would really be an eyesore and need to close a door, I would take out the whole wall. It will make the area feel more spacious and will give you more maneuvering space. Just finish off the end of the cabinetry nicely.