Is your closet busting at the seams? Or do you perhaps have no closet at all? Time to consider adding a mudroom to your house. Mudrooms are a popular interior design trend these days, and for good reason - they can house far more than a simple coat closet can. They can serve as a family command center for kids' school flyers and menus, for backpacks and shoes, for art supplies and sports equipment. Some mudrooms contain a laundry area, and some contain a mail station. Some mudrooms serve as a home base for a dog or a cat, with easy to clean, low maintenance building materials. A mudroom may consist of custom built-ins, or may simply be a corner of an existing room with pulled some clever, freestanding furniture, hooks, or shelves to house your most essential mudroom items.

A sunroom, on the other hand, is a great place to relax and enjoy nature without actually being exposed to the elements. A great stone fireplace tempers the chill in the air in spring and fall and a bright and exuberant color palette inspired by Mexico brings a summery mood all year long.

Mudroom photo credit: Ryan Macchione
Sunroom photo credit: Rebecca McAlpin