MUDROOM
Puppy Paradise
THE HOME: No-fuss Lone Tree home base for a family of five
THE WISH LIST: “We, most importantly, wanted the room to be functional,” says homeowner Amy Kirschke. For her and her husband, who acted as their own interior designers, that meant room for everyone’s shoes and coats, locker-like personal cubbies for their three kids, a place to sit down and a lot of organized storage. Finally, they needed a place for the family pups’ favorite things.
The leashes, bags of dog food and more for Ruby, a golden retriever, and Mae, a Bernese mountain dog, occupy a fair portion of the 13-and-counting cabinets, drawers and shelves. “The little cubbies keep the small stuff—basically anything you don’t want in plain sight—off the counter,” Amy adds.
THE PROCESS: The mudroom was made out of almost nothing, so it needed to be right. The Kirschkes took square footage from their garage, on top of which they also added something akin to an apartment, to make the room. “I don’t think very many people could do that,” Amy says. “Travis has done a lot of construction. … Design-wise, we just know what we like and what we don’t, so it’s normal for us to execute our own vision.”
Of course, to pinpoint their décor goals, Amy and Travis looked through a lot of design inspiration. “We like things that are clean, simple and classic,” Amy explains. “We also try to pick things that won’t be so unique that we won’t like it later.” And that’s what’s poignant about this space, she continues; it’s something that could have been designed yesterday or years ago.
Custom cabinets, a fresh coat of paint, durable stone tile (with a nonporous finish to deter damage from dogs), decorative handles from Anthropologie with teal backs that enliven the classic color palette and a cowhide ottoman, Mae’s preferred lounging spot, make it timeless.
THE IMPACT: Ruby and Mae now have a prized place to hang out. “Their favorite part is that their cookies are in there,” Amy teases. “But they usually sit back there because they know, when we come home, we’re going to come into that room first from the garage.”
THE BOTTOM LINE: With or without an interior designer, “make a list of your non-negotiables and be sure you utilize all of the space,” Amy says.
Don’t be afraid to get embellished finishing touches. “That’s a good place you can change things up later if you get tired of the detail,” she says.
Great, and Small
THE HOME: Empty nesters’ modern-mountain haven, take two
THE WISH LIST: A little bit of storage. A simple area to sit. A place to keep their going-out things organized in an appealing way. “Being empty nesters, they didn’t need a lot here; we kept it simple,” Bravo says.
THE PROCESS: Less was more in both the outcome and the design process. A wide bench makes space for the homeowners and anything they might be carrying on top; the divider underneath makes “his” and “her” compartments. The cubbies above the coat hooks are for friends and family and, when friends and family aren’t around, a little decoration. A beautiful space is as important as a practical space, Bravo says: “The key to a simple area like this is those accessories.”
The walnut finish ties in with the home’s kitchen island, which is nearby. And the basket makes space for a common mudroom design trick: “I am very adamant that things should look effortless,” Bravo says. “Keeping a house magazine-ready is usually not probable. But with pretty storage baskets, things can look nice on the outside but be a little messy inside.”
THE IMPACT: The mudroom is part of the homeowners’ dream house, Bravo says. Practically speaking, they also have a place to set groceries while they unpack them in the pantry. “If you’re sitting on the mudroom bench, the pantry is what you’re looking into,” explains the designer.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Bravo’s starting point when configuring a mudroom: “Do you keep your shoes in the mudroom or in a closet? The answer will really alter the design.”
The All-in-One
THE HOME: New-build for a family of four
THE WISH LIST: Combination was key. The whole family needed a place for their outerwear, footwear and laundry, and Mom needed to spread out crafts.
THE PROCESS: Boots, shoes and coat stations introduce the 144-square-foot activity area. Here Layne stuck with staples, mainly benches and individual shelves and cubbies. Dirty shoes go straight to the sink.
For the crafting corner, Layne “outlined all of the projects the homeowner likes to do and every piece of equipment she needed to do them”— down to the number of different ribbons she wanted to regularly have on hand. “We based the shelf measurements off of the sizes of the specific crafting paper she uses as well,” Layne adds.
Notice the island? It’s higher than the standard size “to accommodate Mom’s height.” The countertops from Arizona Tile look like concrete, but are actually made out of a stain-resistant quartz. And for the two family dogs, there’s a doggy door and a gated bed for them to sleep in at night.
THE IMPACT: Comfort. “Before, this was all in a small laundry room where everything was squeezed in,” Layne says.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A space like this may need to be a long-term goal. “This kind of room isn’t usually an easy thing to do in a remodel,” warns Layne. “Unless you have preexisting extra space, new construction accommodates this best.”
WHAT’S NEW, according to KIM LAYNE
MUDROOM
We keep finding new ways to incorporate our pets and other commotion. The question of the hour: “By making the mudroom area a bit bigger, how can you really capture diverse uses in the one space?”