Mud room
A Charging Station and Heated Floors Designer: Jim Scott of Locale Design Build (this project was built when Scott was a partner at Quartersawn Design Build) Location: Minneapolis Size: 125 square feet (11.6 square meters) Year built: 1920; addition and remodel: 2015 Homeowners’ request: Having no mudroom in Minnesota, where snow is an issue for much of the year, can be quite a problem for a family of five. “The kids would all come in the back door of their home and spread all of their things on the floor of the family room they were entering,” designer Jim Scott says. The homeowners desperately needed a place to store boots, hats, jackets and backpacks. Special features: A counter for charging mobile phones. A chalkboard for messages. Junk drawers. Baskets for scarves, mittens and hats. A walnut bench, V-groove wall paneling and a porcelain tile floor for durability and style. Heated floors to warm feet and help dry boots. Schoolhouse lights, face-frame cabinetry and crown molding for nods to traditional style. Why the design works: The mudroom opens into the kitchen and center of the home. “This allows for groceries to come easily into the house as well as allowing guests to...
Designer: Sid Levin of Revolution Design and Build Location: Hopkins, Minnesota Size: 105 square feet (about 10 square meters) Homeowners’ request: A functional space to store family sports equipment, school bags, coats, shoes and everything else that needs to be organized for a family of five, including three kids ages 11 to 19. All are active in sports and hobbies, and needed to have items be easily accessible and easy to put away. Special features: Individual storage lockers with an integral bench, a “control center” to organize the family calendar and important paperwork, and a wall of hooks for random belongings. Plan of attack: The designer had a blank slate to work with after a fire completely destroyed the previous house. “The design inspiration was the Hamptons meets industrial,” designer Sid Levin says. Why the design works: Multiple points of entry to the room — from the exterior, the garage, the laundry room and the kitchen — made traffic flow challenging, but the layout of the benches and integral storage created interest and order. Team: Westwind Woodworkers Paint: Extra White 7006, Sherwin-Williams
Drawers and Natural Light Designers: Scott Jung of SRJ Development and Jessica Moreau of Moreau Design Location: Phoenix Size: 66 square feet (6.1 square meters); 11 feet by 6 feet (3.3 by 1.8 meters) Year built: 2015 Homeowners’ request: SRJ Development built this home as a spec house. “Still, that didn’t stop us from thinking of who the client may be,” designer and builder Scott Jung says. “We figured whoever bought this home would likely have a family and would need a functional space.” A family with two young children did end up purchasing the home, and they worked with designer Jessica Moreau of Moreau Design Studio to make the mudroom a livable, durable space that provided storage for bags and shoes and helped get the kids off to school in the morning. The cushion fabric is a durable outdoor fabric that can be easily wiped down and kept clean. Special features: A French door brings in natural light from a large window in a laundry room. Open shelving and hooks allow family members to grab things quickly when they’re in a rush. Drawers on the bottom keep things organized and uncluttered, while classic hardware adds timeless style. Plan of attack: “When you’re starting f...
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