WASHINGTON – In horror movies, the doorway to hell is always in the basement. If anyone should come across a doorway to heaven, I bet it would open to a mudroom.
These days, the humble mudroom is a key feature sought by new-home buyers and remodelers.
“Over the past five years we’ve seen the emergence of the mudroom and the re-emergence of the pantry,” said Stephen Melman, director of economic services for the National Association of Home Builders. “It keeps the clutter down. A mudroom does for clothing and stuff what a kitchen pantry does for plates and utensils.”
Greg Wiedemann, principal of Wiedemann Architects in suburban Bethesda, Md., calls such a handy little space the “secondary entrance.”
It’s the entrance the family uses most often, usually attached to the garage, driveway or side of the house. Homeowners and buyers are asking for plenty of attention to be paid to these spaces.
“It’s one of the most important spaces in a house,” Wiedemann said.
Wiedemann designed an award-winning home in Bethesda for the Gross family, who had been living in a Colonial that had no formal entry foyer or coat closet.
The new house has a room between the carport and the kitchen with custom-built shoe cubbies and cabinets. Each child has a set of three wall-mounted hooks for jackets and backpacks, which never leave the room unless the kids are on the way to school. The parents share one set of three hooks.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
