Yes, mudrooms can be elegant

Modern mudrooms have plenty of storage in bespoke cabinets. JANE+BEILES PHOTO

By JOYCE CORRIGAN 

Imbued with centuries of the utilitarian elegance of British country houses, the mudroom — the English prefer the posh “boot room” — evokes images of Heathcliff arriving at Wuthering Heights on horseback: muddy, windblown, intense, and kicking off his boots in the back hall, where a servant inevitably waits to clean them.

Fast forward to today, and whether there’s a houseful of riders, lacrosse players, golfers, gardeners, or just muddy toddlers or pets (hello, spring), the mudroom has evolved into one of the most requested and essential features of any Westchester home.

“The mudroom may no longer be where the staff takes your boots,” conceded Bedford architect Kirtley Cameron, “but it is where more and more guests now enter the house. Since the arrival into any residence is so important as a first impression, mudrooms are now designed to be seen. That said, there’s the other aspect of the mudroom where sports equipment and outdoor clothes are tucked away behind pocket or sliding doors.” 

Cubbies and shelves

Signature elements of a well-designed mudroom include cubbies with shelves, closets, drawers, stylish hooks, benches and recessed rubber boot tray compartments.

“There’s the mudroom’s crucial utilitarian part,” Cameron noted.

In the average American 18th and early 19th century home, homeowners were far more tolerant of dirt. Mess was expected and often collected in the kitchen (the de facto mudroom). Truly dirty work clothes and boots were left in a barn or shed. And, of course, homeowners then weren’t contending with organized sports.

For a particular 18th century house renovation in Bedford Village, Kirtley Cameron Design was commissioned to reimagine the original barn as a new pool house, build a new garage, and reimagine several details within the main house. Yet it was the assignment to design a mudroom addition to the main house that brought the greatest delight to the acclaimed architect. Expanding upon the original home’s footprint, Cameron created a thoughtfully scaled 10-by-13-foot main area with a 5-by-6 foot extension flowing seamlessly toward the kitchen.

“The mudroom is often the one thing missing from historic homes,” she said. “To start with, this particular antique lacked any interior access to the basement. The homeowners had grown weary of stepping outside and wrestling with a cumbersome bulkhead door just to reach it.”

To solve this, Cameron’s design included an internal stair connecting to the lower level. 

“The clients also longed for a proper transition space between the entry and the kitchen, and, of course, another mandate was storage, storage, storage.” Most antique houses didn’t have an abundance of closets and storage areas, largely because people simply didn’t have as much stuff to store! And yet, the most frequent and satisfying compliment Cameron receives is that her mudroom “looks like it’s always been there.”

You needn’t have a large family to love a mudroom.

“These particular homeowners have two grown children no longer at home, so the commission wasn’t about high traffic and kids’ cubbies,” Cameron said. “The primary drivers of the design were the lifestyles of the adults, one a serious gardener, the other a golfer — and their dogs.”

Keeping pets safe

No built-in canine crates in this house; the mudroom instead serves — certainly in the pups’ eyes — as their personal domain. 

“Just the owners’ ability to lock the dogs safely in the mudroom with materials durable enough that they can’t really do any damage.”

Another focal point is a very handsome, generously proportioned farmer’s sink. 

“Along with the wide stone counter along the windows, this space accommodates watering and potting plants, storing and keeping all the gardener’s messy bits in one place.”

“This design was a mix of new and old relating to the historic house but also taking some opportunities to have fun and be less formal,” Cameron said. “The floor is concrete tile with oak wide-plank flooring as a border and on the stairs. The simple custom cabinets with Shaker panels match the kitchen, while the soapstone counter with integral sink also relates to the main house. The windows were historic profiles to match the existing house so that it all tied together from the outside.”

One size doesn't fit all

As is typical, the mudroom connects to the kitchen, the conduit for most grocery unloading and deliveries.

Of course, one mudroom does not fit all. 

“For another family, we’ve done an equipment room in a barn that was specifically designed for ski equipment, fishing tackle and lacrosse gear,” Cameron said. “It connected to the main part of the garage so that gear could easily be loaded into the car, but also had an attached laundry room, so nothing ever had to go into the main house.”

“No mud, no lotus,” a wise man once observed, and it seems there’s also a delightful outgrowth to this mudroom.

One of the added bonuses, the topmost level became a porch off the primary bedroom. The very idea of enjoying a private sunset al fresco was hardly conceived in the original, uber-practical 18th century farmhouse. For one, an additional outside door would have been a major source of drafts in colder months.

“We went back and forth with the owners on whether to include a walkout space above the mudroom,” Cameron said. “But we did. As it’s in the back of the house, not seen from the road, it’s very private and overlooks their beautiful garden. It’s become a perfect place for morning coffee or sitting outside in the evening. And the owners have told me it’s their favorite part of the entire project!”

Joyce Corrigan is a freelance writer for The Recorder. Reach her here.