We are waiting for our architect to come back to us with revised plans. I hope to have something this week. He will be showing us a floorplan that’s based upon what I uploaded in post #007, along with a plan for the upper floor, which I’m also excited about.
In our last meeting we had a big discussion about the mudroom. (You will need to look at post #007 to know what I’m getting at here.)
I know I’ve written about this before, but a proper entryway has been the bane of our existence here, ever since day one. Our current front entrance is tiny and it is totally non-functional for four people plus one dog, especially in the wintertime. (Don’t even talk to me about coat and boot storage.) Hence our desire for rear entry and a mud room, which you saw in the previous post.
In the new plan, we stop using the front entrance, and switch to a side entrance instead. Guests may continue to use the front door. :)
I didn’t realize this until we sat down to talk about it, but the architect had assumed open closets (!) in this area, but we talked about it AT LENGTH (or maybe it was just me, insisting, a lot). In conclusion, I don’t want to see messy piles of coats. Ever. Again.
Although this area is small it needs:
A few coat hooks and a good-sized wardrobe that can hide all of our jackets, footwear, other accessories (gloves, purses, umbrellas etc.). Instead of something custom-built I’ve been looking at Ikea’s PAX system. They are BIG. And the insides are highly customizable. And I like that they come with an option for sliding doors and a mirror. Space saving! You can cram more in there than something like this… which I don’t think is realistic at all.
A bench, with room underneath for wet boots.
And, let’s face it, the mudroom is the place where stuff gets dumped. That’s why I am also hoping we can squeeze in some kind of mail centre in the form of open shelving (with taller spaces in between) for places to put mail, bookbags, a bowl for keys etc. (Maybe this? With a few inset baskets?) Another thing that would be helpful; a garbage and paper recycling bin RIGHT THERE, so things can be disposed of right away. I’m so tired of travelling and misplaced pizza day forms.
What about flooring? I want something that is easily moppable and low-maintainance. At first I thought that stamped concrete would be interesting (I’ve seen some really gorgeous examples of heated concrete floors in a mudroom), but apparently it needs a month to cure and I’m having trouble finding a photo of something I really like.*
*Sidebar – man oh man. It is just me, or do many many businesses need to seriously upgrade their websites and photo galleries? Don’t they know this is how I shop?
Linoleum is where I think I’m heading right now. It’s pretty eco-friendly as far as floors go and is supposed to be reallyl durable in high-traffic areas. According to the Armstrong website, linoleum flooring is “made from natural materials like linseed oil, recycled wood flour, cork dust and limestone. Linoleum is naturally anti-bacterial and biodegradable.” This appeals to me. The trick is to make it not look too institutional. What about a checkerboard pattern like this one? Or maybe a deep red? What about cork? A dark cork floor might be interesting too.
What would you do? I’m still on the lookout for ideas!
