Perfect Floor Plan — by Guest Mom Rebecca Rather
Before we moved from NY to KS, in anticipation of buying a house, Design Mom and I had frequent conversations about the perfect floor plan. After living in numerous apts/houses (I think most of us have), I have learned what I like and dislike in a house. The problem is that I am drawn to older homes which often don’t have some of the easy-living amenities that I would love. So the question is, do I get a house with a lot of character and only a few amenities, or find a brand-spanking new house with not much character but lots of modern conveniences?
One of the things I feel I must have is a good mudroom.
It would be so great to have a good big space where we all enter the house (whether it be through the front door or the garage) to drop off all of our piles of stuff — especially after school. I have never lived in a place that has sufficient storage in a convenient place for shoes, backpacks, hats, gloves, umbrellas, etc. In my ideal mudroom, each person would have their own spot at their own height to unload their belongings and each item would have its own place. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it! I like some of these good-looking storage options.
I love the idea of lockers. These are from Sundance Catalog and look fabulous.
There are a variety of lockers found on ebay, as well. You can find these red ones here.
These cubbies, also from Sundance, would provide some good storage possibilities for extra hats and gloves, or even sports equipment.
I think these metal storage baskets from Land of Nod are really fantastic.
I would also love to have a computer/calendar station in the kitchen and a laundry room right next to the bedrooms. The funny thing is, we’ve just found a house that we may decide to buy and it has neither of
these. But it does have a good mudroom possibility, hardwood floors (which is a must — carpet spells
disaster in our household), and a lot of character.
What would you include in your perfect floor plan? (I would sure love the ideas!)
One of the things I feel I must have is a good mudroom.
It would be so great to have a good big space where we all enter the house (whether it be through the front door or the garage) to drop off all of our piles of stuff — especially after school. I have never lived in a place that has sufficient storage in a convenient place for shoes, backpacks, hats, gloves, umbrellas, etc. In my ideal mudroom, each person would have their own spot at their own height to unload their belongings and each item would have its own place. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it! I like some of these good-looking storage options.
I love the idea of lockers. These are from Sundance Catalog and look fabulous.
There are a variety of lockers found on ebay, as well. You can find these red ones here.
These cubbies, also from Sundance, would provide some good storage possibilities for extra hats and gloves, or even sports equipment.
I think these metal storage baskets from Land of Nod are really fantastic.
I would also love to have a computer/calendar station in the kitchen and a laundry room right next to the bedrooms. The funny thing is, we’ve just found a house that we may decide to buy and it has neither of
these. But it does have a good mudroom possibility, hardwood floors (which is a must — carpet spells
disaster in our household), and a lot of character.
What would you include in your perfect floor plan? (I would sure love the ideas!)
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Wednesday, November 22, 2006
9 Comments:
I've seen a family that had huge full size lockers in their garage (right next to the mudroom) with the names of the kids on each of the lockers. The kids were mostly high school aged, but they could put all their outdoor gear (which they had a lot of because they lived in montana) and sports equipment. I'm not sure where they got the lockers but i thought it was a fantastic idea for each kid to have their own storage space.
If I had a mud room (what I do have is an older house with the same issues you mention), I would aim for a nice warm, cozy mud room with a tile floor and a sprayer hose and a drain in the corner by the door. A long cubby for shoes under a long bench, topped of by an equally long coat rack would be ideal for me. (Oh! I can see it now.)
I would also want to make sure I had room for a big sink. You know--those commerical kitchen-sized sinks large enough to wash out a huge clay pot or wash up a muddy child.
When my children were little I lived by the saying, "If they're not diry, they're not having fun." But I would love a way to keep the mud, dirt, sand, paint--whatever--from ever entering our living space.
It's funny that when we talk about customizing our homes we are always focussed on the mudroom and the laundry room...Clearly the way to a woman's heart is organization!I, too, get giddy about thinking of the possibilities....I live in an old home with lots of character, but little space. In place of a mud room I purchase a bench and overhead cabinet from Crate and Barrel a few years ago. But I still dream of a traditional mudroom where each child has their own designated area...
And as far as a laundry room goes, I wouldn't be satified with a run-of-the-mill one (right now my washer and dryer are in the garage). I would want the room as large as a bedroom, with a center island, cabinets throughout, and a sink of course. It would be a laundry/wrapping/craf/whatever-else room. With enough space for all the "extras!"
I can dream can't I...
I love the idea Liz has. I am stalling some simple angle brackets and closet dowling, a bench, a sisal mat and a boot basket just outside the garage door. :)
i live in a newer home without character. at least i have closet space.
i dream of a mudroom by the back door with a drinking fountain. i also want a w/d in the master(large walk-in) closet.
A few of the things I would like to see in my dream home, when money and space are not issues, I discovered while living abroad.
I spent a summer on a farm in Germany. The old farm house had a fantastic back-door mud room (and it really was a MUD room). It had a rock floor that slanted slightly to a corner drain, a small toilet and sink closet, a hose in the corner, hooks of different sizes at varying heights, and a drinking fountain. It was a perfect way to get the amenities of being indoors without having to clean up in order to go indoors. It was very practical for farm life, although perhaps a bit extreme for suburbia.
I also spent a few weeks living in a sort of vacation bungalow on the seashore. The bathroom was accessed directly off the front door. It had a toilet in one corner, a shower head and curtain in another corner, and a sink at the other. There was no lip around the shower floor; rather, the water drained directly into the middle of the bathroom floor. It was ideal for cleaning up any sand laden clothing or person. The whole room could be hosed down with the detachable shower head, with the excess water being simply squeegeed into the drain. No bath mats, no cupboards, no intricate tile work. It was great.
Alas, for now I will have to be content with my shoe box apartment which has a washer in one room, and the dryer in another room.
Rebecca,
I'm so glad you're the guest mom of the week. It's great to read your thoughts and ideas. You're great.
I, too, would love a mud room. But before a mud room, I think I'd take a master bedroom with doors!
I can't wait to hear about this house you might buy! I'll have to make a trip to Wichita just to see it because it'll be amazing!
Miss you!
We had lockers in our basement growing up for each of us (5) kids. It was great, although we got a lot of teasing from friends. My dad, an incredible organizer, thought it was a great idea and it really was--it did a great job organizing our individual photoalbums, baby books, sticker collections, scrapbooks, certificates, special toys you want to keep away from the other kids, etc. It kept our stuff separated, organized, and you shut the door and it's all "clean." I highly recomment lockers.
Wow--I've got to remember the drinking fountain idea-- it's brilliant! Thanks for the great ideas... I could dream forever about my perfect place.
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