While dreaming about your custom home in Simpsonville, South Carolina (or Greenville, Powdersville, Fountain Inn… anywhere in the Upstate, really!), odds are good you’ve carefully planned your kitchen layout, chosen just the place spot for your table and chairs to go… maybe you’ve even thought through the exact size and shape of the sectional couch you need to give everyone a place to hang out after work and school let out.

There are a few essential rooms, however, that often go completely neglected when planning a custom home: the laundry room and the entryway or mudroom!

Don’t leave these important, if small, rooms out in the cold! We have ideas for ways to upgrade your laundry room or mudroom to help make them more efficient, comfortable, and yes — enjoyable to spend time in.

For many busy families, mudrooms are becoming not just a “like,” but a “must-have” when it comes to building a kid-friendly custom home. Rather than cluttering up a traditional entryway with muddy shoes or rain boots, or scrambling to locate school bags when you’re already running late, adding in a mudroom helps keep the rest of your home neat and tidy while organizing all those essentials you tend to grab on your way out the door.

What Are Some Ways to Upgrade a Basic Mudroom Design?

First, Built-In Shelving is a Must!

If you look at ideas for mudrooms in magazines like HGTV or Good Housekeeping, you’ll likely see a built-in bench. Upgrade your mudroom’s organization by adding in built-in shelving underneath the bench itself to hold rain boots or shoes. We also suggest adding coat hooks higher up. Make your mudroom bench a one-stop shop for getting ready to head out into bad weather.

Consider Adding Natural Light

Mudrooms tend to be an afterthought, which often means they’re not designed with any windows or views outside, making them feel dark and closed-in. Ask our Design Team to add in small windows to catch natural light and brighten things up! This also adds a sense of greater space to the room.

Add a Washing Station to Your Mudroom

Whether you have kids who tend to come in muddy during a rainy day, you’re an avid gardener, or you have a puppy who hasn’t quite figured out how to keep clean, a washing station can cut down on the dirt, dust, and debris trooped through the rest of the home.

Add a floor drain and faucet into a tiled area in the mudroom to create a “dog shower” or boot-washing area. A full sink makes for easy hand-washing or even a spot to rinse out your swimsuit and lay it out to dry.

Are There Any Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Laundry Room?

Absolutely! Since most of us don’t exactly enjoy this necessary chore, we tend to find ourselves neglecting laundry room design and instead the laundry room is cramped, dark, unpleasant, and leaves little or no place to actually fold and organize the clothing when it comes out of the dryer. Stop folding clothes on any available space and upgrade your laundry room with a few easy fixes!

First and Most Important: Counter Space

No laundry room design for a new custom home should neglect adding in counter space! It doesn’t cost much to install, and the extra countertops will give you a spot to organize and fold laundry as it comes out of the dryer.

Add Cabinets to Hold Your Laundry Supplies

Don’t pile up the detergent, fabric softener, stain remover, or other laundry supplies on top of your dryer. Visual clutter can make a chore feel more stressful than it really is. Instead, add cabinets to hold all these important items and keep things clean.

Add Paint, a Fun Backsplash, or Other Unique Details

Since laundry rooms tend to be neglected in a custom home design, their paint colors end up being drab, dreary, and whatever happened to be on hand. Your laundry room should have its own color scheme, just like the rest of your home! Pick out calm, cool colors like a sky blue or winter white. Add pops of color in the backsplash or in organizational details like baskets and cabinets to brighten up the space — and add a window, if possible, to let natural light flow in!

These upgrades will help make your mudroom and laundry room feel like they are truly a part of your home sweet home.

We Don’t Forget a Single Detail When Designing Your Custom Home

Searching for a custom home builder in Greenville, South Carolina? Looking to build a home in Greenville, but you’re interested in the kind of care, consideration, and detail-oriented design that only comes with a custom home? Five Star Construction is happy to help!

We’ve been building custom homes in Simpsonville and communities surrounding Greenville for three decades, and we work with you to ensure that every detail will be just right. To speak with a builder about your custom home today, give us a call at (864) 303-9143 or contact us online at any time.