By Your mudroom may be functional, but is it seriously lacking in personality? Just because it's a command center for your home's comings and goings doesn't mean it can't have its own look. Try these tricks for an instant pick-me-up every time you walk in the door.
1. Add Color
The easiest way to bring life to a drab space is with color — and lots of it. In a New Jersey beach house, a strong hue — Benjamin Moore's Fresno — "keeps the mudroom from looking like your everyday mudroom," designer Mona Ross Berman says.
2. Experiment on the Walls
If you love patterns but are too afraid to commit in other parts of your house, try it in your tiny mudroom. In this room designed by Liz Caan Interiors, the beadboard wainscoting helps ground the graphic black-and-white stripes.
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From Liz Caan Interiors via Home Depot
3. Play With Seating
The blue and white lattice pattern of the Lulu DK fabric covering the seat cushion in the mudroom mimics the diamond motif of the marble floor in designer Kari Cusack's San Francisco house.
4. Put Up a Gallery Wall
Or if you're not a fan of the salon-style look, just hang a favorite art piece. Dana of House*Tweaking brought her small space together with a gallery wall of family photos and mementos backed by a dramatic black wall.
5. Get Smart About Wall Storage
If you don't have a separate room, opt for vertical storage in your entry. In this space, colorful crates help organize a whole family's shoes (which we all know is a big accomplishment).
From Thea's Mania via Decor Hacks
6. Look Up
Don't neglect the ceiling. This entry hall and mudroom by designer Sarah Richardson features a wood paneled ceiling that grounds the airy and bright space.
From Sarah Richardson Design via Brit + Co
7. Paint the Door
Say "hello" from the get-go with a cheery door. And if you don't want to commit to painting the entire door, try an eye-catching stripe like the one Cassie of Hi Sugarplum! did in her hallway.
More Ideas from House Beautiful:
• 9 Ways to Rethink a Small Closet
• 13 DIY Ways to Up Your Home's Curb Appeal
• These Staircases Are a Serious Step Up
• 5 Lessons to Learn From This Cheerful Breakfast Nook
