Wow Home Idea

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 Jonny Valiant 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 Courtesy of Liz Caan Interiors 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. From Liz Caan Interiors via Home Depot 3. Play With Seating Karyn R. Millet The blue and white lattice pattern of the Lulu DK fabric covering the s...

You're done tripping over everyone's sneakers as soon as you walk in the door. Her Tool Belt Build a Bench A bench is hardly just a bench when it doubles as decorative shelving. Stash your shoes in the deep cubbies Hidden under the warmly stained wooden top. Jana Carson Stash Wicker Baskets Baskets are shelves' best friends: They help corral your crew's footwear in easy-grab compartments, but are also deep enough to ensure shoelaces won't peek out the top. Burkatron Hang 'Em Up If you love your pumps, try a wire mesh shoe grid, which keeps your floors clear and your prettiest pairs on display. Sincerely Sara D. Try Mini Cubbies Families full of shoe addict will like this option. Plus, the tidy little cubbies create a surprisingly decorative geometric pattern. Remodelaholic Number Hanging Shelves An organizer with painted-on numbers gives family member's shoes (and other miscellaneous items) a home — and diffuses situations that often start with sc...