But do you really want to arrive home after a long day to be greeted by piles of laundry waiting to be folded, or worse yet, need to be washed? That’ll make your blood pressure go up!
That laundry/mudroom has evolved into today’s welcoming rear foyer and receives at least as much design attention as the front entry foyer. It’s all about livability, including coat storage and perhaps a bench for removing shoes with storage underneath. Want to de-stress your mornings? Add lockers in the rear foyer for each of your children. That way, at 7:15 in the morning, you won’t hear, “Mom…Dad…have you seen my (gym clothes/science project/lunch money/backpack…)? Everything’s in their locker, on the way out.
Then there’s the drop zone, one of today’s hottest amenities. Coming home after a long day, you need a place for your keys, the mail, and your tablet or laptop. Same goes for your kiddos’ school books. The drop zone is the most important thing for liberating your kitchen island and counters from clutter! Your laundry room can be located elsewhere.
Pets get dirty and don’t ask permission before running through the house with muddy paws. And you probably don’t want to trek past the dirty laundry, being reminded of all that work every time you arrive home. Insist upon a rear foyer in your new home!
–Paul Foresman is Vice President for Design Basics, one of America’s largest residential design firms.