Designing for Back-to-School
It’s a busy time of year as we transition from lazy beach days to school schedules and afternoons packed with activities. Staying organized with functional mudrooms and dedicated homework spaces helps to smooth out the bumps.
September signals back-to-school time for many of our clients in the city and the suburbs. Keeping track of activity schedules, overflowing backpacks, and all the little shoes is enough to drive us crazy. Well-designed mudroom spaces with little pops of color and homework nooks with upbeat patterns make all of the effort more enjoyable. We are true believers that aesthetically pleasing spaces lift the mood. Here are some inspiring rooms with tips on paint colors and where to shop.
We recently completed this mudroom for a family in the Boston suburb of Weston with four active children. They gravitated towards our soft modern designs with a touch of color so we painted the cabinetry “Coventry Gray” by Benjamin Moore, sourced “Chimera Alloy” wallpaper from Innovations, and covered the bench seat with high performance fabric in bright teal.
The white wall mounted “Afteroom Coat Hanger” can be found at Lekker Home and it’s perfect for small city entries, or as an extra coat hanger in a larger mudroom like this.
This cheery mudroom in Wellesley for a family that loves color is painted in Ben Moore’s “Green Thumb”. The wainscoting is painted “Gray Owl” by Ben Moore and the 12x24 slate tile on the floor ties everything together with its Vermont Green hue.
To infuse a little color and organization into your own entry this fall, try these adorable Pehr Pom Pom bins from Container Store.
Of course you can’t go wrong with an all-white mudroom. We added a touch of color with hand embroidered pillows from Judy Ross, orange leather storage boxes, and functional rattan baskets for all the clutter.
Is your own entry a bit tight on space perhaps? We love this “Splash Coat Rack” by Bludot that comes in a wide array of colors.
In the city homes we design, a bench by the entry is essential for putting shoes on before racing out the door to work and school. Tucked around the corner is the coat closet with a plethora of hooks for backpacks and family coats.
If you’re looking for a small bench in your own city home, we love the versatility and scale of the modern Ninne bench found at Lekker Home.
For our families with older children, a well placed table in the family room is the perfect spot for doing homework. Here, we tucked a Saarinen table in an unused corner right off the kitchen. It's great for spreading out schoolwork during the week, and family game night on the weekend. Design Within Reach has multiple sizing options for Saarinen tables starting at 35” like the one pictured.
Make their homework space a room they want to be in with pattern and lively color like this indoor/outdoor Loloi Venice Beach Rug. The neon desk lights from Lightology in the background are a fun design element for kids of any age.
We hope you found a little inspiration to liven up your own mudrooms, entryways, and homework spaces this fall. Check back soon for more tips and design advice from our projects happening now in Brookline, Boston, West Newton and Cape Cod.
Until next time,
