When a mudroom works well, it takes pressure off the kitchen counter and island so that keys, bags and mail and other items don’t end up there. We recently talked to Steve about what elements a dream mudroom might feature.

• Pet bathing station. With a handheld showerhead, this is the spot to clean off Fido before he gets into the house.
• Good-sized counter space for package and gift wrapping, with nooks for strapping tape and brown paper on a roll for packages going out. A printer helps with return labels. With online shopping at an all-time high, making space for packages and broken-down boxes for recycling is a must to keep your home from getting cluttered.
• Designated areas for children’s sports equipment, backpacks, boots and coats. “For one family we designated individual locker spaces for each kid,” Kadlec says.
• Laundry. This can complement a second-floor laundry room near a bedroom. Having laundry in the mudroom means dirty gardening and sports clothes aren’t getting dragged through the house.
• Bulletin board and chalkboard to display kids’ stuff and tasks for them.

Another important element: Style! For one family’s mudroom, Kadlec had a chalkboard artist create stenciling and inspirational words and phrases on a wall. “Have it feel like it’s on par with the level of finishes in the rest of the home,” Kadlec says. That might also mean fun wallpaper or paint.

All this means that mudrooms are getting bigger. “People are being more deliberate about how much space they allocate to them,” Kadlec says.