Most people play it safe when it comes to adding color to a room. But let’s be honest, how many variations of white, cream, and beige can you use without it looking tired? Normandy Designer Jackie Jensen says if you want to dip your toe in the color pool, start with blue in your mudroom.

“If you’re thinking about adding color, start small,” Jackie suggests. An entire kitchen painted in a bold color, for instance, can be overwhelming, but your mudroom, which is really just a pass-through, is a safe way to introduce color.

Mudrooms are generally only used by your family to dump their dusty ball mitts, kick off muddy shoes, and store gardening tools. It’s a workhorse of a room. Why not make it look bright and pretty?

“Since mudrooms are usually adjacent to kitchens, but closed off, and they can handle a bolder color, like blue,” Jackie says.

Why the color blue, you may ask? Blue is a perennial favorite. “We are naturally drawn to the color blue because of its profound use in nature—just look at the sky and oceans,” Jackie says. Blue is a soft, soothing color and pairs nicely with neutrals, such as grays, creams and taupes. Blue also complements both cool and warm finishes of hardware like brass, silver, chrome, and gold.

“The beautiful benefit to blue in your mudroom is that it pairs nicely with wood tones, making it easy to mix and match stain and paint in different areas,” Jackie says. Carpenter-built mudrooms, where the cabinetry is painted in your home after they are installed, are ideal. “Keep in mind that painted surfaces are more delicate and can get dinged up more easily, so you want to be thoughtful about which areas are painted versus stained,” cautions Jackie.

Stain is the way to go, especially on mudroom benches, which get a lot of wear and tear with boots, bags, and sporting equipment being tossed around. So, if you’re looking for low maintenance, think about mixing and matching paint with stain.

“Blue is also lovely on tiled floors, walls, cubbies, or even a single door in a small space,” Jackie adds.

If there’s ever a place to play with color, mudrooms are a great testing ground. You can get a good sense of gauging your tolerance for all over color.

Would you consider adding a little color to your next remodeling project? Contact Jackie to discuss your ideas and glean her expert advice. Be sure to check us out on Instagram and Facebook to see examples of how we’ve helped our clients create new spaces they love.