A boot room is a useful and above all practical area in the house that acts as a barrier between the ‘dirty’ outside world and the ‘clean’ interior of the home.
It’s a designated space, typically near the back entrance and often adjacent to the kitchen or utility area, with plenty of storage for outer wear, dirty boots, outdoor gear and sporting equipment, and much more.
Depending on your family’s needs, there might be an additional cloakroom, plus somewhere to keep golf clubs or tennis rackets, or climbing gear.
For families with pets, the boot room is the perfect place for hosing down muddy paws (or showering the whole dog!) or even a dog bed, especially if it’s near a nice warm radiator or the central heating boiler.
Whether you’re thinking of converting an underused utility room or entrance area, or you are planning to build an extension to the ‘trades’ end of the house to create a boot room, here are 4 key elements that you should be considering for your boot room.
Plenty of built-in storage
Image Source: Ideal Home
While a boot room should be about more than just storage, that is the number one priority for the room’s design. To make the most of all the available space, fitted cupboards and shelving are a must to accommodate shoes and boots, coats and jackets, hats and walking sticks, dog paraphernalia and anything else besides.
Make sure that you have somewhere to put away things that aren’t needed on a daily basis such as camping stuff, ski equipment or scuba diving gear, perhaps in tall units, extra deep coats’ cupboards, high-up cabinets or under seating storage. Everyday items should be easily accessible on open shelving, in drawers or on coat hooks.
For a truly bespoke solution, it’s worth consulting an experienced specialist carpentry business on how to design a boot room. Not only will they be able to advise on the best practical solutions for your specific requirements, they can show you examples of previous work in different architectural styles and finishes, so that your boot room will look great too.
Robust flooring
Image Source: Harvey Maria
Due to the nature and purpose of the room, the right choice of flooring for your boot room is absolutely essential. Hardwearing and easy to clean, the surface must be able to cope effortlessly with the rough and tumble of everyday family life.
Natural stone flooring is an obvious choice. Whether you go for slate, granite, limestone or flagstone – they will look fantastic with a rugged, robust appearance that’s perfect for the intended purpose. Stone is easy to maintain and should last a lifetime.
If your budget doesn’t stretch quite that far, consider designer vinyl flooring as a modern and extremely hardwearing alternative. Available in a huge range of patterns, colours and designs, LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) can mimic most other surfaces including wood and stone with stunning accuracy.
From traditional to contemporary designs, this is a versatile and user-friendly flooring solution that will stand the test of time.
Practical seating
Image Source: Neptune
Every good boot room will have a dedicated place where you can sit down and take off those dirty wellies in comfort. In principle, any chair will do the job but if you’re maximising every available nook and cranny in the room, think about incorporating sturdy bench seating into your design.
A storage bench is a space saving idea that allows you to double up on functionality. It’s a comfortable seat for taking a well-earned breather after your long country walk, plus you can put things away in cubby holes or drawers underneath the seat.
Small space solutions
Image Source: Ideal Homes
If you love the idea of what a boot room can provide but simply don’t have the space in your home, you can still designate an area in, say, the hallway or the utility area by investing in a few simple but practical pieces and accessories.
Use the basic principles of good storage, robust flooring and practical seating in whichever way works for your home. Experiment with pretty wicker baskets to provide additional flexible storage for anything from umbrellas to logs.
From multifunctional furniture to extra shelving high up above the door or window, with a bit of vision it is possible to create a stylish yet practical boot room for every home.
Main Image Source: The English Homes
