Season of the Sticks

Welcome to Fall/Winter—also known as the season of the sticks for New England homes (cue Noah Kahan).  The messy time of year when boots come in caked with mud, sticks find their way into every crevice, and your once-organized space looks like the aftermath of a nature hike. Let’s talk about how this humble room can be your first defense against the chaos. And, with the help of custom cabinets, maybe even look good doing it

‘Girl Friday’ of Rooms

The ultimate ‘Girl Friday’ of rooms. Resourceful, dependable, and capable of multitasking—this mudroom is as hardworking as it is beautiful. Featuring gorgeous natural oak, it coordinates seamlessly with the kitchen island. Peek through on the right for a view to see more of that custom island cabinetry. The full-height L-shaped cabinets offer serious storage—perfect for kitchen spillover. Costco runs, pet care, recycling… you name it, it’s in there. All this practicality is cleverly disguised in handcrafted cabinetry by a local craftsman. The hardware: New England-made, hand-finished oil-rubbed bronze, and absolutely worth the splurge. The geometric tile flooring is linked here, thank you, Ann Sacks.

On the adjacent wall, we opted for soft grey tailored cabinets with open ‘cubbies’ (ugh, I hate that word) featuring hooks and shiplap details, with the mess neatly tucked away behind covered cabinets on each side. And don’t miss the Carrara marble bench—a subtle touch of luxury you might need to zoom in to fully appreciate. Classic perfection. See more of our Milton project, featured in Boston Home.

Cohesive Color Palette

Both the laundry room and mudroom in this old home are brand new, reconfigured from a mix of smaller, older rooms; custom cabinet design making home organization a breeze. While they aren’t side by side, they’re separated by a bright white kitchen (check out more pics at the South Street Project) and are connected by a cohesive color palette, stone flooring, and shiplap accents. In the laundry room, a tall cabinet provides extra pantry storage, with a small doorway leading to a powder room. In the mudroom, open bays at the base are perfect for sneakers and boots, while slotted tall doors above store sports gear and outerwear.

Organization Made Beautiful

By now, you’ve probably guessed it—I’ve got a thing for custom cabinets in the color grey.  You know the drill: classic details like inset doors, beaded trim, and hand-finished, New England-made hardware. A walnut-stained bench adds warmth, with two open stalls (again, I refuse to say ‘cubbies’) for hooks and all your grab-and-go essentials. The stuff you’d rather hide are behind closed cabinets on each end. It’s not the deepest cabinet we’ve ever designed, but hey, space is tight in South End brownstones, and we’ll take all the storage we can get. Home organization made beautiful.

Cuter Than the (Custom) Cabinetry

One of my favorite mudrooms is in soft cerused oak, but I’ve saved the cutest detail for last—my niece. Back when she was still toddling around in diapers – even cuter than the cabinetry). We carried the slate flooring from the kitchen, of course, and everything’s wide open for easy access by the side door. And those big closed cabinets up top—hiding the mess, because let’s be real, toddlers and tidy don’t mix. Custom cabinets are a necessary investment for New England design projects, whether for historic homes, new build projects or Boston apartment redesign. See more of our kitchen and bath design projects here—featuring even more custom cabinets tailored for timeless style and function.