Homes with boot rooms have become highly desirable

Every house needs a boot room (or a “mud room” as the people across the pond call it) – a place to take off coats and muddy boots before stepping over the threshold into the main house.

Most of us have a porch, hallway or utility room to deal with the problems of dripping waterproofs, dirty rain boots, crying children and mud-caked fangs.

But these are often chaotic spaces full of shabby sneakers, old newspapers, smelly dog ​​towels and unidentifiable keys.

That is why it is necessary to make every space you have both functional and pleasing to the eye.

Basics for boots

Make sure you have a combination of a boot brush and a jack to brush off the worst of the dirt and pull out footwear outside your front or back door.

Check out B&Q’s reasonably priced cast iron classic (£17.99). Outside a doormat is crucial to catch the mud before stepping foot inside, here’s a farmer’s buy: JVL Boston Scraper Door Mat (£14.99).

Hit the floor

The most important thing to get right is the floor, which should be durable and infinitely mopable.

Tiled floors in country houses are perfect. Non-slip tiles can be practical and add personality, but why charge the cost when vinyl covers all bases (from £11 per square metre, B&Q)?

And when money is tight, never underestimate linoleum or rubber flooring which is even more durable.

If you only have a porch or hallway, mats are your friends. Shop ‘Stripe 85’, made in Yorkshire from recycled cotton tufts that trap 95 per cent of dirt, dust and mud and are machine washable at 30c (from £45.99, Hug at Home).

On the walls

If you can, opt for wainscoting because it’s easy to clean and insulates a room. The English Paneling Company offers a range of options.

Hardwearing paint is another good option and if there’s a room where soggy coats aren’t hung, create some color with wallpaper.

Watch House of Hackney’s superb Woodstock Meadows (from £140 for 2m half-height) and Mind the Gap’s Transylvanian-made Aquafleur (£195 for three reels, Dowsing and Reynolds) effortlessly bring in the natural world while creating a bland wall or dark corner.

Smart storage

Visit howdens.com and artichoke-ltd.com for inspiration for handmade boot rooms of dreams.

However, if bespoke joinery is out of the question, consider freestanding furniture like the Hidalgo Hall Tree with coat racks, bench and shoe storage all in one (£184.99, Wayfair).

Buy a storage bench like the Chedworth Welly Locker (£330, Garden Trading) or the fabulous Chester Dove Gray Monks Bench (£650, Cotswold Company).

And for a burst of colour, select The Yellow One Shoe & Boot Bench (from £471, Original Crate Furniture).

Add personalized coat hooks with a hat shelf, handmade from English oak (from £229, Make Me Something Special).

And overhead a pulley drying rack made from Scandinavian pine with cast iron detailing (from £89.99, Pulley Maid).

Take a stand

Store muddy boots on boot stands. The upside down ones are good because they allow children’s boots to dry.

The Home and Gardens Extras Wellington Boot Stand is designed to hold three pairs of adult Wellington boots on its taller poles, while the shorter poles can be used for walking boots or children’s boots (£47.99).

And the gorgeous OKA Isfahan umbrella stand – where you can also store crooks and thumbsticks – adds a classy note (£495).

You can never have too many boot jacks, so why not give a personalized one to a family member? (£89, makemesomethingspecial.com) and keep your shoeshine kit in a luxury leather storage box (£125, Life of Riley).

Essential supplies for dogs

Ruff and Tumble Dog Drying Mitts (£24.95) should be ready in every boot.

The Le Chameau dog bed (available in a range of sizes) has a scratch-resistant outer shell (£80 to £120).

Add detail with a beautiful ceramic drinking bowl for your beloved pet from William Morris At Home (£20, John Lewis)