Often the most hard-working space in a home, a chic boot room has become a status symbol of the classic-meets-contemporary country home. Contrary to what Instagram would have us believe – allowing us to binge on beautiful paint colours, enticing wood panelling and lust-worthy tiles – boot rooms are largely functional spaces that require careful planning.

Key to making a boot room work hard for you is knowing how to zone it properly, says interior designer Ash Wilson of Ash Wilson Design. “Zoning is especially effective for young children. Once they have their own dedicated zone, they will find fun in having their own space and coat hook, and enjoy the rituals and the routine of tidying away their belongings,” Wilson says.

Main image: Instagram @arielokin. 

While the consensus on boot room colours tends to linger in the safe zone of classic blues, greens, greys and antique whites, an unexpected colour can add zing. See this boot room, created by Ariel Okin, above, which uses a striped wallpaper and woodwork finished in Farrow & Ball’s Breakfast Room Green. 

Allow the floor to take centre stage in a boot room, says interior designer Ash Wilson, who created this form-meets-function space, above, for a new-build project in Co Meath. The walls are painted in Colourtrend’s Peacock Blue which complements the mosaic floor – a quirky addition to the room.

As well as ensuring you have both open and concealed storage (including enough space to fit sporting equipment), Wilson’s top tip for creating a boot room is to inject some personality: “Break away from the template look and personalise it. We custom-made a white board and a pinboard to be one of the features on the panelled walls above the bench seat. It’s used to keep track of the children’s activities and for their artistic masterpieces!” Wilson says.

When Joy Thorpe moved from Kilkenny City to a two-bedroom Victorian artist’s lodge in Castlecomer in 2019, she set her sights on giving the entrance porch a makeover. A vintage obsessive and proprietor of Joy Thorpe Antiques, it was only natural that she chose a William Morris wallpaper (sourced via WallpaperDirect.com), taking it onto the walls and ceiling (pictured, above). 

Sometimes a colour is a classic for a reason. 2022 Home of the Year winner Kate Byrne (follow her on Instagram @thefamilyfarmhouse_) used Colourtrend’s Huntsman – a classic green from the brand’s Archived collection – on the wood panelling in her boot room in Co Wicklow. 

A boot room that connects with the rest of the house is the dream. See this example, above, by designer Tom Cox of UK-based Ham Interiors, which looks into an elegant pantry space, and the kitchen beyond.