Mudroom's New Look

The mudroom is back in operation. It took a good portion of Spring Break to de-clutter, trim out, paint & restock the room. It wasn't until it dawned on me to treat the space as a corridor rather than a room, that I was able to decide on a layout that was both practical and pleasing to the eye. Remember my inspiration picture I shared with you all? Well it finally hit me that I could recreate the "cubby" style without actually having the cubbies in place (the room is too narrow to accommodate them). From that spark, the board and batten wall was born.

A huge thank you to Hubby & Bopi who installed the board and batten. When my original plan (having Home Depot rip 2" strips out of a sheet of plywood) wasn't panning out, those two put there heads together and came up with the idea of using furrowing strips (4' x 1 3/4" x 1/4"). The best part of all…the price $11.00!!! Seriously Ladies and Gents. The only thing I love more than white crisp molding, is when said molding cost less than a trip to Starbucks!

The cabinets were 1980's orange oak, but that was easily remedied with a few coats of paint. I added mercury glass-esque knobs that I snatch up a year ago from HomeGoods. The knobs were on our bathroom vanity awaiting the perfect home. I love how they bring a bit of polish to a utilitarian space. After all, we all deserve to see something that makes us smile each and every time we walk into our home.

At the far end of the room, I hung the rack I found during my HomeGoods expedition. I actually like the finish even though I blogged about painting the piece. I'll just have to wait and see how the room comes together before I make my final decision. Belle's pocket is to the left. Peanut is center. And one day Bear will be to the right.

On a whim, I painted the door to the garage the same grey as the cabinets. Mainly because the door is always covered in dirty finger prints and shoe scuffs. Also, I wanted to unify the space and provide a pop of color on that side of the room. I am crushing big time on brass and grey combos. How about you? 

One final thing I did to help improve the flow was remove the closet door (pictured below to the right). When the kids get ready in the morning they open the door there by blocking the mudroom entrance and creating a traffic jam. By taking down the door the obstacle is eliminated.  

Inside the closet I removed the hanger bar and Hubby installed our Ikea shoe bins. Since this closet is visible from the kitchen dinette I need it to appear tidy. These bins hid away shoes, hats, and kiddie clutter. I am tossing around the idea of adding white vinyl numbers (script font) to the bin fronts….thoughts?

So the basics are in place and now the fun begins. I still need to:

Purchase a rug: bought this one but it was too narrow

Reinvent an old chandelier (lighting in here is poor): thinking of using the discarded oyster shells 

Add some wall decor: fawning over the texture of this mirror  but need to see it in person

For now though I am just grateful to have the room back in order….not so grateful that Spring Break is over though:( Happy Monday everyone!

Sources

Trim Paint: BM Dove White

Wall Paint: BM Nature's Essence

Cabinet Paint: BM Eagle Rock

Knobs: HomeGoods

Magazine Rack: HomeGoods

Coat Hooks: Home Depot (nickel painted ORB)

Key Hook: Gilt.com

To see the room before click here and here.