I can’t imagine there isn’t a person reading this who couldn’t use more storage in their life. And for a lot of people, the mudroom is an ultimate wish list item. Whether you have kids, or pets, or it is just you-a mudroom is the perfect spot to drop everything (in a totally organized & responsible manner of course!) as you walk in the door. If you have kids, a mudroom is an almost neccessity for coats and boots in the winter and sports equipment and sunscreen in the summer.
But not everyone is lucky enough to have a mudroom in their home. In fact this family was tired of using one tiny closet in a cramped hallway just off their garage to try to organize their kid’s stuff. So they came to me to help them create a mudroom from their existing space.
As I have all of my clients do, she created a Pinterest board with a couple of photos to show me the look she was after. I’m smitten with her cottage-meets-farmhouse-meets-traditional look. Here’s an example of one mudroom she loved:
She loves the look of the white cabinets, and was very interested in the idea of doing board and batten on her walls. Plus, isn’t this woodgrain floor beautiful? Let’s see how we can convert this photo into a mudroom that works in her existing space!
One request was to find new lighting to replace her dated fixtures. These school house lights have tons of personality while being neutral at the same time (#1).
Wicker baskets (#2) are perfect for shoe storage on the floor, or add another couple inside of a locker for off-season storage. These industrial hooks (#3) also work for extra hanging storage.
A couple of patterned but neutral colored throw pillows (#4 and #6) soften up a potential bench area.
A mudroom floor has to be one of the most durable AND easy-to-clean floors in your house! So jump on the bandwagon of the woodgrain vinyl plank floors-they mimic the look of wood but are a fraction of the cost and loads more durable (#5).
The same concept goes with a rug-this indoor/outdoor rug is easy to clean and can rinse off with water (#7).
I included an elevation and construction details on their floor plan for doing board and batten (#8) walls (not shown). I suggested painting it the same color as their existing trim, but doing a soft gray for the walls above (#9).
On their spare wall, they can use this vertical space for a mix of blackboards, bulletin boards, and mailboxes to help organize the myriad of mail that comes in the house on a daily basis (#10)!
And finally, I suggested framing a grouping of black and white family photos over the board and batten walls going down the hallway (#11).
So that was Version #1! But I always give my clients TWO versions of their space so they have lots of options to choose from. Version #2 has a similar vibe as the first, but gives them a whole different set of options for their mudroom finishes:
Here is another version of a rug in the mudroom space (#1), it’s another indoor/outdoor rug and this pattern helps hide muddy footprints!
To help fill up the hallway wall, I found this great set of three feather prints (#2).
This version also rocks another woodgrain vinyl plank floor (#3), but giving them a different color option. Their Postbox includes flooring and paint samples. Plus I chose the flooring from a big box store so they can touch it/see it in person before purchasing.
In their old hallway, they only had a closet and deep bench that was impossible to organize, so I drew up elevations and construction drawings (not shown) of possible locker combinations with Shaker doors (#10) with baskets (#4). These black hooks can go inside the lockrs (#11) wiht these slightly industrial style handles for the locker doors (#12).
On a free wall, they could install this modern brass mirror (#5) and hang extra hooks (#6) for storage-these numbered hooks are so cute you don’t want to hide them inside of the lockers!
When you don’t have a lot of wallspace, this blackboard/cork/hanging combo is a work horse for any mudroom or office area (#9).
There are three light fixtures in the hallway, in this case I suggested changing out the two hallway fixtures to these glass globes (#7) and just to switch it up, hang this larger modern fixture (#8) right in front of the lockers.
So what does a cramped hallway look like when you convert it to a mudroom? I took out the too-deep bench where everything promptly got lost. Instead I suggested two custom lockers in the existing space. I learned the hard way from personal experience, and I now put a door on every locker I design! Then all of the mess can stay behind closed doors. This rendering shows all of the materials in Mood Board Version #2:
But as a bonus, I did want to show my clients an out-of-the-box idea.
They are used to having their closet in this tight hallway, but I wanted to show them the possibilities if they were willing to (gasp!) remove this closet! I don’t know about you, but my closet tends to get overstuffed and I can’t find a darn thing in it anyways. So in this idea, if they take out their closet, they have the room to do four custom lockers (one for each family member). On the opposite side, they still have room to add a bench! This gives them loads of extra storage under the bench, plus a place for the kiddos to put their shoes on.
I think lockers offer a much better storage option than a general closet. I drew construction drawing elevatations with dimensions (not shown) that they can show a carpenter to build these. Each locker has doors, hooks, shelves, and baskets. Because they go all the way to the ceiling, there is ample room to store out-of-season articles.
The bench area has decorative pillows, extra basket storage, and takes advantage of the vertical space by using wall mounted mailboxes (again, one for each family member). A blackboard can house sweet messages or they can tack up invitations and reminders.
Whether you have an entire room, a section of hallway, or a corner of your kitchen, you can squeeze in some extra storage as a mini mudroom area. In fact, a few months ago as part of my 30 Day Design Challenge, I gave a guideline to create a mini mudroom:
Check out all of the details HERE!
School has started and routines and organization are back on track (finally!) Now is the time to start thinking about the room you put off all summer long! No matter what space you need help with, Postbox Designs has a package that is right for you. Whether you need help with finishes only or a complete room re-do, I can work around your budget and schedule, email me at kristin@postboxdesigns.com and we can talk about your project!
Til next time!
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