Custom Mudroom: New Year, New Project!
Inspiration and “Before” Photos
Hello friends! And Happy New Year! What better way to kick off a new year than with a new project? – my tiny and cluttered mudroom! And a blog post to reveal it because…blogging more often is one of my resolutions for this year. So, why not start off on the right foot! I hope you are feeling refreshed as we take on all that this year will hold!
If you’ve been around for quite some time you’ll know that we’ve already made quite a few changes to our small mudroom. This year we will be embarking on year three in our home and two years of moving the laundry upstairs and out of the entryway off the garage. It was a BIG change for us and one that improved the daily function of our lives significantly.
Before
If this isn’t the definition of a small mudroom than I don’t know what is! This is a laundry/mudroom that is directly off our garage. The door to the garage is our most frequent way to enter and leave our home. It is TIGHT!
Take a look at the other angles from before just to get an idea of what I’m talking about. There is barely enough room to load the laundry into the washer and if I’m unloading the dryer it would prevent anyone from being able to enter or leave via the garage. Did I mention I am claustrophobic? This space is an anxiety for me from the moment we moved in.
Now that you’ve got a good look at the initial chaos, let me show you how its looked for the last two years. It is so much better than initially, but still not great. I think the direction the door opens from the garage gives a cramped feeling. The door blocks the shoe cabinet, so it’s not functioning as well as it could. And all the shoes slowly trickle into the kitchen..
I’m sure you’re not surprised when I tell you this drives me UP A WALL! So, one thing I definitely hope to change in this renovation is the direction of the door opening.
Currently
I made a few small changes when the laundry moved. One was painting the linoleum floor. It was a temporary fix because I couldn’t stand looking at the yellow/brown flooring any longer! I used this paint kit and it made such a difference.
I shopped my home and added this little mudroom bench in here which definitely helped with functionality. It is nice to prop the kids up when they need their shoes tied or help putting socks on.
Overall, I feel like these changes are good and they most definitely make the day to day easier, but I just know this space can do so much better!
Goals for the New Mudroom
Mudroom built ins are going to be a must for this space. My anxiety goes through the roof when there’s too much clutter or things don’t have a set home.
I’m going to build a locker for each person, plus our dog Sadie because we keep all of her gear in here. Ideally, I want to fit at least six lockers in the L-shape space. Seven would be even better in case we have guests or just general overflow from sports gear and school bags.
I plan to purchase mudroom locker plans from Plank & Pillow, which is a short cut because they give you the whole supply list, dimensions for the space, and full directions for just $15. Check it out here if you’re interested! This is my first time building something of this scale, so I have no shame in admitting that I need all the help and advice!
I’ll also be pulling up the linoleum and laying down some fresh tile, this will be my second time installing (see my post: Installing Tile Floors for Beginners) and I’m excited to do again and really hone in on those skills! I am still unsure on the design aspect of this whole project, which is a bit unusual for me! Design usually comes first and then the plan to execute follows, but this is such a tight space so I’m torn between fun and colorful and clean/crisp and airy. You’ll have to let me know which way you’d go in the comments!
Inspiration: Mudroom Built ins
Here are some of the custom mudrooms that have really caught my eye and given me design inspiration.
I can’t wait to check back in and give y’all an update! I hope to start putting together a design board this week of the space and I’m going to try and do a full rendering too! Fingers crossed it’s not too tricky!
with love,
