9.15.2010

Laundry Room Re-Do

I have always dreamed of having a gorgeous mudroom.  A room with a bench for taking off shoes and pretty baskets for storing all of life's odds and ends. A place where we could showcase some one of a kind art and a place to check our "look" before heading out into the world.  So when we ended up with quite a bit of molding left over from our basement project, we decided to turn our laundry room into the mudroom we've always wanted.

I have seen so many great mudrooms floating around out there in blog land, but our space is a bit unique.  The room is quite small and with the positioning of the washer and dryer, we only had one wall to work with.  We used to have a bench in this space with baskets underneath for storing shoes and a peg rack over top for hanging backpacks and coats. The problem with this set up was, the bench took up a lot of room, we had no storage for hats, scarves and gloves and the pegs did not hold a backpack and coat very well at all.  (sorry no before shots!)


Since our space was a bit unique, we had to make custom plans.  {we did visit Ana-White.com , formerly Knock-Off Wood, for some great inspiration though} Dave started by making the bench out of MDF. We knew we wanted it to be narrow so it wouldn't take up much space in the room and we needed 8 cubbies...a space for shoes and a space for  baskets to hold hats, scarves and mittens.  {The only shoes that actually come into the mudroom are the girls school shoes and church shoes. We keep their flip-flops, Crocs and soccer shoes in the garage.}  After the bench was primed and painted we did the same to the wall and all of the molding pieces.  


I only had one tiny before shot of the backpacks hanging on the pegs.

Next, we added the hooks and baskets.
Ta-Da!!

It's actually quite difficult to take good pictures of a teeny tiny laundry room. :) It was tough to get a good angle and to see the whole space at once.  Don't Jen's baskets fit perfectly??:)  I can't decide about the carpet.  It was a really inexpensive one from Target.  I think in a way it grounds the space... but still deciding on that one.   When hanging the hooks we made sure to measure the longest winter coat in the house (mine) to make sure it would clear the bench.  The girls can reach the hooks quite easily by just putting one knee up on the bench.  

My future plans are to frame some of their art work, or  maybe even have them paint a self-portrait on a canvas to prop up over their area.  I would also love to find a cool mirror for the small wall on the other side of the built-in area.

I couldn't be happier with the way this project came out.  Since we had so many materials left-over, it really was quite inexpensive to complete.  I think my poor sweet honey is a bit "projected" out bless his heart!  I have promised  this is the end of our adventures... till winter...when things slow down a bit. :)  Now that he has mastered his carpentry skills, I think we are ready for some big time shelves and bookcases in the basement.  What do ya think??  
Enjoy the day,
Cindy

Disclaimer
I used the word "we" a lot...it was 95% my wonderful husband who completed this project.  I was just there to keep the girls happy, slop on some paint, wipe some caulking and tell if the hooks were level. :)  
Thanks again baby...I love you!


16 comments:

  1. very cool. don't forget the planning is part of the "we" too

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  2. Oh MY GOSH!!! Your new layout, header, and background is GORGEOUS!!! I LOVE IT Cindy!! Is it a 2 column or a 3 column? It just looks so clean! That's the best word I can think of!
    Your laundry room is AWESOME too! It doesn't look like a "little" space to me! The basket you chose are really FUN for your space! Just a teensy wheensy jealous right about now! :)

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  3. Cindy it looks terrific...the laundry room and the blog redesign! I need to give mine some attention....add it to the never ending to do list! :)
    Julie

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  4. You guys are the masters at getting the job done! I love it! You are a great space maker!
    I just noticed the new header too. So cute!

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  5. It looks great!! I'm working on our office right now, but next is the laundry room. Enjoy your new space. Your blog looks great too!

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  6. Love the look of your blog!
    What a wonderful hubby you have to do such an amazing job on your project! It looks GREAT!
    NO! It's not too late to start you anniversaty getaways! ( :
    Have a pretty day!
    Kristin

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  7. Woweeee! Beautiful! I love the crisp white with the blue walls! I am jealous that you have a laundry 'room', mine is a walk through to the garage! Good job handy hubby!

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  8. First of all, your blog is brand-new! And it's beautiful! That takes so much time, and I love the shot of your big girls' legs and baby's face.
    Next--Mudroom! I would have guessed that bench was from Pottery Barn.
    And I must say--the baskets are darling! Congrats, and you're welcome!

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  9. envy envy envy envy!! Wow!! I love it!! come do my laundry room, K?!! ;)

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  10. Love the new room. I love a clean laundry room like that, and I love the new space for the girls! I think some of their artwork would look so cute there.

    Your new blog layout looks GREAT! :))

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  11. Looks great!! I always say "we", too. As though I am more than one person!!
    Elise

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  12. It looks incredible! You all did a fantastic job. I love mud rooms and totally wish we had one! The baskets you got with your gift card look great, they really pop! What a fun space!

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  13. Looks great...can't wait to see it in person

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  14. LOVE. The moulding. The cubbies. The Target boxes. Everything.

    Great job!

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  15. sorry so late, I'm catching up over here ... this mudroom re-do is AMAZING - I mean, crazy amazing!! I, too, long for a mudroom with exactly the things you talked about - the kids art, the coat hooks and mitten baskets and shelves for shoes ... *sigh* ... my 1951 house just isn't set up for it, but hey a girl can dream!! And your new blog layout in incredible too ... now THAT I need to hear more about, can you give me a tutorial?! Plz email with advice!!!! Anyway, congrats on both counts ;-)

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