Monday, October 27, 2014

Mudroom Reveal!

Okay, let's talk mudrooms. Again.

I have always wanted a mudroom but none of the four houses Tim and I have lived in have been able to accommodate one.

This one doesn't either, unless you think outside the house box.

We realized we had some extra storage space one side of the garage, so we hung hooks there, stored a dresser for me to rehab (eventually), and used a beloved old church pew that belonged to my mom as a place to put backpacks.

It worked well for us, but after a year I had visions of something more, something drool-worthy that would make our lives more organized and would increase the value of the house when it's time to sell by blinding the buyers to the fact that there is no coat closet inside.

Here's the before:

Fine and functional, right?



Here's the after:


I wish I had used a decent camera instead of my phone, but trust me.

Drool-worthy.

And the workmanship is outstanding.

Maybe I'll post better pics with better lighting tomorrow, if I think you'll indulge me more mudroom pics without unsubscribing entirely.


And speaking of more pics, how about one of these narrow shelves by the door that hold sunscreen, ball caps, compact umbrellas, and the dog leash? Two of those baskets are empty, just waiting to hold something!


Or these four lockers, with storage for shoes below, and hats/gloves above? The very top shelves are too high for stuff we use every day, so I put some of Jack and Margaret's artwork up there for the time being.
 
 
This is an open area on the far right. I love how I drew an example of a board and batten look, and the contractor did it exactly how I wanted it. This will be for overflow, shopping bags, etc. We used black iron hooks above and two bee hooks below that the kids used to hang their coats on when they were preschoolers.

Here's one of Jack's Yankees hats that I wear at every opportunity.

 
Who doesn't love a bin? I was going to buy baskets or galvanized tubs for the shoes, but they were pretty expensive. When I found exactly seven of these green rubber bins on clearance at Target for 4.18 each, I knew what to do!
Shadow has a bin, of course.
The "junk drawer" of the garage: Stuff I can't figure out what to do with right now, but don't want to decide to get rid of yet.
 My favorite, the DONATE bin. Already overflowing. Easy to scoop up and take to the thrift shop.
 
And what about soccer?
 

 Another high shelf gets this sign from our old kitchen, plus my grandma's corn pitcher.



I spray painted baskets that I already had around the house.


These two don't quite match because I got them new at Michaels.




One reason I don't need to fill all my new shelves with ugly stuff like weed killer and paint cans is that we already had three HUGE cabinets with sliding doors in the front of the garage.

One is for gardening supplies, one for sports equipment, and one for coolers, vases, trays, small appliances, and party supplies.

Here's a closer look at them. Because they offer closed storage, I don't worry too much about keeping them organized. Does a shop vac count as "party supplies?"




 
Those big cupboards gave me the freedom to keep the new built-ins wide open.
 
 

I'm in LOVE.


To be honest, I must confess that in the dead of winter I will be keeping my coat inside the toasty house.

So what do YOU think?

51 comments:

Scary Mommy said...

Looks AMAZING!!!! Building a mudroom in our house was the single best thing we've done -- it makes me happy every day!

Sheila said...

Who did you use? I live in NoVa and would love to have a recommendation.
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I think I love it!!!!! I think I want one!

Japolina said...

Super jealous! Looks amazing!

Jill said...

Definitely drool-worthy!

katrynka said...

Very nice! I covet all that lovely organizing space!

The Sisters' Hood said...

I have that 'manners' sign in my kitchen!!! See, we were always destined to be friends ;)

Michele @ A Storybook Life said...

LOVE it! You have given me lots of good ideas & inspiration for our quasi-mudroom. Those baskets are great!

tracy said...

LOVE it!! Amazing and gorgeous!

donna s said...

wow!!!! so jealous

Anonymous said...

beautimous!!! very green with envy!

Lesley UK said...

Oh, I'm in love too! And green with envy. lol. When we first saw our home (about 8 years ago,) I was so happy. I have MS and could no longer manage stairs easily...no fun with an upstairs bathroom! The new place was specially adapted with grab rails everywhere I might need them, light switches a waist level, a wetroom, rather than a bathroom, and best of all no stairs, everything is on one level Heaven. It took a few days for me to realise there were no cupboards! well, there was an airing cupboard, and kitchen cabinets but that was it. we.ve recently had the kitchen completely replaced, but we still have nowhere to keep brooms vacuum cleaner etc. (big sigh) but we manage and I still love my little home.


Diane said...

Sweet. We so need to do something like this in our garage. It's an oversized garage but has gotten so cluttered, it's getting scary. I can barely get the car in there!

Also, I want to tell you how deeply your book touched my heart. I have read a lot of books about grief and loss and yours was by far the best, most real account of what it's really like.

One of my best friends from high school lost her 15 year old son in an automobile accident three weeks and a half weeks ago and I gave her the extra copy I'd bought of your book just a couple of weeks earlier to have on hand because I knew someone would eventually need it.

Thank you so much for writing it, Anna. Your beautiful words truly are a gift.

Sharon said...

Wow! That's fantastic Anna! I'm jealous. We have no mud room either and I've thought of doing something similar in our garage. I love that you wear Jack's baseball cap. :)
xoxo

ella said...

Great space and I love the color of the baskets! Way too pretty to get mud anywhere near it. ;-)

Anthonytoth.com said...

Nice! So nice that the drool has shorted out my iPad. This is no mere mud room. It's the Taj Mudhal! Very well done! (Next?)

Mrs. E said...

Love, love, love it! Perfect!

Kir said...

It looks fantastic! I am drooling over it. (and of course now I want a mudroom)

Thank you for sharing the pictures, it's wonderful, warm and functional.

xo

normaleverydaylife said...

I think they're awesome! Way better than any coat closet!

Unknown said...

That is drool worthy and envy inducing! I think I'm more envious of your super clean garage, though. We get so much dust and leaves, etc. in ours that we can only store shoes out there. White shelving wouldn't be white for long.

And then I saw the additional notes about the Thanksgiving Project. Sigh. No one should have to worry about feeding their family, ever. Off to donate.

Rachel said...

I'm in LOVE!! I love organized bins or organized ANYTHING. I'd love to have those lockers & shelves in my home. Great job! I absolutely love it!

Cassie Bustamante said...

it's amazing, anna! love it!!!! i need a space like that in my life! and love the hat- the best part.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

I love it! And yes - horribly envious...

Sara said...

This is just gorgeous, I am green with envy ;)

Sara said...

This is just gorgeous, I am green with envy ;)

claire plante said...

I'm drooling, Anna! Awesome. xoxo
Claire

Unknown said...

I LOVE the mudroom/garage. You are a great organizer and your contractor did great! I betcha paid up the wazoo tho! LOL! It's beautiful. I wish I had the much room to organize.

joyfulchallenge said...

the ocd in me is super duper jealous. love that your mudroom makes you happy!

Unknown said...

The green makes me happy. Is that what you're going for, Anna? Making me happy? It worked. I'll need to visit.

Susan said...

I feel like saying I'm going to unsubscribe unless you show more pictures!

I've been trying to convince my husband that we need something similar in our garage. He says it will be too expensive. I'm going to show him this and show him your thriftiness and convince him that if you did it, it wasn't extremely expensive because you always get the best deals!

On another note, I wish I hadn't read Rare Bird yet. It was so good I want to curl up and read it again.

Peg said...

This looks awesome! Oh how we could use a system like this. We currently have some hooks in the laundry room and each kid has a shelf next to the washer and dryer that is usually an absolute mess. I love the green...and we actually have the dragonfly hooks too in the boys bathroom for hanging towels :)

Idena said...

I need that! I want that! It's lovely and perfect.

Jen Mann said...

It looks so great. I've been pining for a mudroom for years now. I have a place where I can expand my laundry room into the garage, but Hubs isn't convinced we need it, so he hung some hooks in the garage for me. So. Not. The. Same. This post just makes me more determined. Look how beautiful your space turned out! also, it totally adds value to your home - says this Realtor.

Andrea Mowery said...

Yay for mudrooms - it looks gorgeous! We have an 'extra' room in our home just off the garage that I always eyed for a mudroom. It was my office when I worked from home, and then it was the kids' playroom. About the time I was going to suggest its conversion to a mudroom, my husband announced that he needed a home office. Sigh. This is why I don't have anything good. ;)

Julie said...

It's fabulous!!!

luv2run said...

LOVE IT and I am VERY JELLYBEANED!!!

HUGS

Gigi said...

I'm totally drooling over here! Not only over your fabulous mudroom but the fact that your garage is so clean! Even with the storage cabinets my husband would still clutter the rest of the garage.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Wow, I am impressed. It is perfect!

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Pretty and organized - what could be better!

Alison said...

I have mudroom envy!

Kathy at kissing the frog said...

I'm salivating. My motto is "a place for everything and everything in it's place." You've nailed that.

Karen L. said...

Love this way of organizing yet being fun and personal with it, too! Thanks for the inspiration for mudrooms extraordinaire.

One crazed mommy said...

LOVE IT!!!! I want one!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Looks great! I can't express how envious I am of the nice-looking and organized storage space. Enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

I'd also like to know who you used--please share! This looks great.

Anonymous said...

I think your new mudroom should have it's own blog :)

Jess said...

Amazing!!! So jealous of all this storage!

rebeckah@mydwellingplace said...

Inspired!!!!

Mama Mary said...

Amazing, are you kidding me? And I love Jack's Yankees cap!

EatPlayLove said...

I am in love. We have a potential space that we could transform and I am so going to now!!! Btw, spray painting baskets, why has that never occurred to me? I have so many baskets in a palette of tans that it drives me nuts when the don't match!

Jenny from the Block said...

BGE - Best Garage Ever!