Our Mudroom – Reimagined

There are a few rooms in our house that leave something to be desired.  One of these is the mudroom on the back of the house.  We lovingly call it “the shed”.  It really is a shed that they stuck to the back of our house at some point in it’s life.  I love wood accents, you know I do.  But the cedar walls are so dated, especially with the faux-marble tile, octagonal windows and boring beige doors.

It’s a small room.  Only 10×15′ maybe (I confess I have never measured it).  I do like the wood paneling on the peaked ceiling.  I think it has potential.  Eventually we want to make it our laundry room.  But moving our water and dryer exhaust are a project for another year.  In the mean time, I think we could spruce the room up for under $1000.

So here is the tentative plan.  This winter I’m going to get some quotes to have the room dry-walled.  I’m still debating on leaving the ceiling the wood paneled.  We have already replaced the windows (see below).  I’m thinking painting the walls a soft sea glass blue green would really make that room feel bigger and so fresh.  Here are some more details…

1. On the left side of the back door we would love a spot to dump our shoes.  I love this unit to keep Logan’s leashes, collars and frisbees in order as well as our hats, coats and gloves.  Under it, we are keeping our eyes peeled for some sort of vintage bench and shoe storage.  GREVBÄCK Hat Rack – $29.99
2. I really want to keep the walls light and fresh.  Ever since I saw this laundry room in the 2012 Ikea Catalog I have been obsessed with a blue-green hue for the walls somewhere in our house.  Sea Anemone by Martha Stewart Living Paint
3. I keep my gardening tools in this room year round.  When I saw this industrial shelf in the new Ikea catalog I know it was perfect.  The price is just right too.  HYLLIS Shelving Unit – $14.99
4. Along the long wall, we would love a utility counter.  We only need a few units, so we’ll probably be checking the local Habit for Humanity Restore frequently.  If we can’t find white cabinets, we’ll paint them white and finish them with some antique hardware.  Pictured cabinet from Lowes
5. We plan to put a lot of wall shelves up in the room, but I really think some artwork will make it feel more like a room than a shed.  I love this print by Eva Juliet.  Valerian Print – $39
6. The lighting situation is up for debate.  Right now, there are 2 florescent fixtures along the ceiling.  I’m not sure how to handle the peak in the ceiling.  We have this fixture in our bedroom, and love it.  It needs to throw light around the room since I plan to work at the counter with my kiln.  Brushed Nickle Flush Mount Light – $20

For the flooring we really don’t want to take on pulling up that ceramic tile.  There is not a whole lot of room to put anything thick on top.  And this room get’s a lot of traffic.  We use that back door as our main entrance on a daily basis.

So it’s time for me to plug Jared’s business.  One of the products he sells is these Uno-tiles or these rubber landing tiles, normally used for commercial stair landings.  They are highly durable, come in a handful of nice colors (how dreamy is that bright Orange or soft Windor Blue), they would be super easy to keep clean and we could install them ourselves.  We may go with some blemished tiles from the 888 series to keep costs down.

As I mentioned, we have made some progress.  When we had the siding off the house we had the crew take out the little octagonal windows and replaced them with new, white windows that function.  It’s going to help keep the room sealed up in winter and it lets in so much more light.  We got the larger window used for $25, can’t beat that.

After the renovation this summer, we need a season to rest.  So my plan is to get quotes on the drywall this winter and take this on in the spring.  I’m really hoping I can do it all for $1000 or less.  That is the plan.  We would probably re-drywall the adjoining hallway that leads to the kitchen and refinish it as well to clean it up.

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