Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Mudroom Inspiration {Mood Board}

I have hereby declared the month of March "Mudroom Month."

This sad little room in our home has taken a real beating this Winter, what with the boots, shoes, hats, gloves, and coats its seen. We have a proper coat closet in the entry hall, but I've always wanted to make this room super-functional not only for us, but for guests as well. We enter and exit our house through the mudroom and garage, so we walk through it at least four times a day.

I started prettying up the mudroom back in August/September by painting it the same color as our Powder Room, Morning Fog by Olympic. And then I did absolutely nothing with it. There is currently an old coffee table-turned bench in there, but the bench hasn't been upholstered, the walls are bare, there is no storage for shoes, coats, purses, etc. etc. etc. When I come home, I dump my purse/diaper bag/coat on the table-turned-bench and there it sits until the next time I need to leave.

It gives me the sads--from the pathetic little $12 flush-mount light to the beige vinyl floors. Builders-grade to the maximum. (An aside: when I count the number of chintzy lights like the one in this room and full-on boob lights in our house, I am reminded that we have a loooooong way to go, baby).

If you've been following me on Pinterest you might have seen my "Mudroom Ideas" board. If not, here's a fun little mood board for you to get you in the spirit of Mudroom Month:

1. Cutting Edge Stencils // 2. Urban Outfitters // 3. Home Depot // 4. A Gier Design // 5. Target // 
6. Home Depot // 7. Target // 8. Fabric.com // 9. Lowes



There's the plan, loosely. I think I may stray from my usual fondness of Dark Walnut stain for the wood pieces to something with more of a red tone to match the coffee-table-turned-bench (thinking either Red Oak or English Chesnut).

I plan on DIYing most of the elements, namely the hook rail (maybe installing a shelf/lip to display art over it?), upholstering the coffee-table-turned-bench (see item 8), and making up some art of my own. I do plan on purchasing that New Jersey print because we are Jersey folks through and through (not Jersey Shore-type people though--ack!).

Ultimately my goal is to make this room functional for our every day use and for our guests when we entertain. I'd also like to set the tone for the rest of our house: that this is our home, full of warmth, character, and love.

Right now, that room is DEFINITELY not giving off those vibes.

I'll be blogging my progress as I go--as small as this room is, I do see it taking me a full month to get through since I'll really only have the weekends on work on it--and sharing a final reveal (hopefully) by the beginning of April.

Wish me luck, friends! This little room has had me stumped for months, but I say no more!

Any overhauls going on in your neck of the woods? Share about them in the comments!

Wanna see where I party? Click here for an awesome list of link parties I participate in..

Also linking up to:
Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style
Imparting Grace
Jennifer Rizzo

16 comments:

  1. Your mudroom is going to look nice! I look forward to checking it out!

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    1. Thanks, Heather! Hopefully I can get it all done over the weekends so I can share it with everyone by April!

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  2. I am also (slowly) working on my mudroom and love the ideas you shared. I dig your style!

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    1. Thanks, Anne! Slow and steady wins the race...at least that's what I'm hoping for this project ;)

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  3. I need to work on my mud room, but I don't' have one and wished I did! I love what you have chosen for yours. I especially like the paint color you've chosen, so very pretty. It's going to be one pretty mud room. I wonder if I could ask you a favor, can you tell me how you created you "mood" board? I see them all over but want to create one but don't know how!

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    1. Hi Cathy! I feel your pain on sometimes not having the room for something. You could always create a smaller mudroom "space" in an entry hall or by a back door. A small bench, a basket or two to corral belongings, and some art can make all the difference :)

      As for the mood boards, I find that if my images already have white or almost white backgrounds, using PicMonkey is a quick and easy way. Just create a blank image and use your photos as overlays. If you want more of a layered look with items on your mood board, there are some great tutorials out there using Photoshop Elements--if I have the time to put into it, this is my favorite way. If you do have Photoshop Elements, you can Google for some great tutorials!

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  4. Oooo! This inspiration board would look awesome for my teeny tiny guest bath downstairs. It is currently covered with burgundy wallpaper from the early 90's. I'm following along to see the transformation!

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    1. Burgundy wallpaper--I'd love to see that! Thanks for following, Ashley!

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  5. Can't wait to see the reveal! This is awesome! Would love if you shared at Link It or Lump it Link Party http://www.sohosonnet.com/link-it-or-lump-it/link-it-or-lump-it-link-party-27/

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    1. Hi Sonnet, thanks for stopping by! I shared at the link party--thanks for the invite!

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  6. What a great board! I have the basket you have up there and LOVE it! I'm now following you on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing at The Makers!

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    1. Thanks, Katie! Glad to hear that basket is awesome, and thanks for following me on Pinterest!

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  7. Great mood board! I want a mud room so bad. It is on the list of must-haves for our next house. Thanks so much for linking up at The Makers! :)

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    1. Thanks Alexis! I was so excited to finally have a mudroom and I'm so ready to finally transform it! Thanks for stopping by!

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