Mud Room

Of course I forgot to take a picture of what this room used to be (reoccurring theme, if you will), but it was a bit of a hot mess waiting to happen (wait, wait...that is much to kind of me.  It was actually a hot mess, on the constant!).  The tiny space was flanked by two doors: one out to the garage and one into the house.  In this tiny little space was the washer and dryer and a weird bit of open space that was just begging to be functional.  The main problem with this little space housing the washer or dryer is that the machines would bounce a bit, when in use, and would move enough to actually block the access of the doors.  On a couple occasions Zac would come home from work and literally be locked in the garage, because the washing machine blocked the door from swinging.  Crazy, right!

So, we decided we would do the unthinkable...MOVE THE LAUNDRY TO THE BASEMENT!!!!  OMG!  You would not believe how many people cautioned me against this, to which I always responded, 'if walking down an extra flight of stairs is a huge problem for me, I actually have a much bigger problem that needs addressing'...am I right, or am I right!?! So, we put up some walls in the basement, and later I will take you on a picture tour of our glorious new laundry room.  But for now, here is the very functional space that you step into, from the garage:

This was where the washer and dryer was tucked.  We removed the door 

that flowed into the rest of the house and patched and painted the door surround, 

so the mud room would feel like an extension of the house, not something we want

 to have shut off.  The bench cushion is my favorite thing.  I found an indoor/outdoor 

fabric I liked (well, I crossed my fingers that I liked it, as I only viewed a tiny 

swatch ONLINE) and had it shipped to my mother-in-law in Minnesota.  

She delivered this beautiful cushion when she visited this fall. 

 She is a machine, when it comes to stitching!

Hooks and shelves for everything!!!  

Another fingers crossed purchase was the set of vintage locker baskets.

I saw a listing on Ebay for a set of 4 baskets, but really needed 6, so 

I contacted the seller, in hopes they were selling more, and I was in luck.

I worked a deal and ended up paying $15 per basket, which is quite the

deal (if you ever price them out at a vintage thrift store). I purposefully

searched for locker baskets with closed fronts, so we could actually

conceal stuff such as hats, mittens, baseball mits and bike helmets.

The open shelving below the baskets is perfect for dropping mail, keys, 

school projects.  

   I use a vintage toast rack to hold coupons that are accepted all around our little town.  

They are right by the door out, easy to grab one when we head out.

No, it doesn't get any cuter!  

 

The space opposite the bench/shelving was an awkward

area that was completely underutilized.  We literally shoved

shoes in the corner, and leaned a broom against the wall. 

The walls are an odd shape, so we worked with a carpenter

to create a piece that would fill the space, and really give us 

maximum storage potential.  I love the results.  The upper

cabinets store a lot of back ups: hand soap, paper towels,

cleaning supplies, while the lower right section houses

the vacuum, step stool and broom.  The lower left is loads 

shelving that holds my reusable grocery bags, boots, picnic 

blankets.  

Built in storage.  Ahhh, a place to shove sh!t.