9.12.2013

House Tour: Mudroom


Happy Thursday friends...what a week!

This was supposed to post yesterday, but, my scatterbrained self forgot to shift it from a draft to published post...SO, you are getting it today!

I decided I would do a House Tour series on the blog a while back.  As y'all know decorating is one of my greatest passions and on top of that, we've been working on lots of projects at Bryce's house and I wanted to have the chance to share them.  Initially I planned to wait for everything to be complete before posting, but projects have a way of taking longer than you expect and also leading to even more and bigger projects.  I thus realized that if I waited for the house to be "finished" this series would never happen.

I had also originally planned to do this in some semblance of order (i.e. start with the front of the house and gradually work my way in and then upstairs), BUT...the projects all seem to come together at their own pace so I'm just going to post rooms as I go!

So without further adieu, here is the first post in the Sundresses and Smiles House Tour Series!

I thought it would be appropriate to start with the mudroom since I posted my inspiration for our mudroom a few weeks ago here.

Our mudroom is just off the kitchen and prior to tackling the room, it had become a space not only for laundry, but also kitchen overflow.  It was so chocked full of stuff that it was barely functional and quite honestly a stressful room to be in.  Now our mudroom is clutter free and full of cheer!

Take a look, why don't ya!?

If you remember, this was my problem area in the last post.  The simple addition of a basket and fun cork board really brought style to an otherwise boring space!


I loved decorating this cork board!  I felt like a kid again as I pulled out my craft box and went to town!  
The quotes on the board say:  "A place for everything and everything in its place" (fitting for a mudroom, don't ya think?) and "make your reality a dream."  Additionally, I played with what to put on the shelf next to the cork board and thought the bunny I bought at Montpelier (post here) was perfect!

Y'all will also remember I was at a loss for what to do with this area.  I love the idea of some hooks and a bigger hamper still, but for the time being this is functional.  Our washer sometimes leaves a soapy residue that needs wiping (thus the towel) and this Scout bin is perfect to toss dirty dish towels and such in.

Directly across from the shelves is the washer and dryer.

The addition of my old nightstand a new rug made this area much nicer!

And now for the biggest project in this room...

A bar to hang clothes on!
Before our mudroom makeover, this space had nowhere to hang dry clothes.  Whenever I did laundry, I would hang clothes in doorways all over the house...it was a pain!  The solution was a copper tubing bar, hung using a curtain rod holder....thanks to Bryce!

I am smitten with the new knobs I got for the cabinets above the drying bar!

And of course, no mudroom is complete without some wellies!

Now for a look at the horrendous before (I'm slightly embarrassed to even share this...)

We rearranged the kitchen cabinets to fit all those baking supplies and now that rack is in the shed housing some of Bryce's hunting stuff...

A new rug, my nightstand, and reorganization of the cabinets was huge!

I'm feeling anxious just looking at this mess...

Needless to say, this space has come a long way!

The last remaining project for the room is a DIY burlap wreath for the door leading outside.  Those of you who follow me on Instagram, know this project was a huge failure by me and that I handed it over to Bryce.  Well, since then, we have run out of burlap and I haven't made it back to the store for more.  It is currently hanging on the door, unfinished.  I will have to post a picture of it, once it's complete...

Sources:
Corkboard: A.C. Moore
Bunny: Montpelier Gift Shop (similar Herend version here)
Basket:Home Goods (similar here)
Scout Bin: Shoulda Bin (ABC print no longer available)
Monogrammed Hand Towel: The Company Store
Rug: Marshall's (similar here)
Nighstand: My childhood nightstand, my dad and I painted it pink a few years ago.
Cabinet Knobs: World Market
Large Doormat: Pleasants Hardware
Boots: L.L. BeanHunter, and Le Chameau

The next installment of the house tour will be a look at our master/full bath!

Have a great day!