BLB Mudroom Makeover

July 12, 2021 Amber Guyton

There’s nothing more annoying than purchasing and moving into a new house just to have to put more money into it. Missing closet rods, zero laundry cabinets, mediocre light fixtures…Blah! My new construction home was all the above and my mudroom was no exception, so I spent the past two months breathing some life into the space!

After closing on my bungalow in Atlanta, I figured remodeling my laundry room would be the last thing on my to-do list. I ordered new Samsung appliances from Lowe’s including my front-loading washer and dryer, and there was already a bead and batten wall with hooks and a bench near the back door. Functionally, I had just about everything I needed, but the storage was lacking terribly, and the space was beige and bare like the rest of the home. No can do! So, I started to devise a plan to affordably update the room sooner than later, giving it as much color and character as the rest of my home.

BEFORE:

STORAGE

First, I needed to add some functional storage to the space. I wanted to store more than just detergent and dryer sheets. I had laundry baskets, hanging racks, dog supplies, winter coats, bug spray, running shoes, rain boots and gardening tools that all needed a home! First, my friends at All Hands Assembly Services mounted new shelving and a closet rod in the coat closet (I assume the builder didn’t add anything here to save money, but also because the prospective owner may have preferred this to be a pantry instead). I also added some over-the-door organization to hang things I didn’t want visible in the mudroom space.

Second, I began researching custom cabinetry companies. After spending thousands on furniture, appliances, painting, and other home updates, blowing another three to five thousand just wasn’t an option. One weekend while my dad was visiting, we ventured to a few big box home improvement stores to view their pre-assembled cabinet options. He also suggested I consider wholesale and discount cabinet retailers that may be in the Atlanta area. So, I visited Builders Surplus a few miles northwest of the city and sourced solid wood upper and lower unfinished cabinets that I was able to purchase for less than $400! Although I had my heart set on installing quartz countertops to match my kitchen, I opted for the less expensive option of purchasing a slab of butcher block for less than $500. I was able to load all these items in the back of my Jeep Cherokee and take them home the same day!

COLOR

Once my friends at JE Remodeling installed my new cabinetry, I wanted them to spray them a bright fun color instead of white! Like my kitchen and guest bathroom, I used Clare’s Current Mood on my new cabinetry to add a bold but gender-neutral color to the space. I also adorned the doors and drawers with the same CB2 hexagon brushed brass knobs used in my kitchen. This new pop of color complemented my kitchen well and gave the space the right amount of spunk it needed. Although I decided to leave the wood in the mudroom space white, the back door needed some serious love. One evening, I painted the door a light peachy pink color, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams’ Quartz Blush to lighten up the space and give the back wall some personality! I’d be sure to add some artwork with shades of pink throughout the space to contrast with the moodier colors.

CHARACTER

Lastly, the builder beige walls just had to go! I called my friends at Atlantic Wallpapers to install a new fun printed wallpaper I found while shopping for rugs on the Jungalow website. Wallpaper can seem so 60s and 70s as my grandparent’s kitchens, dining spaces and bathrooms were always adorned in them. Whether baskets of fruit or paisley patterns, I’ve always had a nostalgic love for printed wallpaper and was looking forward to adding my own in my mudroom. The sun pattern selected reminded me of the show CBS’s Sunday Morning and gave me a cheerful feeling looking at the metallic gold rays of sunshine. The wallpaper named “Ayo” by Justina Blakely also means “Joy” in Yoruba (African people of southwestern Nigeria, Benin and Togo – which makes up 28% of my DNA ethnicity according to Ancestry.com), so it’s no surprise why I was so drawn to the energy of this pattern.

Once the wallpaper was up, the space just needed a few more touches of character to give it some style. I added baskets to the new shelf atop my cabinets and artwork on the bare walls to offer a little conversation. I also framed the house’s blueprints found in the closet after closing to remind me of the history I was creating in my new home. Lastly, I lined the floor with a heavy jute rug for foot traffic, a natural fiber and transitional color that would complement the woven items and Boho flair in the space.

I’m so grateful for the money saved and time well spent on my new mudroom and laundry space! Doing laundry and is a lot more joyful these days and the space provides a much warmer welcome for those entering my home from the back door. Take a look at the final result!

AFTER:

I hope you enjoyed my #BLBMudroomMakeover as much as I loved doing it! Up next, my guest bathroom and master suite will be revealed later this summer.

Be Blessed,

ACG

Design Deets:

Wallpaper - Jungalow

Paint - Current Mood by Clare, Quartz Blush by HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams

Cabinets - Builders Surplus

Cabinet Hardware - CB2

Butcher Block - Builders Surplus

Appliances - Samsung, Lowe’s

Artwork - HomeGoods, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby

Rug - HomeGoods

Baskets - HomeGoods, Marshalls