Tackling a messy little embarrassing corner of your house can inspire you to turn a sad space into one of your favorite spots in the place! My mudroom was an eyesore of clutter and disorganization but after cleaning and putting everything in it’s home, I found I couldn’t stop and went on to also make it pretty.
Ok, want to see what it looked like before?
Ugh, piles of shoes, shopping sacks, paper towel stash, cardboard boxes on their way out the back door, this place was a disaster and probably a fire hazard. The built-ins in this mudroom were one of the reasons I fell in love with this house and seeing them piled up with clutter everyday was really bringing me down. It was time to take action. First I paid Clare a dollar to wash the back door. OUTSOURCING RULES! Then I organized all of the shoes in Martha Stewart Living Fabric Drawers from Home Depot. I also created a bin for all of the hats and one for sunblock, diapers and other essentials that I always find myself grabbing on my way out the door. If you need a place to store your drawers, there are also nice storage units in the collection.
I cut foam to size and covered it in some beautiful Anna Maria Velveteen. Here are some beautiful home dec weight fabrics that might work in your home.
The kids are obsessed with sitting in the mudroom now. Maybe they will even start putting their shoes in bins. I have a few fun ideas for labeling the bins but that will be phase two.
A $15 ceramic pot from Ross got a fresh coat of paint to match the decor. And my little brown pot holds my favorite gardening tools for easy access.
I covered a small magnetic board with some of my own fabric to have a pretty spot to keep important notes by the door.
And the space above served as open storage for some of our favorite things like vintage suitcases, the vases we made and toys and books.
Ahhh, that feels good. I smile every time I walk by. What small project would you love to tackle in your home?
I’m still looking for the ‘humiliating’ photo… but I do love the space!
That’s what I was wondering too!
How’d you cover the blocks of foam for the seats? I tried something similar for a window seat I did recently, and my crazy made-up method resulted in cushions that weren’t even half as neat as yours. That fabric pretty much rocks.
Here is a good tutorial to try!
http://prudentbaby.com/2011/08/prudent-home/the-laziest-diy-cushion-slipcover-2/
looks great! I wish our small house had a mudroom!
I love the room. The rug and the fabric hanging on the hook are my favorite parts. Please tell me what they are….
Hey Amber-
The rug is from World Market. It was a bit of a splurge. 2.5×10 Pradeep Woven Wool Runner
The fabric is a wrap that was on sale at Target.
please tell me more about the hippo!!! i need to have one of those….did you make him? or her……
the room looks amazing…..i even liked it before…..you had a great foundation and made it remarkable….thanks for sharing and really i would love to know more about that hippo!
The hippo is a Jellycat cordyroy. It’s a London company, but you can find them in the States (www.jellycat.com/usa). They have all sorts of adorable stuffed toys.
Thanks Elise! We love Jellycat. They are super cozy and cute!
Looks great! I don’t see any signs of the humiliating pic! Love all the bright colors!
WOW!!-such a great improvement. Tell Clare-“Awesome Helper!”
Great job! Now come do mine. I’ll provide plenty of Sangria. Promise.
Really cute! Good job! I love organizing!
I want a mudroom too!
Please tell me that is a ‘cleaned up’ disaster….because if you think THAT room is a fire hazard…then you would probably have heart palpitations and a trip to the ER if you saw MY disaster (which you will never so just use your creative imagination). 🙂
So…c’mon…for real. Just tell us you picked up or organized the disaster before taking the ‘disaster’ picture. And…if you didn’t, well…I don’t know. I might be having heart palpitations!
HAHA! No I didn’t clean for my before shot. I could be worse and definitely has been. : )
That is gorgeous! Although, I do have to echo the other comments – your ‘before’ makes me feel like I ought to be featured on an episode of “Hoarders.” I love your fabric choice! We recently tackled a book-nook in our house. Like you said – it felt soooo good!
Ok, I’m inspired. I love that you didn’t just clean up or make it organized- you made it pretty, and actually a place you’d want to be. Gonna need an extra cup of coffee this afternoon….
I want to see the “before” pic’s!!!
We’ve been mulling over ideas by creating a space like this as we enter the house from our garage. After consider lots of layout options, so glad I stumbled on this post. I think we’ll be using your design as our ultimate inspiration! Thanks for sharing!
[…] door in the morning, you may need an organized entryway/mud room to help them! Take a look at the organized and pretty mudroom in Pretty Prudent’s […]