Before and After: The Mud Room

The laundry room was undoubtedly the sorriest room in this house.  The room is very narrow, with just enough room to squeeze in the back door, past the washer and dryer and then through the door into the kitchen.  There are some cabinets above the washer and dryer, tired, worn and dirty.  There was a plastic laundry sink standing on skinny legs.  Between the sink and the wall at the end of the room was a built in sewing desk, beat up and useless as counter space since it was multi-level and knee high from the ground.  The floor was dirty, yellow-brown linoleum.

When Brett's friend, Richard, was up visiting a few months ago they dismantled and removed the sewing table.  Next they took out the laundry basin and put it in my garden.  Some day it will be part of a potting bench.  We had the linoleum removed and tile installed.  I took those awful blinds off of the window.

We wanted a bench to sit on while taking off and putting on shoes.  We talked about Brett building something but thought an antique bench would work better with the farmhouse feel of the house.  We found the perfect bench, in pine needle green, at an antique fair.

I found a sink I liked on Houzz (great website for remodeling ideas) and Brett found it at Home Depot.  The sink cabinetry is grey so we talked about how to incorporate the color into the room. I wanted a counter top for folding laundry and I wanted shelves to store light bulbs, canning jars, and dog treats.

Brett built the shelves, with a beautiful folding counter, and a space at the bottom for storing the dog beds during the day.  At night we haul them out and they span the entire floor area.

On the wall next to the bench, there are hooks for hanging our jackets.

 It's a small room but very functional with a hint of country style.