Back in October I jumped on the OneRoomChallenge bandwagon and dove headfirst into a mudroom renovation. Yes, I built my house 2 years ago but I just didn’t love the lack of functionality of our mudroom. What I envisioned just wasn’t working (it happens!) and I had a new plan in my head. I shared the mood board of my vision (check it out here) and went to work. Wondering if you missed the full mudroom reveal?
Well, what was supposed to be a 6 week reno/refresh turned into a 3 month project.
It was my first time taking on such a big project with multiple parts to DIY and I quickly got behind. Being a mom, working full time, dealing with life in a pandemic and trying your first major woodworking project is a lot to put all on one plate. BUT I am so excited to say that it is finally finished. I am so excited to finally share this mudroom reveal with you! I love the functionality of this space SO much more than the old one. It feels spacious, organized and pretty.
Tearing it all out was the easy part and felt really cathartic! Who doesn’t love knocking out walls/shelves with a hammer?
I borrowed the tools and the expertise of my brother in law and got some rough oak lumber at a local mill, planed it down and laminated the boards together to create a new bench top. I think this is the part I am most proud of. It was amazing to watch a rout piece of wood turn into something so beautiful. You could easily make this without a planer and use specialty boards from HomeDepot (plus they will even cut the boards to length for you!) You just need an orbital sander, wood glue and some clamps. The key to getting such a seamless look is really clamping the boards together tightly. No pocket screws needed. I used a leftover piece of white oak for the photo ledge and attached it to the wall using these anchors.
Once the bench top was finished I went to Moulding Warehouse to grab some shiplap for the top on the wall and MDF to create the new cubbies.
They are a great local provider for trim and doors and will help you find exactly what you need for your project. It took a little bit of practice on my new table saw and some patience because walls are not always straight but we cut and installed the pieces, caulked the seams with DAP (it is a paintable sealer) and painted it all white.
The photo ledge is the perfect place to display my prints from Opposite Wall. They just bring personality and warmth into the space! Plants, small vases and candles are the perfect pieces to add into your photo ledge to create depth and add texture.
I was so excited to find this Loloi runner from Homesense, but you can also find them here. The baskets are a huge help in keeping all those seasonal accessories organized. I have the off-season items up higher and will switch them when the seasons change for easy access.
I absolutely love this mudroom refresh and am so excited to have an organized, functional space!
