Mudroom Progress

The mudroom is moving along a lot faster than I ever thought. I can't say it's because of me either. I had asked my husband to install two 2x4 boards on the wall so I could add hooks for the kids backpacks and jackets. I was thinking the bench and beadboard could be built later. I didn't want to push my luck after all since I'm not the one doing most of the work. I'm the planner/designer and he does his thing with the saw. He said it would be easier to do it all at once and was ready to get started on it. Well, that went better than expected!

I hightailed it to Home Depot and bought all of the wood and trim before my husband could change his mind. This was a little more difficult than I expected because I needed a lot of 8ft boards. You should have seen the looks I got trying to load it into my cart and then into my car. I'm sure people were thinking, "What the heck does that girl think she's doing?" I have to admit that I had a moment in the parking lot staring at this random pile of wood that was supposed to turn into a mudroom. I was thinking, "Maybe I am crazy? Why can't I just be a princess type who would hire someone to do this?" Don't worry, I got over it once I started seeing it built.

Pity party aside, if you remember we had cleaned out the closet under the stairs after I had a light bulb moment that this would make a perfect mudroom. This is what we had to work with once it was cleaned out.




It wraps around to the right. Under stairs closets can be so awkward.




We had to remove the coat rack first. I was worried about the drywall getting damaged, but it was fine except for one small hole we were able to cover up with trim.




Then, it was time to start building. Here is the progress we've made so far.



The bench was built first. It sits on a frame we built out of 4x6 lumber and has cubbies for shoes. I didn't want the bench so much as to sit on as I did for heavy bags that might pull the hooks out of the wall. Also, I don't like to hang my purses because the handles get stretched out from the weight of it.

The beadboard on the lower section was added first, then the 2x4 the lower hooks are screwed into, then the top sections. We basically built it from the bottom up. I just finished screwing in the last of the hooks this morning.

If you notice the bench has braces in the middle of each cubby.



That's because we are going to add a shelf in the middle of each one. I decided against baskets because I want to be able to see at a glance if the kids shoes are in here instead of having to go through each basket. We'll be able to fit eight pair of shoes, which should be enough since the kids only wear one pair at a time. That's one good thing about having boys!

I also want to add a shelf above the board that holds the top hooks. That's the reason these hooks are different from the bottom ones. I needed shorter hooks that wouldn't interfere with the shelf. After the top shelf is built and the shoe racks are in the cubbies, this wall will be done. I do have to paint, but that will be second to last on my list. The last thing to do will be to hire someone to finish out the flooring. Thankfully, we have three boxes left of the wood tile we used in the family room so the flooring will be continuous.



And, the light! Yes, that will be changed. I'm thinking of adding wainscoting to that small section of ceiling first. It will be similar to the beadboard, but much wider.

Here is the rest of the closet.



The section on the left will have built-in cubbies or shelves for baskets. It will start where the wall left wall ends and continue in a straight line to the end of the extra flooring. This will also help minimize the awkward angles of the closet. I'm planning on storing the kids school books they keep at home, extra paper products, and pool towels here.

I have not decided what to do with the back right of the closet. I'm leaning towards shelves since I do need a place to store gift wrap and seasonal décor. Another option is to block it off completely and add a wall under the spot the ceilings ends. This would allow us to wrap the bench and hook wall around in an L-shape for even more storage.




It's crazy, but we could use even more hooks. This doesn't even include the kids backpacks and the jackets they wore to school today.




Excuse the mess! I need to relocate that shelf from the closet to the garage asap. For reference, this is the closet we're making over in relation to the rest of the room. The garage door is down the hall to the left and the front door is around the stairs. It's directly across from the back door that leads to the pool. I love that it's in a central location since we use all the doors equally. I do wish we could keep the door off to the mudroom, but it's just too open to the family room for my comfort. The door will also keep Mario from eating our shoes. ;) If you notice, he made a bed out of the jackets I laid on the couch while I was installing the top hooks in the closet this morning.



This is also a good picture of the left side of the closet where the built-in shelves or cubbies will be, which is the next project we'll be tackling.

I can't leave you with a picture of my messy living room.




That's better!

New Project Plans: A Mudroom!

Well, technically it’s a closet. This is the place all of the odds and ends we seem to collect over the years goes…to die. It’s a huge closet under the stairs and we’ve cleaned it out more times than I can count. It has stored our Christmas decorations, important paperwork, photos, extra paper towels, old home décor, etc. Between our crazy amount of donations to Goodwill, the new home office, and new storage in the garage we don’t have an excuse for this any longer.






Thankfully, it doesn’t look as bad in the picture. I’m not kidding. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been MIA this week it’s because I’m trying to integrate the things we are going to keep into our home office. Everything else has been donated, put in the attic, or in the garage. I still have two filing cabinets and three large bins to go through, but it’s coming along. Here is the closet now.






It’s clean, but ugly as sin. So, what prompted me to clean this mess up? Typical January organization? Nope. It’s when the lightbulb went off that this would make a perfect mudroom. It’s in a central location on our first floor so it doesn’t matter if we enter the house through the front door or the garage door. I have been complaining for a while that we don’t have enough hooks in the laundry room for a family of five. I need hooks for ten jackets, three backpacks, a briefcase and a couple of handbags. Oh, and hats! That might not happen, but it’s on my wish list. I also need a spot the kids can store their shoes that Mr. Shoe Fetish (aka Mario or the pupster) can’t find them them.

This project is going to take a while. I have to paint, replace the carpet, and sweet talk my husband into taking out the retired saw for some built-in shelving. But, can’t you see it? No. Well, I really don’t have a full plan yet either. The best part of a new project are the inspiration pictures. Here’s your eye candy because I know the pictures above aren’t doing it for you.

Traditional Closet by Beverly Architects & Designers Siemasko + Verbridge


 

Farmhouse Entry by Stillwater Architects & Designers Ron Brenner Architects


 

Craftsman Entry by Palo Alto Architects & Designers FGY Architects


 

Beach Style Entry by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

My new mudroom won't look like these, of course. There's only so much you can do with a closet, but I do hope to incorporate built-ins to decrease the slope and odd angles of the ceiling and walls. I can't wait to get started!





 

Projects for 2014

Are you ready for some projects?! The holidays are over and it's time to get moving. I feel like my kids when they wake up and cry that they don't want to go to school. I don't really want to get started on anything, but I know I it's time. When I wrote my to do list last year I had just finished all of the big projects downstairs and was excited to get started on renovating the upstairs of my home. I didn't finish the entire upstairs like I had planned, but I knew that was an overly ambitious goal.

Here's a quick recap of what I have done upstairs. The old, gross carpet was removed and we had new laminate flooring installed throughout the entire floor. This made a huge difference. Everything just felt clean and new. Then, we replaced all of the trim around the doors and windows, and put in a batten board treatment throughout the entire game room. I decided to work on the game room first since it's the first room you see when you go up the stairs.



I had planned on painting the game room myself, but I knew it would take forever just to caulk the trim. Since I had zero motivation and wanted this room done quickly, I hired someone to paint this room. I felt uneasy about paying someone so much money to do a job I knew I could do, but it was so worth it in the end. It took them three days and it probably would have taken me three weeks.





I spent very little on the décor since I already had the sofa and console. I added the rug, coffee table, shades, and accessories. Besides the kitchen, this is the first room I've actually finished in this house because I didn't have to buy any big ticket items.

And, my latest project still isn't finished either, the boys' bathroom.



It's really close to being done so I will probably finish this room first. The hard work is done and it will help get me motivated to start on the rest of the upstairs, I hope.

So, what's next? My kids' bedrooms and my master bathroom is all that's left inside and they are in need of some serious TLC. The boys' bedrooms have gotten the most attention in this house since we've lived here, but look the worst since kids aren't "careful" with their belongings. Using the word "careful" is me being nice. I can't tell you how many times I've had to repaint walls, replace broken blinds, pick lamps up off the floor, scrape gum off the nightstands, etc. Because my little "darlings" will just tear it up again I am just giving it a spit shine with a bit of paint and a few accessories. Now, do you understand why half the furniture in my house is from Ikea?

And, on to the biggest project. My master bathroom should be a gut job because it's a 90s nightmare, but I'm planning on giving it a facelift instead with new paint, trim and fixtures. The shower, tile, vanity countertop and flooring will eventually need to be replaced. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to save that for later. I wish I had more time and money to devote to it, but we've really got to do something about my home's curb appeal.

The roof needs to be replaced, the siding pressure washed, and the landscaping addressed. My front yard has never been wonderful to begin with, but it was really damaged after having a tractor drive through the middle of it for our pool dig last summer. Oh, and my upstairs flowerbox is so sad with one lone weed creeping over the side. I'm hoping we can get working on the exterior this spring when the weather is nice. Until then, I will be working on the remaining interior projects upstairs. Fortunately for my wallet they are mostly paint projects, but I am not looking forward to the manual labor. I suppose I should say goodbye to any hopes of having a manicure this year.

The bright side is that these are the remaining big projects! Once these are finished I will be decorating, tweaking, and doing small DIY projects. Then, we'll probably move. We have no plans to move, but we moved after our last house was remodeled so it's a running joke in our family. Now, off to work! I'm not talking about DIY. I'm really running late for work!

Have a great weekend!

Choosing the Right Furniture for Your Room

Are you confused by Louis XIV, Neo-Classic, or Rococo period furniture? What is it? I really just included Rococo because I like the name. Maybe because it sounds like cocoa? Anyway, I don't blame you for not knowing. Whenever I visit a museum someone tries to talk to me about the period or style of the artist and I want to say,"I just like the colors." Or, "Why doesn't the Venus de Milo have arms?"

However, when it comes to actually buying furniture I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Why? It's because I'm frugal and want the piece to last as long as possible. I am not against mixing styles, but it does need to be intentional. For example, I love what Joni from Cote de Texas calls "the Houston look." Casual furniture that fits great with our warm Houston climate, but combined with European antiques for an elegant look. Perfect!

I've combined styles myself by choosing a French bistro chair and an off-white table in my breakfast room. The chair is rustic enough to blend with the cottage style table, but the elegant lines tell a different story.




I love the warmth and elegance of this chair so much that it inspired me to change a few other things in my living room.



The ginger jar, horse and orchid vase accent the chair in the breakfast room. It also keeps this room from looking too coastal. I love a coastal style, but prefer mixing it up to avoid a themed room. This works especially well if you are like me and love too many styles to choose just one.

If you need a little help identifying different furniture styles, check out One King's Lane new resource guide. To view it on their website, click under "site map" and then "home décor resource." You can also click here. I found a plethora of information and I especially love their guide on how to choose statement chairs. Who knew that one breakfast chair would send me on a tangent to switch up the rest of my great room?

We could all copy a look we see in a catalog and it would look fabulous, but most of us want to see a little of ourselves represented somewhere in the room. I think this is why almost no one does it. Our homes give us the most comfort when they reflect a little bit of our thoughts and experiences. You can tell I crave a spa-like environment when I'm at home with all of this white. I do have three boys and say,"Calgon take me away!" on a regular basis. Can you also tell I love the beach and was greatly inspired by my trip to London and Paris? Yes, this room feels like me. :)

Plugging Back In

The Christmas craziness is over! Have you recovered? I'm exhausted! It's hard being mom this time of year, but these smiles on Christmas morning make it all worth it.




And, reactions like these are priceless!



After stressing over the holidays, we decided to take an impromptu trip and unplug so we chose a remote location in Arkansas. Note to self, there's no unplugging when dealing with my boys. They have two modes-on and unconscious. It was still nice to get away from the responsibilities of home.

And the view of the Ozarks was all worth it.




The first night we stayed at a lodge in a state park. It reminded me so much of the Wilderness Lodge at Disney World, but with a view of the mountains.




My boys appreciated the indoor pool more than the view.



Then, we took a scenic drive through the Ouachita National Forest to another state park outside of Hot Springs. This time we rented a cabin that sat right on the lake for a bit of hiking and fishing. I really just wanted to read and sit by the lake, but we kept busier than we thought.








My little guy enjoyed the view of the lake from the screened porch...for about 30 seconds.



I have no idea why he only has on one sock. I'm not sure why he does a lot of things!

And my middle son helped dad start the grill...for about 30 seconds. He came back when it was time for smores, of course.




The hike to the waterfall at the park was a highlight of the trip. The path was a bit more treacherous than I thought it would be, but we made it and had a lot of fun on the way. My little guy took his Minecraft sword to kill any bears that might attack us. We obviously only had to worry about dad having too much fun with the kid sword.



I can't say I'm recharged and ready to tackle any new projects, but I am happy to be home and slowly get back up to speed. How was your Christmas? Are you getting ready for New Year's Eve?

We'll be spending ours here in the backyard-swimming in the hot tub, grilling, and making s'mores.



We may or may not stay awake until midnight. Exciting, right? Have a great New Year's!