Mudroom/Laundry project inspiration

For Christmas this year I gave each of the kids a long weekend.  Not for them to go away and relax, oh no.  I gave them each a 3 day weekend of my time to work on a specific project of their choosing at their house. This came with a Lowes gift card to start the project off.

It also came with the caveat that they had to be there to help.

He he he, not much of a gift, eh?

 

So no long vacation type weekend for them, they have to work through it.

I went ahead and scheduled the days off work beforehand and gave them specific dates so that this gift would not go unused all year. (since I’m such a procrastinator this seemed the right thing to do)

 

My son and daughter-in-law each got one of their own, on consecutive weekends, with the option to combine weekends to get a bigger project done.

 

It’s their turn coming up this weekend and they decided to go for it and pool their time together to get the back entry/laundry room made over.

This is a tiny area, 7ft wide by 10ft long, and has 3 doors in it. Outside entry on one end, a door to the porch along one side, and the door to the kitchen at the other end.

Currently it is carpeted with indoor/outdoor carpet, not heated, and has a wall of bi-fold doors along one side for the dryer and storage.

 

They HATE the bi-folds, they are always falling off or sticking or hanging funny, and the space inside this closet is mostly unusable. 

I don’t have pictures of it right now, but I will get some and show you what I mean.. I had suggested changing this room the first year they moved into the house.  I even had a curb found cabinet that would be the perfect starter for the space. (more on that in a later post)

 

We’ve been in the planning/dreaming stages all week trying to come up with a plan that will work.

This is the fun stage of the game, when anything is possible.

Tonight we will meet up and finalize the design plan.

Want to see some of our inspiration pics?  These all came from the Houzz.com site, one of my favorite sources for inspiration because it has photos of everything imaginable on it.

 

First off, the locker type area for coats and shoes.  This is a must, as they are struggling to keep the shoes in check. There’s no coat closet at this end of the house, so a hang up spot for several jackets is needed.

 

contemporary laundry room design by other metros general contractor Weaver Custom Homes

 

 

 

traditional entry design by atlanta kitchen and bath Teri Turan

 

This was picked as a favorite by the kids.

hall design by detroit interior designer Green Apple Design

 

 

They also loved this one.  The pop of blue on the door really makes this area!

contemporary entry design by new york general contractor Michael Robert Construction

 

laundry room design by detroit design-build MainStreet Design Build

 

 

Shhh, these next 2 are my personal favorites.  I’m saving these to MY ideabook!

 

Love the wood planks on the ceiling and the floating bench!

traditional entry design

 

Had to throw this one in just because I love the mirror and curved header above the shelf.

 

traditional laundry room design by chicago kitchen and bath Geneva Cabinet Company

 

Now for the laundry side of the room.  Right now they just have a dryer in the space and the washer is in a kitchen closet, but down the road plan to buy a stacking front load washer/dryer set for the space. 

We’ll make it so it works for now with just the dryer, and still can be easily modified for the stacked set and a sink.

 

 

contemporary laundry room design by newark interior designer Kingsley Belcher Knauss, ASID

 

laundry room design by new york general contractor WL INTERIORS

 

traditional laundry room design by san francisco architect Koch Architects, Inc. Joanne Koch

 

 

Must have a bar for hanging up clothes fresh out of the dryer.

laundry room design by calgary general contractor Veranda Estate Homes & Interiors

 

Can’t forget a foldaway drying rack for delicates!

laundry room design

 

Under counter cubbies for laundry baskets, definitely needed.

traditional laundry room design by phoenix home staging The ReStyle Group

 

 

Built in recycling bins are another must for this space.

 

traditional laundry room design by charlotte kitchen and bath Sterling Construction, Inc.

 

Love the clean look of the cabinetry here.

 

traditional laundry room design by other metros kitchen and bath Mullet Cabinet

 

Pretty colors here!

 

traditional laundry room design

 

Love the crown on the cabinets and the granite on the countertops.  Not so much the washer/dryer on the platform though.  Takes up too much space.

contemporary laundry room design by other metros interior designer Shane D. Inman

 

 

This area packs a lot into the small space.  Good example of what we can do.

 

traditional laundry room design by toronto interior designer Avalon Interiors

 

Now this one looks so clean and practical!

contemporary laundry room design by other metros kitchen and bath Natalie Du Bois

 

 

Here’s an idea for extra shoe storage we may be able to squeeze on the adjacent enclosed porch.

laundry room design

 

So many ideas and every one of these photo’s are beautiful.  It’ll be interesting to see what the kids end up choosing!

I just love this phase of a project, don’t you?