A Thoughtful Place

A Thoughtful Place is a Tennessee based lifestyle blog about design, fashion, gatherings and the occasional from the heart post.

Mini Mudroom Reveal

by 46 Comments

I put the finishing touches on our mini mudroom! It has had quite the little journey. It started out as a mess of a coat closet. One of those where you toss things in, and they never come out! We tapped into some unused space under the staircase and created Christmas décor storage. Then the space became a “Clubhouse.” It still wasn’t functioning as well as we needed more of a command central for the kids when coming in and out of the house. I am so excited with how we revamped it as it’s working great! Here is what it looks like now. Oh, and prepare yourself for a plethora of photos. I couldn’t stop snapping. IMG_0178   There is something so gratifying about organizing a space and actually having it function just as you had hoped. The bench I scored for $75 and you can read about how I transformed it here. You can go here and here for the blue and white fabric. The closest match to my floral fabric can be found here. IMG_0170 When we first made over the space, there was more pink it it. I reprinted the “You Are My Sunshine” print in a blue that goes with the rest of the space. IMG_0172 Nothing like good ole’ Target for a $4 clock. Works great here as we are headed out the door and my daughter is suddenly fascinated with learning to tell time. IMG_0194 This has to be one of my favorite finds lately. I picked it up at The Container Store for $10. It snaps together easily and can hang from the sticky hooks so there is no damage to the walls. I am now using these for the children’s artwork and important papers. I bought file folders to put in each space. I don’t know about you, but the artwork seems to be coming out of the woodwork. So now when they finish their masterpieces for the day, we stick them in here. That way we don’t accidentally toss something special and we can look through them later to see which ones we will hang up and which ones can go in the circular file {aka . . . trash}.   IMG_0175 The hanging system is clear so I just printed out their initials and filled the background with blue before printing. Cut them out and used tape to secure them to the files. IMG_0217 IMG_0216 I fell in love with these hooks a few months back. I bought them and didn’t know where they would go. Well what do you know! They are perfect for in here for the children’s sweaters and tote bags. I picked them up at one of my all time favorite paper stores. You can now find Confetti Ink and their amazing paper goods online here.  IMG_0189 Ahhhh!!! You see that!! Even my two year old is digging the new hooks and actually using them. IMG_0205 Because it is a coat closet, our mini mudroom is obviously quite small.  Therefore it is also really tough to photograph. There is plenty of room for the kiddos to plop down and get there shoes on and be ready for the day. There is enough head room that my husband and I can also sit comfortably on the bench. IMG_0221 The ABC print is from Couture Prints and is matted with burlap. IMG_0222 The shoe bins are from The Dollar Tree and have been working out great. At first my youngest would just throw his shoes on the ground after taking them off. He is now putting them in his bucket. Success!!!! One last thing for mommy to pick up! The kids like to play “school” in here with the chalkboard and the magnetic board. We have had some mean games of hangman recently!!! Here is a little look back at  the many lives of our coat closet. You can read all about it here. IMG_9094IMG_9097IMG_9175IMG_9306 There is a tutorial for the magnetic board and painting the stripes here. So we still have the storage pockets on the door and they have changed my life. I LOVE them. More about those here. I relocated the items that were in the white storage unit to other places and better utilized the awkward sloping ceiling with the storage bench. Nothing like redoing a space just two months after completing. But I must say it was well worth it. IMG_0224IMG_0225 Done at last! Functioning well at last! Not sure a coat closet has ever had so many reincarnations! ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Thanks for sticking with me on the long process! Sharing this project with: Just A Girl The Shabby Nest Remodelaholic Chic on a Shoestring Budget Elements Interiors DIY by Design Green Door Designs Today’s Creative Blog Under the Table and Dreaming Centsational Girl Mad In Crafts Polly Want a Crafter The DIY Showoff Party Parade The DIY Show Off

Comments

  1. Jeanine says

    This is absolutely adorable!! Love. Love. Love–the style, those hooks, and all those cute little accents. Fabulous idea! I'm inspired…
    Jeanine 🙂

    Reply

  2. Carolyn@SweetChaos says

    It looks fantastic! Very clever use of space. I love the Container Store file folders with the kids' initials. With 4 kids, I am forever looking for places to put papers. I just may borrow that idea from you 🙂

    Reply

  5. Robyn says

    People would normally be put off by doing "something" with such a small space. You have proven that every space, not matter what size, has a right to look as good as the rest of the house. It looks ah-mazing!

    Reply

  9. Simply LKJ says

    Courtney, it is AWESOME! What a great use of space. Makes me want to redo mine, and my kiddos are 17 and 21!!! Okay, so maybe that ain't gonna happen, but love it anyhow!!! Great job.

    Reply

  12. Allison says

    It's fun and functional! What could be better! You did an amazing job with it, Courtney. I love the striped walls and the bench worked out perfectly. Also, love the fabrics you chose. Great job!

    Reply

  16. Bree@ 700sqftDesign says

    I love it…I mean really, I love everything! The previously painted stripes, the organized organza hanging on the door, the coat hangers, AND I love the striped boys coat…where did you get that?

    Reply

  18. michelle says

    Oh Courtney I love it!!!! What a perfect space for the kiddos to have all their belongings and I am so happy that they are using the buckets! Another success!!! 🙂

    Reply

  19. Cassie {Hi Sugarplum!} says

    Absolutely fabulous!! What a great space..and perfect nook for them! You squeezed all the useable space out of that little room, and made it fun and functioning!

    You know what I'm going to suggest don't you? Painting the sloped ceiling a dun accent color…or running the stripes vertically?!?

    Reply

  27. Megan {Honey We're Home} says

    Loved it the first time, but it's even better now- especially since it's functioning for you better! It's so cute to see your little son in the room in his pj's!!! And maybe you want to link this up to Centsational Girl's blog party tonight too! 🙂

    Reply

  35. Green Door Girl says

    This looks so good!!! My oldest went to a friends house this week and they have a similar space (not as cutely decorated of course – LOL) and she said – "mom look how cool is this, I want one!" 🙂 Our HVAC is in our space under the stairs, so we won't be getting a cute storage place 🙁 so we can vicariously through our friends online and down the street! Link this up with our Saturday Spotlight – we are keeping it open until Wednesday this week!

    Reply

  36. Lisa says

    What a great use of space, Courtney! And you got so much out of the room too – playspace, organization, huge cuteness factor! Great job.

    Reply

  38. Amanda says

    Wow! This is a great use of space! I love how you used what you had to make not only a functional mini mudroom, but a creative and well styled space. Congrats on all your hard work!

    Reply

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