Mud Room Update

Is mud room one word or two?

Image from Better Homes and Gardens, and the inspiration for my bench.

Anyway, I finally got around to removing the tools and supplies from my mudroom.....

aka junk.....

and it was such an improvement to have that crap out of there I was tempted to just leave it empty.

When designing the layout of the kitchen/great room addition, I wanted a little corner that could work as a multi-purpose spot for dog care, a spot to stash coats and backpacks, a place to confine the clutter, and a pit-stop for dirty kids coming in from the backyard (a mom can dream).

The space is just under 5 feet wide, and about 10 feet deep.

Image Pottery Barn

I started looking around for the perfect bench, but couldn't find one (in my price range)......

Image Target.com

or that had the right dimensions.....

so I opted to make one myself, using instructions from this seriously awesome website. I was tempted not to give the address, just so that people would find me clever, but it is such an awesome site, that if you haven't found it already, you must look it up!!! Ana White has created free plans for literally every piece of cool wood furniture you have always wanted to buy, but couldn't afford. And it's easy!

Anyway, I customized Ana's West Elm rolling bench (mine does not have wheels, since I didn't want my kids rolling all over the house on a storage go-kart).

I also tweaked the measurements to fit into my spot, and accommodate the baskets I found at Target. The pillows are not exactly what I had in mind, but they were in the garage, so they are fine for now until I sew the ones I want.

The coat rack is from Pottery Barn. The frames are just frames I already had, freshly painted.

I made a sign from a piece of wood scrap, some squishy stickers, and a coat of paint. It says "Willkommen zu Hause", which is "Welcome Home" in German, since only Germans are welcome in our house.

Just kidding. The German is a nod to Bryan's Austrian heritage. His Great-Grandfather immigrated in the early 20th century. He was the only sibling to come the U.S., so much of my husband's family is still in Austria......we need to go visit.

So here it is. Not quite finished, but a big improvement from water coolers, mops, and dog food.

Items still needed:

1. finished cork board for bare wall (in the works)
2. cushion for bench
3. antique Austrian flag to hang under the clock

I've been working on my pantry and bakers rack as well. I'll post an update as soon as I am done. And since I seem to be unable to work on a project and keep my kitchen clean at the same time, I'll have to do that first too.

Have a Good Night!