Mud Room & Laundry Room Link Party

I am sharing my mud room today over at The Mustard Ceiling.  Check out all of the other fabulous laundry room and mud rooms for inspiration!  You won't be disappointed.

Our Little Mud Room

One of the most important things to me when designing our house was to have a space to "unload" all of our things when walking into the house instead of letting them spill over into the living space and kitchen.  I very much appreciate our garage entrance, but knew we would need a home for shoes, jackets, hand bags, baby bags, and whatever else we need to drop at the door!

After several failed attempts of trying to hire someone to custom build shelving and searching all over creation for the perfect pre-made storage system, we stumbled upon this beauty from Restoration Hardware.  I have always loved the Pottery Barn locker system, but did you know it is only 60" tall?  I knew that would not give me the look I was going for considering we have nine foot ceilings.  I am only 63" tall and I can't imagine you can store very much in them.

The mud room entrance is off of the garage and enters directly into our kitchen.  There is an outside side which exits to the screened in porch as well as a small powder room with a pedestal sink and toilet.  Planning ahead for the future, I thought it would be nice to have a bathroom there for children coming in from playing outside or Jeremy working in the garage.

Okay, enough background, welcome to our sweet little mud room!

 

We used ceramic tile that resembles slate and has many different natural colored tones in it.  I originally painted the room a darker tan, but recently used Ben Moore's Silver Chain to brighten it up!

The tiny powder room that we refer to as the mud bath is over to the left if you are viewing the pictures above.  It is small and a little rustic, but I think perfectly appropriate for its purpose.

 

The top print is "The Kiss", the middle is an oil painting my brother brought me back from Italy, and the bottom is a print of the old theatre in Strasburg, VA.  The vintage map I found at an antique store; it was made the year my parents were born!

Honoring your dog

Sadly, we unexpectedly lost our sweet little Scout this week.  In memory of him, I thought it would be an appropriate time to give pointers on how to include your dog in your living space in a way that doesn't announce it to the world by clashing with your decor.

Our little Scoutiepants

Dogs want to be around their families all of the time.  They can't get enough of us!  We spend most of our time together in the family room, kitchen, and outside in the summer.  I truly think it is important for dogs to have their own area in your space as well.  This can be as simple as a small (or large) dog bed in the family room or their bowls in your kitchen (or in our case, mudroom right off of the kitchen).

• Try using a neutral color dog bed that can sit on the floor next to your couch discreetly.  There are so many fabric options out there.  You can even have their name embroidered if you would like! 

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• If you truly want your four-legged friend to be treated like royalty, there are actual small pieces of furniture to be fit for a king!

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• You can stylishly have their dog food out in the open (gasp!) by filling a large glass canister and setting it right beside their bowls for easy access.  We keep the large bright pink bag out in the garage (and when we were in our first house, under the kitchen sink).  Check out our dogs' eating area in the mudroom.

• Pick up toys when they are done playing or gather them and place them in their bed.  We keep a tin canister in the hall coat closet downstairs and let them leave a few favorites out at a time.

• Keep leashes, extra collars, blankets, and other dog necessities in the same storage area.  We have a drawer in our mudroom dedicated to the dogs.  You can even use decorative hooks for leashes - think beyond what is made for a dog!

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• Get creative with the dog beds!  If you are outside a lot, give them a weather resistant bed to relax on for the patio or deck.

• Lastly, give your dog a hug tonight even though that has nothing to do with keeping your house stylish!

Introducing Scout to Grayson, who was days old -  

they became instant buddies and Scout looked 

forward to playing with Grayson every night after dinner.

We miss you, buddy!