Mudroom Update

While our patio project is pretty much at a stand-still, I figured I should share some of the things we have done inside, so here is an update on our mudroom.

A while ago I wrote a post showing my mudroom.  I feel so fortunate to have a mudroom. Our house is very old and we have a lack of storage space and no coat closet, so our mudroom is a coat room, shoes storage room, dog room, etc.

Fast forward to a month ago and I really wanted to get a treadmill.  I always had one and actually used it, but being the declutterer that I am I decided the mudroom was too small and we needed the space so I sold it on Craigslist!  I have to say that was the only thing I ever got rid of that I regretted.  Anyway, we decided to get a new treadmill and I had to rearrange the mudroom to accommodate it (there was no other possible location to put it in our house).

We took down our original simple coat hooks and put up the Ikea ones that we had at our old house.  They have 4 baskets that we plan to use for winter stuff, etc. and they have more hooks which will allow us to store more coats (which is good and bad).

We also made a new runner from indoor outdoor carpet that is easy to clean and durable enough for the high traffic of the mudroom.  It also helps keep the dirt out of the house.

We have 2 dogs and they both love their "houses" (crates).  In fact, Hunter, our big 85 pound husky prefers the small one that he has slept in since he was a puppy even though he has really out grown it.  So, these crates stay in the mudroom as well.

I had to move our red shoe cupboard in order to accommodate the treadmill and the only choice was to turn it 90 degrees which created a sort of "alcove" by the back door.  Not ideal, but it works.

The good thing is that when the treadmill is folded up this corner is kind of "hidden" by the door when you walk in which makes is better... I guess.  Why do things like treadmills have to be so ugly?!

We also needed to put the freezer in our mudroom.  The old one was in the basement, and since we never go down there we didn't notice it had quit working a while back until we smelled it! Yuck!  We needed the new one to be where we could access it and check it.  By putting it in this corner we lost our old dresser that held hats and mittens, so we might have to DIY something like this to remedy that problem.

I still would like to make some new window treatments and a few other small projects, and as much as this room is less "magazine worthy" I have to remember that this space needs to work more than it needs to look "pretty."   So, for now I am happy that it is clean and I can walk on the treadmill.

Rugs for the Kitchen: Part 1

I have been trying to find a new rug for my kitchen for quite some time.  My kitchen colors are really neutral and I like that, but this time of year with the coming of spring and spring cleaning I was hoping to freshen things up and infuse some punches of color into the space.  However, I have been having a hard time deciding what kind of rug works well in a kitchen.

Here is some inspiration I have found:

I like the look of this ethnic looking design with the wood cabinets and dark countertops.

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This bright rug looks awesome with the minty green cabinets and farmers sink.

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I love how these striped runners add subtle color in an otherwise neutral kitchen.

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 This rug looks great with the stainless steel.

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Love this rug with the white cabinets.  I sort of wish my cabinets were white!

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This kitchen has a similar countertop to my kitchen but my cabinets are much lighter color.  This colorful floral rug really adds some fun.

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This rug is pretty traditional yet adds a cozy feeling to this white kitchen.

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I love the look of this navy and white rug, which looks great with the wood floor, white cabinets, and black hardware.

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I don't particularly like the "fanciness" of this kitchen, but I love the rug.

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I plan to do some rug shopping soon so I will be back next week to show you what I come up with!  I also plan to finish both my sitting area and dining room this weekend, so I will be back with the final photos of those spaces next week as well!

White paint fail...

My plan with this sitting room was to go from bright coral to light, airy, white.  I was also interested in trying to create a "whole house palette" where I repeat colors from the palate in different rooms to create a more open and cohesive feeling throughout my home.  This is trending in interior decorating as well as using white so that accent colors "pop".

So, I picked a warm bright white called Dover White from Sherwin Williams, and after one coat I immediately knew it wasn't going to work.  It was too stark white for me and it was the same as the ceiling color so the room just looked cold.  As soon as it was dry I painted over it with the next white I thought would look good called Kestrel White from Sherwin Williams.  I have it in another room and love it.  However because of the lighting in this room it looked peach! ugh!  See below:

Okay, so "now what" I thought?!  Back to square one.  I looked on pinterest to find images of rooms I liked and really tried to determine why.  Here are some that spoke to me:

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I realized I am drawn to rooms with muted tones mixed with pops of color that feel cozy and curated.  So we are back to picking colors (and actually testing them this time).  Here are some of the contenders:

Top left: Antique Moss (Valspar), Top right : Pier 14 (Valspar), Bottom left: Sparrow (Benjamin Moore),  Bottom right: Blind date (Valspar).

The other thing I realized is that just because all white rooms and white walls are everywhere in magazines and on blogs, it doesn't mean I need to do it.  It just looks out of place in my house.  There really isn't a bit of true white anywhere in my home!  I'm okay with that.  I think other colors can bring a neutral quality/clean slate even if they are not white.  We still need to choose a color but we are closer than we were!