Some progress, finally

11 years ago

Hello everyone! Some of you might remember my post about buying a new house back in January. We've finally started to do some work on the new place. We started with the mudroom, mostly because it's small and manageable and also, it's the first thing you see when you walk in to the house. I really wanted the mudroom to look cozy and not totally utilitarian, if that makes sense. It's really tough to get a good shot of this room, as it's not very big. I'll have to take more pics with my camera (I used my cell in my haste to get some "after" shots). Okay, I know this isn't a very big transformation and the pics stink, but it's kind of a big deal to us as this is the first significant change we've made to our new house and I'm staring to feel like it's actually ours, kwim?

The ghosts of owners past loom large in this house - it was owned by the same family for generations and they did very little in the way of updating - it was immaculately cared for, just not updated. Anyway, we replaced the tile, tore down the wallpaper and painted the walls and all the trim, added some bead board and this is where we're at:

Before:

After:

I'd still like to add a few finishing touches. Is it weird to hang drapes in a mudroom? There are two windows in the room and like I said, I want it to feel cozy, in keeping with what I have planned for the rest of the house BUT the room is nice and bright right now and I don't want to do anything to change that!

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Comments (26)

bestyears
11 years ago
Wow, can't the photos coming! Excellent job!!!
ghostlyvision
11 years ago
Beautiful!
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Oh, Becky. You actually make me chuckle. How could I have possibly forgotten you!! You should only know how much I treasured our conversations on vintage stoves and what to do about rescuing my kitchen layout when my Smoothtop stove -- the "grand old dame" --involuntarily retired mid-reno. LOL! Luckily, though, some reno disaster stories really do have good endings. And I've got one of those. Truth is, I totally adore my Aga!! She's everything I could have wanted in a modern day replacement for a vintage range: great period looks matched by contemporary pro style performance. As such, I'm very, very happy! Meanwhile, my beloved Smoothtop is sitting, disassembled in my basement. I didn't have the heart to trash her but I also haven't summoned the heart to try to sell her either. She's priceless (even if she needs total restoration at this point)! My hope is that one day, I'll coincidentally meet up with an antique stove lover in the area who will be more than pleased to adopt her as a major project. In the meantime, as she sits in my basement, she serves as a nostalgic reminder of her glory days when she used to hold court in the old kitchen. And, honestly, I do send her a loving wink each time I pass by her. Sigh. But getting back to you. . . these additional photos of your kitchen are even more striking than the first batch! Without a doubt the room comes off as warm, cozy and inviting. Even better, it looks downright authentic as a real family kitchen with loads of personality! No over-designed and/or puzzling design statements going on there. And I love it! (Love that yellow paint too -- it's similar to what I chose for my own kitchen walls.) Lastly, I just have to give you a special thumbs up on the DIY work. Most of us can put together a lovely kitchen design with enough money to buy things and rely on the sage advice of the GW community and/or hire experts to do so and to put it all together for us. But far fewer of us have the time, patience and competent DIY skills to actually pull off the kinds of kitchens we would want to live in, work in and show off to others. So, whenever that happens, my thinking is that the DIYers deserve an extra bow. In short, Becky, I'm thinking you should get ready for that extra bow because, from what I'm seeing, you and DH are deserving of big applause on this one!
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Rhome - funny thing is, I'm not a "blue person" either, but I wanted a different island and found a sample that I loved, so I had the cabiner maker match it. It just works here. I refuse to paint the walls any shade of blue. Byronroad - I agree, the backsplash will have to be a neutral, as there are already too many things going on. I'm waiting for the counter install, and then I'll make a decision. Maggie08 - you can't see it in this picture, but presently the walls are painted some blue/gray shade that came out totally green. It's not a bad color, but has nothing to do with my color scheme. I started out looking at yellows for the wall, but the cabinets look greener next to yellows because of the glaze (the camera doesn't really do the color any justice), and everything just blends in. On the other hand, I don't really want to introduce another color, as I have another wall you can't see in this picture in walnut. Tomorrow, I'll make another trip to the store. I've exhausted BM and C2 options, so I'll look at F&B. Odiegirl - the range, fridge and dishwasher are all stainless. this is to the left of the island as you see it in the first photo
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stinky-gardener
11 years ago
So nice...love it! What tile did you use? It's gorgeous.
ellendi
11 years ago
Well if that is what you have done with the mud room, I ca't wait to see what you do with the rest of the house.
nanny2a
11 years ago
Great job! It looks wonderful. And drapes would add to the charm, so go ahead and do what you want!
dgranara
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you so much! Stinky, we wanted a slate look. I call it "the fakeslate" because it's just cheapo Home Depot stuff - but to be honest I love it so much I want to use it in our sunroom too! Found some more cell phone pics...

This is the opposite view:

This is the little table (still on the hunt for a mirror to go over it):

This is one of the two closets on this wall:

And this is just the little bathroom off of the mudroom:

Thanks again for all the kind words, you made my day.
porkandham
11 years ago
It looks great!
natal
11 years ago
Wow, if that's what you can accomplish on your first attempt can't wait to see how the rest of the house evolves!

I love the tile shape. Does the surface have little indentations? I ask because we used something similar in a square tile in the laundry room. The surface is so rough that I can never get it to look clean and it bugs the heck out of me.
yayagal
11 years ago
Absolutely put drapes, I put them to the floor in my bathroom, lol. You're doing a terrific job, love it.
stinky-gardener
11 years ago
Ooh, the extra pics are great! Like Natal, I love the shape of the tile too. Very nice choice. Also love that pedestal sink! Very handsome.
Lake_Girl
11 years ago
Wow, great job? What color paint did you use? The floor is great. Was it the floor in the first picture?
dgranara
Original Author
11 years ago
It's hard to tell in the pics, but the old floor was a shiny, hunter green square tile. The paint is Behr Castle Stone. We picked it out on a whim, but I'm really liking it.
cooperbailey
11 years ago
Super cute!
nancybee_2010
11 years ago
Very nice, can't wait to see more!
pricklypearcactus
11 years ago
Wow!! The transformation is phenomenal. You should be proud because you've transformed a room that looked clean but nothing special to something really amazing. The floor tile is beautiful and I can't get over the color, decor, and trim. I think you should put curtains in there. I would. If you hang them above the trim and with a rod so the curtains can hang outside of the window trim, I think you'll maintain that beautiful bright feeling and add a little more texture or pattern to continue with the cozy feel you're looking for. Thank you for sharing. I hope you'll share more pictures as you continue.
Christie Santercangelo
11 years ago
Great job!! I wouldn't have guessed they were the same house! BTW, don't you just love your hunter boots! I love mine!
enailes
11 years ago
Love it! Well done!!
User
11 years ago
Amazing! As I was reading your post, you made it sound like the change was very minor and that's far from the case. It looks very nice, cozy, and welcoming!

I don't think it would be weird to hang drapes in a mudroom. I see no reason why that room can't be just as pretty as any other place in a house. :)

Looking forward to seeing more photos.
JennaVaNowSC
11 years ago
It is really lovely! What a change. wow! I cannot wait to see your next project. Great job.
hilltop_gw
11 years ago
Absolutely beautiful! Love the white and yellow as it's so bright and cheery! There's another discussion here on GW about "what makes a home inviting" and your new decor is what appeals to me. Small scale, simple charm that's functional with the baskets, the boots and umbrella by the door. It's crisp and clean and has the look of "I could live here".
dgranara
Original Author
11 years ago
Angel, I LOVE my boots! Living in New England, a good pair of boots is key and they are the first and only pair to keep my feet completely dry while shoveling! Thanks again to all of you. We are starting the sunroom next week, so I'll keep you posted.
jakefield
11 years ago
Hi,
I completely agree with everything hilltop said in her post. Absolutely beautiful. Can you come work on one of my rooms next?? :-)
tinker_2006
11 years ago
I LOVE the transformation, it's just beautiful, charming and inviting! Keep up the good work!
lynxe
11 years ago
Bravissimo!
bronwynsmom
11 years ago
I'm with them...it looks wonderful. The soft yellow is a wonderful companion to the slate.

For your drapery, I'd choose an unstructured Roman shade with the cords at the outer edges, so they just drape a little in the center. I'd hang them at the ceiling and just barely wider than the window frames, so you can keep them pulled up far enough to let in all the light.

As to fabric - depending on your preferences, anything in soft blue with a white ground would look great - a simple stripe or large-scale windowpane check, a trellis pattern, or a swoopy ironwork pattern come to mind.
User
11 years ago
Great job, Danielle! The colors and materials are great and you've updated something that was already useful into something wonderful. Looking forward to the rest of your photos as the projects come along.

Some progress, finally

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bestyears

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