When we bought our house in 2019 we waited several months before tackling any sort of project.
It wasn’t until the following summer that we decided to convert a small room next to our garage into a laundry/mudroom combination. At the time, we had a laundry room. There was a narrow room (also next to the garage and behind our kitchen) that housed our indoor HVAC unit, a water heater and the laundry.
It wasn’t a terrible spot, but it was long and narrow.
I was thankful for the fact that it had a window, but you were definitely tucked away from the action.
My husband that came up with the idea to move the laundry room. He said we could move the laundry into the small, unused room where it sits now and take a chunk of this “utility room” to become a closet and make the dining room (not once did we put our table in there) an actual bedroom.
Are you following all of that?
This was an instant no-brainer.
We would gain a fourth bedroom and the laundry would be in a more accessible location which would include a drop zone for our bags, shoes, Keys, etc.
So Where Did We Go Wrong?
Let me be honest, I LOVE our laundry/mudroom combination. I can’t imagine the chaos that would ensue if we didn’t have this room. I am grateful we had the ability to not only do the work ourselves, but had a space in our home to make that renovation a reality. However, there are just a few things I would change if I were to do it all again.
Light and Bright Doesn't Require White
When I was making the selections for our new room, I had my heart set on a light and airy room. I do all of the laundry and I like the idea of folding clean clothes in a light space. I wanted a room that would maximize the two windows present.
Since my previous laundry room was tight and secluded, I tried my best to get as bright of a room as possible.
However, I chose to go with light grey floors and an off-white grout. It wouldn’t be a problem if this was just my laundry room, but it’s also a mudroom! We use this room everyday, we take our shoes on and off here, and it is where our friends and family put their things too. Since we don’t wear shoes in the house, it’s our first stop when we come home.
As a family with young kids in particular, you can imagine the floors get dirty quickly.
At the time of the renovation, I had one baby and more time. I told myself I would be able to clean those floors and mop at least every other day, haha!
I am sure no mom ever said “let me sign up for more cleaning,” except I did.
For the next mudroom, I am choosing a darker floor or a more forgiving material like a natural stone. I see all of the dirt and my grout has definitely faded since our renovation.
Not Creating a Command Center
If you are unsure of what I mean by “command center” it is just a place where you tend to run your family’s schedule and the house from. I like to think of it as the place where you keep essentials.
Little did I know that my husband wouldn’t just magically put his keys, wallet, headphones, loose change, etc. in a basket I designated as his.
Apparently, if I don’t have a place for homeless clutter or that never-ending mail, those items will just land on my kitchen counter, never to be dealt with again.
I should have created a small surface and shelving system from the beginning. Since our mudroom doesn’t just house shoes, it really needs to house a variety of things to help us stay organized.
Of course, I now know what we need for our command center so, implementing it will be rather easy. I could have saved us a few marital fights over the years, but where is the fun in that?
Add More Hooks
I truly didn’t realize that we would grow to a family of five and need more than one hook per person. Between jackets, hats, school bags, lunch boxes, and all sorts of random things, the hanging space gets taken quickly!
I should have taken the time to add hooks to the wall opposite our built-in bench and storage. However, this is an easier addition (like a command center) so I will be making a small change this summer when we finish up a few more pressing projects.
Moral of the story, you can never have too many hooks and places to put your family’s things.
Am I the only one that has some renovation remorse? What room in your house do you wish you could change? Any renovation regrets? Share in the comments what you would do!
From the time I was a young child, I have loved interior design and beautiful things. Ten-year-old me would create “floor plans” on notebook paper and design the dream homes of my siblings. We would have an initial meeting and after jotting down their wish list, I got to work creating the home of their dreams.
After designing the layout, I would take the Sunday newspaper ads (are those still a thing?) and cut out pictures of furniture, lamps, and accessories to create mood boards for each room in the home. When I was all done, weeks and weeks later, I would showcase my work and pitch my design ideas to a sibling.
If you too enjoy beautiful things and the process of turning a vision into a reality, welcome! If you love watching homes transform, but just don’t know how to start or have the resources to buy everything you like, stick around. I love finding affordable and practical design solutions to give YOU a gorgeous home you can be proud of.
Together, let’s reveal what’s possible.
Kinsale Home is a place to get inspiration and tips for your next project. No matter the size of your budget, design needs to be personal and practical. Join along for beautiful, family-friendly weekly inspiration and design advice.
