I’m sure this space will change a million times over the years! It’s an evolving space π so I wanted to make sure the foundation was neutral. I chose a light limestone for the counters because it is very clean with little movement and goes with everything. For the spring, I’m really loving the color palette of turquoise, chartreuse, and yellow (you won’t see yellow yet because I haven’t introduced it but will soon) against the neutral limestone and paint.
Our mudd room/craft space is between our garage and our kitchen so it gets a lot of traffic and I wanted it to be really functional. I decided early on that I wanted a space that I could do crafting because I love the idea of it and figured maybe I’d actually do them if I had a space for it. I added a huge bin (to the right of my chair) for wrapping paper and gift bags and large file drawers for organizing all my paperwork. I made the framed cork board with a frame I had painted by our painters and leftover linen fabric from our bedroom drapery. Scott helped, too π I debated whether to leave the cabinet doors above my computer area off but decided to leave them on for now. I really love open shelving and may do that down the road. The open lockers and baskets have really come in handy. We keep our shoes and coats here. We don’t wear shoes in the house so this is where we drop them coming in. Avery and I love being barefooted so this fits us well. At the door going out to the garage, I added a little Turquoise outbox bin (Martha Stewart on sale for $3.99 so couldn’t resist) for anything needing to be mailed or put away in the garage so it wouldn’t just sit on the counter.
I spend a lot of time in this area so I really wanted it to feel like a happy space where I can work on projects!
I plan on putting pics of the kiddos on my cork board backed with pretty papers:
Our catch all for shoes, purses, and coats:
I love this whiteboard for writing notes and needed groceries! It’s right next to the pantry for easy access to write needed items and also right next to the garage door to serve as a reminder:
Thankyou for sharing! The colours you have introduced are lovely and everything looks so brand new and clean! We currently have a similar set up, our room is between the garage and kitchen and our cubbys/lockers are open like yours, which I personally (no longer) find easy on the eye when they are full to capacity! I did, but as you say this is a heavily used area of the house and first stop from the garage! It collects dust easily! My kids dump all their stuff, bags, laptops, sports bags, shoes and anything else that travels home from school with them and my husband leaves his keys, briefcase, cell phone/charger, loose coin in this area too! I hate dust and I hate mess! lol So….. we are trying to design something that will hold BIG, heavy backpacks and sports bags (High school) and shoe, shoe, shoe shelves galore!!! And, I want everything behind doors! lol Is your laundry off this area too? Mine is and that’s another area under review…! Thanks again for this post.
Yes, I definitely agree about the clutter and dust. I’m the exact same way about mess π The baskets hide the shoes nicely and we have three junk drawers nearby for my husbands odds and ends that I organized them for him so he has a place for his things. However, the backpacks and sports bags may pose a problem down the road. Maybe putting cabinet doors on the openings would solve the problem later. Another idea may be for us to build a space specifically for the big items in the garage when the girls get older. Our laundry room is in another room. If you don’t mind me asking, what design have you come up for that area? I’d love to know.
Well, we currently have a narrow laundry room off the mud room which leads on to another redundant room where I currently hang/fold/iron etc. You have to walk past the washer/dryer to get to this room, so for that reason alone, I have to be careful what this room is utilised as. The previous home owners used it as a small gym, but I really do think it should have been a purpose built laundry and craft room – I think they compromised the design for the gym. I think we are going to knock down an interior wall to make the mud room a little bigger (lose the existing narrow laundry) and refit the washing machine/dryer and install cabinetry into what will be the new laundry room. Did that make sense?? I can send you a couple of photos if you have an email address. π
Oh Amanda I love it. Everything looks so clean and crisp. The way you decorate and design is what I love, but i just never know how to put it together. What style is it. Can’t wait to build again and if i do I am going t email you like crazy π . I hope that is ok. Where did you get the big glass dome on the kitchen counter and the flowers on the counter tops? Thanks!
You did a wonderful job–could be in a magazine!
Thank you! :). Sometimes, it comes together with a little hope and a prayer and A lot of moving things around until it works. I would say my style is eclectic in the sense that it doesn’t fit into one mold. I do like to mix old and new. The glass dome on my kitchen was a splurge from an antique dealer in Houston, Maison Maison. The plants are preserved boxwoods…. I think those are what you are asking about, right?
Your house looks amazing.
We do build very differently in Germany. So it is very nice to see a different style. And it is a real home! No magazine “fake”.
Greetings from (cold) Germany
Hi Mareike,
Thanks for reading! I’m sending you my warm thoughts since it is cold there. π We had a much colder winter than normal so I’m very ready for the spring!
I think your spring is like our summer. =)
Last week it was under 24Β° F (-4Β°C).
Im a teacher. During the break I have to watch the children for half an our in the cold. Not so nice.
Anyway I really like your blog!
Hi! I’m Nikki and my e-mail is: nikkinic25@gmail.com and I read your entire blog and love it! I wanted to tell you ALL about Italy and where to stay and you definitely need to make your first trip be to Rome!! I can tell you the 5 star places to stay as I do and a lot and I’ve been many times even though I’m only 25. I absolutely love it and I only have to blog entries “On My Own Now” on Blogger and you can see all about me and see that no, I don’t know how to blog but am learning. I just finished college (finally) and am going to move to Paris, France at the end of April and see what my “quest” is all about there-and to spend 18-24 months in Europe with 9 other friends (the number has gone up!) but right now I am on R&R and my brain needs rest and so do I!! You’ll see I’m spoiled but it’s okay because I am soon to be ON MY OWN; hence the name of my blog but I’ll still be totally supported by my parents who know what my “journey” through Europe is all about and are all for it. I am blessed and happy but I definitely can tell you all about Italy and what you’ll want/need to see and ROME needs to be first!! Definitely.
I’d love to see what the woman who had the romantic anniversary gift of going to Italy-said about it and where they stayed but I WILL BET YOU DOLLARS TO DONUTS (yumm!!) it was in Rome!! It’s the heart of Italy. Best to stay in the heart of the city and do not stay at The St. Regis even though it’s 5 star-stay closer to EVERYTHING where you can walk out the doors of the beautiful Hotel Bernini (get the best suite they have & it will be fabulous!) and you’ll fall in love with everything you can walk to-and the night life is fabulous so close there and not close to the St. Regis. Stay there on your 2nd visit to Rome if you go again but there are lots of other places to see across Italy but Rome should be first. It’s fabulous!!
I hope this helps…hope to hear from you and hope you’ll enjoy my little two blog entries. π
Nikki
I was adding a new entry to my blog all about Italy JUST FOR YOU, sweet lady, yesterday afternoon when I got two phone calls from my friends who are already living in Paris, France, which will be my/our home base. I was then on the phone nearly all night long (well till 4am) and never did finish what I had started!!
I definitely wanted to let others know about your GREAT blog and the beautiful baby you just had and about your family, great new “forever” (I love how you put that!) home, and fun/great life! Your blog speaks to me (for many reasons, one being: beaches, oceans, beaches, oceans, etc) b/c I got one of my Master’s Degree’s in Interior Decorating! I am obsessed with day dreams and great night dreams of designing homes and especially beautiful ones like your is! You’ve done an amazing job and I just love it and I know everyone else would enjoy seeing it, too!
Also, I read your story about your delivery of Olivia only by holding my breath and having hot burning tears rolling down my cheeks (NO! WHOLE FACE!) as I sat sobbing while reading your poignant yet ever-so fearful words! I was scared to death but so happy how everything turned out but your words truly touched my heart while having to wait to see her and you to finally get to hold her and finally….bring her home! Wow!! What a story to tell and I could almost feel myself as part of your family wanting to be sure everything was going well for BOTH of you!! I cannot imagine how terrifying and difficult it was for you and your husband & entire family but it has to be “the ” hardest” on the mother, of course! I’m so happy you’re home, both of you are doing great and I’m so shocked at how you just took right up and got to work almost the minute you got home!! You proved that women DEFINITELY are so much stronger than men-(heehe!) easily!! Ha! Men just “think” they’re the stronger sex!! ha! They could N-E-V-E-R endure havning a baby or even taking care of one all day 24/7, work, have another toddler child (beautiful Avery) to care for, caring for their spouse, also, and get back to work SO SOON on SO MANY different things! We definitely rule!! YOU truly RULE Supreme, sweet lady!! LOL!! Men just cannot handle what we women can!! Unless…they are gay and I’ve found gay men can do almost the same as most women but they really would rather play and shop 24/7 and NEVER have to give birth or take care of a baby or toddler! lol Otherwise, they come a close 2nd when it comes to doing what women can, and that’s just MY OPINION!! I have gay men friends and I KNOW~!! π
Hope you’ll read what I’m going to write about Rome (when I can find the time-today I may not ever get around to it though) and other places in Italy just for you on my blog and please don’t criticise because I’m not worrying one bit on a blog about punctuation or any of that! I’m just blogging and enjoying it and having fun and I have to fill up my days now that I’m out of school besides shopping for clothes and whatever, all day long and as I tell in my little 3 page blog called: ON MY OWN NOW……my teeny tiiiiny brain is tired and so am I b/c I worked so hard to maintain a 4.0 grade average and it took hours and hours of studying and writing and now I could care less about how my grammar looks!! :0 Oh boy, I’m happy mom and dad cannot read that statement!! LOL~!!
I hope it will be okay to tell the name of your wonderful blog for others to connect with but I doubt ANYONE will be reading ny blog but I did get one very nice comment about my first two pages I blogged! That was a very kind person!!
Hope you’ll stop by and read a little about Italy. I love it and yes, there are still many GREAT places to see in Italy but if you only go one time, you’d be missing SO MUCH!! You cannot possibly see everything in one trip and I and others I know who’ve been many times with me agree that you should start out with Rome before going to any other places b/c it IS the heart of Italy and you can then explore all of Italy and go to some amazing places!!
Thanks!
Nikki
email: nikkinic25@gmail.com
My blog: http://www.nikkionmyownnow.blogspot.com
I hope you can find me. I find using Blogger very bizarre!! Not like other blogs I’ve used before but I really have only enjoyed reading them but now because I find myself with time to relax (finally) I will blog a little and bore everyone to big tears!! Yesterday while composing a page for you about Rome totally popped up and converted my words into a mess of graphic networking kind of like “Doss” that used to be on computers a few year ago-and just left me the “script” with nothing else and if I find that a lot, I WILL stop blogging and only read them! have had it lose a whole page that took me forever to write because I had so many interruptions-then Blogger put a halt to all of it-and totally ruined it Big, big waste of my precious (and I AM precious! And look how modest I am….lol) time!! ! I was hacked, to say the least! Maybe I’ll catch on sooner or later! HOPEFULLY!
Hugs to all of you!!
Nikki
email:nikkinic25@gmail.com
blog: http://www.nikkionmyownnow.blogspot.com
I hope you can find me on this crazy website!! Come try, please! I’d love to tell you just a very short few things of why it’s great to go to Rome first but you cannot go wrong going to ANY great place in Italy-and there are many!! We each like different things but Rome is defiitely a must-do thing, so make it first~for sure!! π
So much to see and gorgeous at night-and so many wonderful people even if you know all the visitors with their camera’s & you MUST be sure to take a GREAT camera but even a good small digital one is GREAT and will do fine! I’m no photographer and none are going to be perfect online anyway and each computer sees them differently so you CAN get by easily with a reeelly good small digital with big memory card or two or three!! haha! Then NO HEAVY camera to worry about having to hold with staps that kill you-and no worries about having to set the camera for just the perfect settings-and NO WORRIES about someone wanting to swipe it from you! But a REEEEEALLY good digital one with a big Zoom on it will do just fine! Promise you that! π
Bye for now and hope to have my post about yesterday and about Italy coming up as soon as I finish other thingsl I’ll be singing at a revival tonight-so I’m psyched up and cannot wait. Lauren will upstage me big time as usual and I love her enough to say we’re like sisters (we really are b/c we’re closer in age than my REAL sister is to me-she just turned 16~!! I’ll soon be 25~!!). Lauren is great singer but I can certainly hold my ground and I do!! I still think she’s a lot better of a singer, though and we both LOVE being asked to sing-and it took me awhile to be able to stand up before so many and sing in pubic but now I am hooked on it and singing songs of praise for the Lord + a little New Country thrown in, of course! Okay now, this makes up for today’s blog-no kidding!! LOL!! Thanks for putting up with me!
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Thank you for coming to read my blog π and your very, very sweet post on your blog about us! I like to journal our lives for our children to read one day, but I never realized that it would be such a great way to connect with others all over.
While I’ve been to Italy once and fell in love instantly, it was a really, really long time ago when I was in high school on a tour group which was like a sprint across Italy. We saw a lot but it was so much packed in to a little amount of time. Scott and I would love to go together and really enjoy all that it has to offer. My favorite was Sorrento and Capri so I would really love to go back there, as well as Rome. Thank you for all of your suggestions as I love to get honest opinions about where others have gone and enjoyed, especially for hotels. I think driving down the Amalfi coast from town to town would be really awesome, too! I don’t know how soon we’ll get to go now that we have two munchkins.
You’ll find that blogging is fun and easy once you get the hang of it. I promise! I think you’ll find it a great creative outlet, especially for your interior design.
Congratulations on your graduation. You must be very proud and relieved to be done. It sounds like you have some very fun adventures ahead of you with going abroad. I know a lot of people will look forward to reading all about them!
Okay – your mudroom is beautiful! I love the giftwrap center…too cute! I was just wondering if you could tell me where you got that whiteboard with the saying? It looks like it might be vinyl?
Thank you! I bought it on Etsy :). It is vinyl.
Hi! love the idea of a craft/mudd room:) where did u get the natural colored throw rugs in the craft room? I would love to put those in my keeping/kitchen area? are u going to post pics of your dining/living room on a’ la mode blog? can’t wait to see more pics! gorgeous home!!!!
Hi, I purchased that particular rug from Overstock.com. It’s a jute rug and I love it. I originally purchased sisal but the color wasn’t quite right so I exchanged for this one.
I may! π