Do you have a mudroom-laundry room space in your home? Whether the two are combined in one space or separate, this mudroom-laundry room makeover will give you both mudroom ideas and laundry room ideas that are pretty, but most importantly, functional.
This is one of those projects in which I eat my words.
Full on crow.
So here’s the thing.
A few years back, when everyone and their mama was giving their laundry rooms these beautiful makeovers, I was like, “Nope. Totally not spending money to make my laundry room look better when no one ever sees it.”
Also, I hate bandwagons. And that seemed like a kind of bandwagon thing. So I totally ran running in the opposite direction.
Back then though, we lived in the Beloved Foreclosure. And the laundry room was in the garage, hence there really wasn’t a laundry room at all, more like a spot for the washer and dryer. So duh, totally not putting in pretty tile or an elaborate wallpaper there.
And then we moved into the 70’s Landing Pad.
And in the 70’s Landing Pad, we have a laundry room that opens to the den. And also to our backyard. So it also functions like a mudroom for us. We use this space a good bit. And when people are over, they see this space. And there was no door to close it all up.
And it was looking like this…
Disclosure: Society6 provided me with the wall mural for this space and Aiden Lane provided me with the bench and ironing center. All opinions are 100% mine. Affiliate links included in this post.
It’s been two years since we moved into the house and y’all, we hadn’t done a thing to this space. Well, I had ripped down the curtains in a fit of anger one day, but besides that, the walls and trim were still adorned with cornflower blue.
On top of it all, the room was just gross. The walls and tile floor all needed a good scrubbing like five years ago.
Obviously, it was also ugly.
I knew this space needed to look better. I couldn’t just close a door and it be hidden. And, I wanted it to look better.
But I didn’t really know where to start or what I wanted to do with it besides that it needed to be a functional laundry room and it would be good to also use it as a mudroom to drop and store things that we take outside to play with and things for the pool.
Finally, inspiration struck and the whole design plan came together for this space in under 24 hours when I happened upon this wall mural one afternoon.
This light bulb moment is when it also became obvious to me that I was about to eat crow.
So I did what I said I wouldn’t do. I spent money on my laundry room. I also made it function as a mudroom to justify the costs more in my head. 😉
The space is now light, bright, airy, colorful and I love every damn inch of it. As it turns out, that crow didn’t taste half bad.
Let’s start as you enter the room…
Mudroom-Laundry Room Ideas
Wall Paint / Beach Towel / Aqua and Red Storage Buckets / DIY Island
This is looking into the laundry / mudroom from the den. Obviously, I painted all the walls and trim. The trim and back door got a fresh coat of white paint and the walls got a coat of Vanilla Paste – bye bye cornflower blue. Now, I refused to replace the tile in here. Instead, I spent a few days scrubbing it clean with my SteamMachine and it’s brass brush attachment.
Y’all, this tile was disgusting – I wore out four of those brass brushes. I hadn’t realized just how bad it was. For the most part, it cleaned up really well. There are some spots on the grout that didn’t clean up, but I think they are permanent stains and that’s alright – it’s just a mudroom and laundry room.
Beach Towel / Flamingo Print / Leaf Hooks
I tried to take advantage of just about every inch of wall space I had and maximize it for storage and function. On this wall, I hung three hooks ($9 for four hooks!) to hold wet towels as people come in from the pool. I also splurged on a new beach towel because it coordinated perfectly with that flamingo art print. Also, we use the heck out of beach towels around here with our pool so it won’t just be hanging there looking pretty.
Flamingo Print / Beach Towel / Leaf Hooks
Since most of the walls in here are neutral, I wanted to bring in lots of playfulness and color with art. This flamingo print called Bird Bath fit the bill. I think it has a slight Palm Beach vintage type feel to it and y’all know, I’m a sucker for that. Plus, anytime I see a flamingo or a flamingo art print, I always think of the Circus at age two carrying around plastic flamingos from the screened in porch at our old house kissing and loving on them.
And then, there’s the starring wall of the show…
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench / Shadow Box
This wall mural from Society6 was what spurred the whole makeover. I fell in love with its somewhat vintage, but colorful and playful feel. The fact that it was so colorful made it basically effortless to coordinate other things in the room with the wallpaper – I had a slew of colors to choose from that would work well with it.
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench / Shadow Box
Basically, the wall mural is peel and stick wallpaper. It’s an 8′ x 8′ size, but comes in 2′ panels to put on the wall. It is available in a regular wallpaper as well, but the figures in that wallpaper don’t appear to be as large, thus why I went with the mural form. Since it’s from Society6, that means you can also get this print on a slew of other products like a beach towel, regular art print, pillows and more.
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench / Shadow Box
It was really simple to apply to the wall. I figured it would take me a few hours at least, but I had it up in just a little over an hour. I suppose it is called peel and stick for a reason. 😉
Also on this wall, I added one single piece of “art” – one of the Circus’ swimsuits from when she was a baby. From the time I found the Swimmers wall mural, I knew putting one of her swimsuits on the wall was only fitting. I bought this shadow box from Michael’s, ironed the swimsuit really well then used pins and double sided tape to mount it inside the frame.
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench / Shadow Box
Since this is the room where everyone usually heads to the pool and/or backyard from, a place to sit down and put some sunscreen on or take some muddy shoes off was needed. However, as I said earlier, I also wanted to create as much storage as I could for this space. This Hart Storage Bench from Target met both those criteria.
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench
First off, it’s gorgeous. To me, this bench has a classic feel that won’t easily date and I feel like it might also have a touch of Hampton/Nantucket style in there too. I’ve never been to either place, but ya know, that’s what this bench tells me. 😉 Second, it seems extremely well made. You do have to put it together, but this thing is solid. Third, it has hidden storage! And last but not least, all that for under $150!
Swimmers Wall Mural / Hart Storage Bench
The seat of the bench is divided into two sections that each lift up for hidden storage. I stashed away all our extra beach towels in here and still have room left to grow.
Turning to the right of the bench, is a backdoor that leads outside as well as the kitchen island from our previous house.
DIY Island / Colorful Striped Doormat / Play the Day Away Art Print / Aqua and Red Storage Buckets
When my in-laws remodeled the kitchen at our old house (remember – they moved into the Beloved Foreclosure after we bought the 70’s Landing Pad), they wanted a kitchen island with more hidden storage. Since Grunt and I built the kitchen island that was there ourselves (while I was pregnant and with barn wood from my great grandfather’s barn), I wanted to hold on to the island. We brought it to our house and put it against this wall in the laundry room as a folding center of sorts.
I found the red and aqua buckets at Target in their seasonal/summer section and was so excited to find them since they matched perfectly with the Swimmers wall mural. They were just $6 a piece too! They hold work shoes and larger outdoor play items like basketballs, etc.
When I found this Play the Day Away art print, it was obvious it would work perfectly in the mudroom/laundry room, but I also loved it because it’s a little reminder to literally play the day away and have a good time right before you walk out the backdoor.
Also, if you’ve seen any of my Instagram Stories lately, you know I’ve been working on my cut flower garden this summer. Those sunflowers were cut straight from that garden!
DIY Island / Play the Day Away Art Print / Aqua and Red Storage Buckets
Turning the corner again, is where our washer and dryer are housed.
If you remember from the before photo, this space had doors on it. We actually opted to take those doors off and get them out of the way to make it a little easier to do laundry. I should also state here that Grunt Labor does all our laundry and if taking doors off to make it easier makes him happier while doing the laundry, then I’ll do that and whatever else it takes so that I don’t have to do the laundry. Praise Jesus for men who do the laundry, because otherwise our family would be running around either naked or in smelly clothes.
I did give this entire closet/now alcove a coat of paint to brighten it up. I also replaced the shelf that was above the washer and dryer as the old one was gross and one side was being held up with a vertical 1″ x 4″ coming up from the ground. 🙄
To the right of the washer /dryer area, we installed a Wall Mount Ironing Center.
Previously, the ironing board was stashed to the side of the dryer and the iron was in the upstairs closet. I realize this made no sense at all. Needless to say, when something needed ironed, I really evaluated how badly it needed ironed before I lugged everything out. And more often than not, I ended up wearing something that was a little wrinkled. This ironing center makes it so much easier to get things ironed.
All you do is open the door, flip down the ironing board and pull out your iron, starch, whatever you need. It can all be stored right there in the cabinet.
There’s even a couple of hooks for you to hang stuff on if needed. Install was very simple as well. This comes put together so all you do is follow the instructions for mounting it to the wall. You don’t have to cut drywall and install it between studs like you do with some ironing centers.
This too is less than $150, so it’s another great storage piece for the price in my book.
When the cabinet is closed, there’s a mirror on the front of it, which is handy for last minute wardrobe checks if needed.
There was also another open closet area in this space when we first got the house. We opted to remove some of the trim around the opening in order to fit the refrigerator in here that had once been in the kitchen. This frig holds lots of cold drinks that people can easily run in and get when they are outside.
There was a little wall space here left for claiming and I did just that by adding more storage here. I hung vintage metal locker baskets with cup hooks (be sure to hit studs or use anchors if you do this!) to hold more outdoor related items. The top one has all our sunscreens and the bottom one holds smaller pool toys like water guns, etc. I went with the cup hooks so that the whole basket could easily be taken off the wall to take outside and then just brought back in and popped up on the wall again.
That’s it for this mudroom-laundry room makeover, but probably not the first time I’ll have to eat my words. 😉
Do you have any additional mudroom-laundry room ideas to share?
You might also want to see…
5 Simple Storage and Organization Ideas
10+ Kitchen Ideas for Decorating, Organizing and Storage
love the redo of your mudroom/laundry room.
Thanks, Stephanie!
The room looks amazing. I love the ironing center I may just have to order one. I used Grout Renew on all the grout in our Florida house and now the tile looks brand new. It’s been a couple of years and it still looks like brand new grout. It covered up all the stains and I used I light grey so it even changed the look of the tile. It’s a little time consuming but you can do a little at a time and it is so worth it. Here’s a link, I know I sound like a commercial but I’ve just never used a product that I have been so pleased with! https://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Polyblend-381-Bright-White-8-oz-Grout-Renew-Colorant-GCL381HPT/203498062?keyword=Grout+renew&semanticToken=20110+++%3E++++st%3A%7Bgrout+renew%7D%3Ast++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++grout+%7Bproduct%7Drenew+%7BproductName_nostem%7D++lca%7B577797%7D
Thanks, Kathleen! And you thank you so much for telling me about Grout Renew!! I am going to check it out for sure!!
Those leaf hooks are DARLING! What a wonderful job you did, I love every inch of it! I’d give my left arm for a laundry room this big, no kidding. Ours is basically just a ‘pass through’ space between the garage and kitchen, altho it does have cabinets above the washer and dryer (thank goodness because our pantry is tiny, LOL!) for storage and a space opposite them where I can put a fridge (there’s even a water line, heh!) if I had an extra one. Currently I have a shelf unit in there which is where I store my cleaning stuff and laundry supplies. It works, honestly, but I’d love to have a space to fold.
Thanks, Brigitte! I love those leaf hooks too! I was really skeptical about them because since they were so cheap price wise, I thought they might be cheap, quality wise. I was wrong though – they are great! Wonder if there’s a way you could build some sort of drop down folding table that was attached to your wall in your laundry space? That might give you some folding space.
That’s an idea! There is enough space for that on the wall in front of the shelves, too! 🙂
I love how you have made the most of the space and how cute it is too. Now this is a space that I would have fun being in.
Thanks, Marty! I actually just sat down there on the bench for a little while last night because it was such a fun and bright space. 🙂
Love it!! That peel & stick wallpaper is so graphic and amazing. What a great use of that space! I love how you add personal and meaningful touches like your daughter’s swimsuit and re-purposed kitchen island. So many photos online are so curated and decorated that they become generic and stale.
Thanks, Amy! I really appreciate your sweet comment. I agree – I see lots of pretty spaces, but then, I’m like, where is the personality, what’s the person like who actually lives there? I always try to add at least a touch or two of personal items in every room, but usually I end up adding a lot more.
Nice job. Love the vintage wall mural & your taste in art!
Thanks so much, Barbara!
Jenna You did a great job! Love it all especially the mural, ironing cupboard thingy & the bench. Once again why haven’t we got Target in the UK??? Love all the art work also & the baskets .
I can imagine you ripping the curtains down though!😹😹
Thanks, Shirley! I still can’t believe you guys don’t have Target! I don’t know what I would do without it! If you get to the states, you’re going to have to stop in one!
Your mud/laundry room looks great! I need to do a laundry room makeover at the farm…the room is about 8×8 with an open arch from the kitchen, a door to the hallway, door to the stairs for upstairs, a window, washer/dryer and freezer! It is still yellow from when my hubby’s grandmother lived there (over 20 years ago). I hate it, but the thought of moving all those big appliances by myself is daunting! I also have an antique, built-in ironing board like yours (without any storage space) in there. The room is crammed with stuff, but it is not used right as there is a dead, wasted space the depth of the washer and freezer in the corner under the window I wish I could move the washer and dryer to that corner and put the freezer where the dryer is – it would really make the room seem huge!! Now I’ll have to talk to hubby about that! Wanna come help me?? Circus would enjoy the farm too…but we just have horses!
Girl, the older I get, the more I appreciate a functional space. You should definitely see if those could be moved somehow. Might have to move some electrical plugs, but it sounds like it would be worth it! As I find myself telling my uncle often these days, “If you can afford to do it and if it’s going to make life easier for you, then do it already.” Maybe we can make some sort of swap deal on helping each other – I still have to conquer much of the farmhouse! haha!
Jenna,
Only second time I have ever commented to your blog, I LOVE THE LAUDRY ROOM!!!!
Great job!
Thank you so much, Jenny!!
What a fun laundry/mud room! Would love to find a place for a wall mount ironing board. But that baby swimsuit is the best!
Thank you, Regina! Girl, if you can find a space for one, do it – that ironing center makes ironing much less of a chore! I agree though – the swimsuit has a special place in my heart!
You nailed it with that room! It’s awesome!
Thanks so much, Susan!
hahaha a little crow never hurt anybody! And I’d say you did a bang up job on this project…..looks really good, Jenna.
That’s true, Sharon!! haha!! Thanks, girl!
FANTASTIC… So pretty and fun. It makes go see about adding the peal n stick wallpaper for my laundry room. I have been working on signs for it and was going to tackle since it is small. By the way which photo shop did you use to make the watercolor on the horses. Would to do on one of the cow print.
Thanks, Stephanie! That peel and stick wallpaper was so easy to hang!! I was so surprised! I made the watercolor horses by using the Waterlogue app on my phone. 🙂
That room looks great, and that wall mural is perfect for that space. Also I like the idea of an ironing center, not that much ironing happens in my house, but you know when you need it convenience is everything. The Tiny swinsuit is so cute💕
Pat
Thanks, Pat!! SO true!! I don’t mind ironing all that much, but it was such a pain hauling everything out to iron one little shirt or something. Makes it much easier and worth it now!
Looks amazing! I love that wall mural and the other fun and funky details you added to this room to give it personality.
Thank you, Paula! That mural is one of the best things I think I’ve ever added to a space!