When we moved in last year I was about 8 months pregnant, crazy tired and constantly battling every nasty preschool virus that Grace brought home with her.  I was in survival mode so I did my best to set up our home but after living in it for just over a year now it’s become clear where ‘function’ was lacking.

As winter approached and boots, hats and mittens were dragged out of their storage bins I began to panic at how the front entryway was about to look for the next several months. Perhaps mudroom is a stretch as it’s more of a mudspace, but regardless, I knew I wanted one. 

 So I started trolling Pinterest and some of my favorite design blogs to found some inspiration. Here’s how I used it to transform the space

The ‘before’ was practically useless

There’s so many things wrong with it.  I tried to make the rolltop purposeful but it became a junk collector (go figure).  The drawers were filled with cd, dvd cases and old photos which have no business being in the front entryway.  Roll up the cover and beware, anything from unused picture frames to old cameras and Jacks shoes might spill out on you.

The boots…oh the boots.  You better believe they are never as organized as you see in this picture.  And given that we have the tiniest coat closets EVER (although oh so charming) there’s no extra storage room in them for any other winter gear.

One mudroom in particular that I found used Billy Bookcases from Ikea and I immediately knew that those (in combination with my bench that was stored in my garage) would help me create the look I wanted.  The best part?  They’re only $39 each!

I decided to frame the tile mirrors with some trim from Home Depot, pulled in a couple of my outdoor pillows to add some color along with my family fingerprint picture that I made recently.

 The lamp (~$20 after buying the dimmer) and baskets ($7.99 each) are also from Ikea

 So. Much. Better.

Now fully functional and beautiful!

Linked up at:

Not Just a Housewife