Hope you all had a good week. They sure go fast don’t they? I am loving the cool weather this morning and the leaves on our pistache trees on our street just started to turn brilliant pink and red hues. It makes me think I may be able to wear a sweater this weekend! I finally am getting around to sharing some photos of other parts of the house and one of my favorites is this space, the laundry/mudroom.
I feel lucky to love have this space and it was something I really loved about this home when we first bought the house 10 years ago.
Before-Back then, you came in from the garage and the washer dryer were to the right and a door to the kitchen was after it. To the left, there was a counter and a bank of shelving and cabinets.
Beyond that was a small bath I turned into a pool bath by adding a door. It’s been ten years ago almost exactly when I pulled up the green linoleum and added travertine to this space, seen below in a view from the old kitchen..
Before- we used this almost like butler’s pantry, but it also held the laundry and served as our mudroom when coming in from the garage.
Now this space is so much more functional – it’s laundry, an entry, storage and holds the cat box too!
Before- you can see where I added hooks to a broom space to the original area to make it function as a mudroom/entry from the garage, but it was tight.
Now-you can see below in the new space, we have a place to put on your shoes and drop your things.
We also added a skylight which makes me so happy when I’m in here doing laundry!
That pool bath was part of a weird addition to the house along with the original kitchen that had an old sloped ceiling going off the back. I’ll share that on another post when it’s all done.
You can see the slope here in this old kitchen photo. This carried along to the pool bath which is to the left here…
We fixed that in the remodel, raised the ceiling and roof height, which looks so much better and so it was natural to rethink this space too. The kitchen was moved to the center of the house, no longer in this space. This area is now a transitional space we are calling the media room..more on that too soon.
Now when you enter from the garage you can turn right to the rest of the house, or straight into this laundry/mud area and onto the pool bath and out to the pool.
The toilet area is separated by a pocket door with opaque glass. The window in here has obscured glass and the new French door has a pull-up blind attached to the bottom of the door. All of the windows and doors in the house are by Marvin.
My washer/dryer are Electrolux and I LOVE them. I bought them a year before the reno and had them stored during the move. I couldn’t wait to get back and use them again!
I decided to take out the travertine, which had taken a beating over the last 10 years, and go with fun tile. This tile was fairly inexpensive and I really like the bold statement in this small space. This cost around $400 and if it wears out or looks shabby on 10 years, I can change it and not feel too badly.
When we redid this space, I wanted a bench for sitting down and drawers for shoes and hooks for backpacks, etc. I also wanted a laundry drop, a folding and hanging space, deeper drawers and just one set of upper cabinets. This is where I keep lightbulbs, vacuum bags, paper products, batteries and so much. My holiday decor fits in here too.
The cabinet makers helped me make a few fun design choices like wood for the bench and floating shelves (also have one above the machines), and a shiplap sort of back for the bench area.
The cabinet color is Benjamin Moore Calm and walls are Benjamin Moore Oxford White. The plan is to add a wallpaper on the wall to the left of the bench which is long. I have to find something that will work with the tile.
The wood here is European Oak with a light wash. The counter top is a man-made quartz called Vadara and the color I have is Belezza. One slab of this Vadara material was enough for the boy’s bath, this laundry area and also the pool bath counter (coming soon.) So far I’ve been loving it’s durability.
I’m so happy they added a shelf above the hanging rod. I have some of my vintage California books up there. The fern print was a Homegoods find and the pillow on my bench is the Winter Beach Pillow from Serena & Lily, and so is the cute teak step stool.
I still need to add 3 hooks in the bench area for bags and jackets. The hardware is all from Top Knobs brand which made the Essex Knobs and Square Pulls. I purchased most of my hardware at Belmont Hardware in Cupertino or you can get it online.
I still have to add a cozy rug for the cooler months and a few other things, but I am getting close to down with this space. Thanks for letting me share with you all.
Have a beautiful weekend !
Kim
