It’s a laundry room! It’s a mudroom! It’s a toilet room! It’s – THE UTILITY ROOM! We are so excited to have this space in our new family home (The 5-Acre Fixer) with easy access from the backyard and garage for our whole family (ahem… especially our dirty bird kids). We weren’t planning to tackle this space in the phase one of our home renovation, because – let’s face it. We had a lot on our plate already. But as demo commenced, we figured it was easier to tackle it while the house house was already a mess. But for BUDGET purposes, the updates to this space would have to mostly be quick-fixes and DIYS. So, I got to designing – and I’m SO excited about the space that we have planned!
It all started with the floors.
I was recently asked on a design consultation how I approach designing a “fun” or “out there” space. An area of the home that is a clear departure. Truthfully, the answer is that pick an “anchor” piece and base the design around it. A material or pattern or product that I’ve fallen head over heels in LOVE with and want to base the rest of my selections around. I dreamed of a STATEMENT-making, large-format, swirling, marble tile for this space. But, considering the FUNCTION of this area – and the budget of this project – I decided to go a more practical route. Luckily for me I found the LVT marble-look tile of my dreams at The Tile Shop. YOU GUYS. I can’t believe the incredible color, variation and detail on this vinyl tile. And BONUS it has NO GROUT. So basically a dream to upkeep in a high-traffic and DIRTY space like this. If you’re looking for a cost-effective upgrade for your home, consider the benefits of LVT:
- Perfect for DIY: Easy to install tiles with a simple click-lock system (Kenny and I are installing it ourselves this weekend!)
- Life-proof: 100% waterproof and scratch-, stain- and dent-resistant, providing maximum durability and longevity (perfect for high-traffic areas!)
- Cost-effective: Most quality LVT products on the market clock in at under $5/square foot. Factor in the speed of install (even if you’re hiring it out) – and this product is
Alright there is a wide selection at The Tile Shop that is great quality, offers trendy styles, great price point – but I selected this beautiful “Trecento Calacatta Marbello” 12×24. I just loved the warmth and the dramatic veining – EXACTLY what I was going for in this space! Onto the next decisions….
Lipstick on a pig.
Just to set the record straight, I love pigs. Always have. I even collected them as a little girl. I’m fine with settling for a little “facelift” in this space, because It’s truly not where we want to spend good money on this renovation! That said – the cabinets were a little awkward. Laminate. Poorly laid out. Topped with an Awkwardly high w/d hookup placement. Removing the choppy uppers and lowers on the back wall and replacing them with a standalone cabinet would help fix the awkward layout – but what to do about the cabinets we needed to keep? Refacing the cabinets seemed like the best route. Because time is very limited, I decided to order these unfinished fronts from Home Depot rather than having Kenny build them from scratch. Yes – did you know you could do that? In custom sizes down to the 16th of an inch and everything. Cabinet fronts were only half the battle, though – what about that COUNTERTOP!?! Don’t worry, we are replacing it with butcher block. And the laundry hook-up is SO high, It completely ruins the aesthetic of the space. So building up custom bases with shaker fronts (to match the rest of the cabinets!) will be a priority this weekend to make everything feel finished and functional.
Speaking of function…
Full disclosure we are NOT going to get to this part over the weekend. Because we are waiting on a tiny bit of drywall andddd a bifold closet door. We had framers close in a random little wall in the corner of the Laundry Room so we can make it a proper coat closet. I’ve been so inspired by locker-room style cabinetry in mudrooms lately, and thought – here is my chance! The bifold door we bought is a shaker style, and we are going to paint it like the cabinetry and replace the panels on it with brass mesh sheets I found on Amazon. After a little tongue and groove over on the sides – this locker closet is going to feel like a piece of custom cabinetry, for a fraction of the cost. Luckily we got a jumpstart on adding tongue and groove to the walls because some of the workers we hired for our renovation had wrapped up projects early – the added detail to the walls already looks great!
All the final details.
Rich “Chocolate Eclair” cabinetry and trim. A punchy plaid wallpaper in the toilet room. Designer dupe starburst flushmount lighting. This area of our home is for our family, and I wanted to balance my design goals with happy warmth. I wanted it to flow from the rest of our home, but didn’t want anything to feel too fancy or proper! I have plans to hang lots of pegs (for boots and backpacks!), hooks, and even the discreet wall-mounted laundry rack from my last laundry room! It’s gonna be good, guys. But before we can get to paint and decor – first, we floor. Make sure and follow along this weekend!
The Tile Shop is a one-stop shop for your flooring needs. Though I have accepted monetary compensation and free product or services from The Tile Shop in exchange for my endorsement, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
