Our Laundry/Mudroom Renovation: Before

This post is sponsored by Lowe's Canada, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Click here to see the completed project. 


For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of having a beautiful, main floor laundry room. That dream was inspired from a young age as I can remember my mom having a beautiful laundry room on her main floor. And like many little girls who grow up, they often want to be just like their moms!


For the last 13 years of our marriage, Chris and I have unfortunately never had a beautiful laundry room. The first few years we were together we rented an apartment and had to share the laundry room with a few dozen other people. Not glamorous. Then, we bought our first home and the laundry room was in the basement in the only unfinished spot of the entire house. Fast forward to two more homes that we owned and the story remained the same – the laundry room was stuffed in the dark, dingy basement and my dreams of a beautiful laundry room were at an all time low.


But instead, we focused on renovating all the other rooms in our home. All the bedrooms, the office, the living room and even second floor deck got complete makeovers, while our kitchens and bathrooms got little beauty face lifts with some paint and new light fixtures. They always turned out beautifully but there was still always this aching in my heart that would resurface every two to three days when it was time to visit the dreaded laundry room to do our family’s laundry.


When we moved into our new home this summer that FINALLY had a main floor laundry room, I KNEW that it had to be first space that we renovated. It was time to fix that sore spot in my heart and fulfill my long-time dream of having a gorgeous laundry room!


I am so excited to be sharing with you all our laundry room renovation this Fall! We will be gutting the 88 square foot room and completely transforming it into a beautiful yet functional laundry/mudroom with help from Lowe's Canada.


In this post, I’ll share the "before" pictures of what the room currently looks like as well as my inspiration behind the design.

As you can see, the room is very basic: two laundry machines, a utility tub, builder grade cabinets, and a closet that has a massive footprint in the already small space. You can also tell that the wood door needs to be replaced as it shows a lot of damage from what I assume was the previous owners’ pet. There’s nothing really that visually appealing about the space.

As I mentioned, we are going to be turning this into a mudroom as well. The main reason for wanting this is because I want a “catch-all” place for the kids’ stuff when they return from school. I get so tired of seeing the backpacks, shoes, gloves, and jackets spilling all over the front entry with no place to go. Having a built-in mudroom with direct access from the garage will be perfect for the storm that sweeps into our home everyday around 3:30pm! 


The plan for the mudroom is to knock out the current closet in the space and build an open built-in bench with shelves, cubbies, and hooks. I’ve wanted to build this for a few years as well so I’m really excited to see these two dreams collide in this little space!


Let’s get into the inspiration now that you’re familiar with the space. I’ve already shared where the desire comes from behind this renovation and why it feels almost personal to me as I think back to my own childhood memories.


When it comes to the design aesthetic we are going for, I’m not really sure what to exactly call it. It’s going to be a mix of a number of design styles: modern, eclectic, vintage, glamorous and shabby chic. You are probably thinking that sounds like the weirdest combination for a room, but check out the mood board below and I promise it’s not that weird!

Most of the rooms that I design have a little bit of everything in them for a real “gathered” aesthetic. And that’s what I would say I’m going for in this space as well. I want this room to feel familiar. I want it to be a place that welcomes our kids home everyday with a smile on its face and a hug in its reach. I want it to be a place that inspires me every time I go in to do laundry and reminds me of all the good things I have in my life to be thankful for. I don’t want it to be an afterthought, as it has been for so many years until now. I want this space to tell a story for years to come of the great moments we’ve shared in this home.

So that is what has helped us pick designs that feel like there is already a story in them to tell, like this absolutely stunning Della Torre Cementina Black and White Ceramic tile! It’s a bold statement no doubt, but a statement that demands that people stop and listen. And what better place than to have a moment or two of reprieve in a gorgeous spot in your home than in the laundry room! If you’re looking to floor any space in your home, Lowe’s offers a trendsetting selection including hundreds of fashion-forward options. I have strong hopes for this tile to set a solid foundation for the entire design of this little space!

We’ve also chosen this gorgeous Polished Marble Mosaic Subway wall tile for the backsplash. I’ll admit, we were torn between this tile and the Natural Stone White and Gray Hexagon Mosaic Tile. Both are stunning, and we actually thought we were going to go with the Hexagon tile, however, once we went into Lowe’s and put the two backsplash tiles up against the Della Torre Cementina floor tile, we felt that the marble subway tile was a better match. It has a warmer undertone to it with some light browns and even soft pink striations that run through the marble which match the warmer white pattern in the Della Tore tile.

Finally, to go along with the two tiles we selected, we chose Bohemian Lace from the HGTV Sherwin Williams line to be our wall color. This is a bit of an unusual choice for us as I’m typically a pure white kind of girl when it comes to paint colors. However, the warm undertones in the Bohemian Lace go perfectly with the two tiles! The best part about this exclusive line is that each collection highlights 20 colours that are designed to work beautifully together in any combination. I cannot wait to see it all come together!


We are SO excited to get this renovation underway! I can’t wait to show you the finished space and tell you about all the wonderful products we found in store and on Lowes.ca to help us renovate it! Stay tuned, friends!

About the Author

Christine Martin


Amidst the Chaos


Christine is a married mother of three kids, living just outside of Toronto, Canada. Life is chaotic on most days, but Christine believes that there is still beauty to be found, amidst the chaos of everyday life. She loves to blog about all things entertaining: from party planning to delicious recipes, simple DIY projects, home decor and so much more! You will also find a few personal anecdotes where Christine opens up about some of the harder struggles in life that we all face. This is what makes her blog authentic and relatable while still having a knack for everyday beauty!


You can connect with Christine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest

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