BH&G Building A Dream House: Mudroom Inspiration Board From Melissa Bahen

Today's Inspiration comes from Better Homes and Garden's Style Spotters Melissa Bahen.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could snap our fingers and magically have projects completed? [insert big sigh here] There are so very, very many projects that need to be done at the Dream House: gardens need to be planted, bees need to be tended (children too), art work needs to be hung on walls, and rooms need to be decorated. In the case of the mudroom, which is a complete blank slate, we are long on plans and short on time. But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming. On the contrary, I know pretty much exactly what I want our mudroom to look like when it’s finished…whenever that might be! I want to keep the mudroom fairly neutral and natural. I want it to be bright, clean, and well-organized. If I could wake up tomorrow to a finished mudroom, here are the features I would want it to have…

• a paneled wall, painted white: While the house was still under construction, my husband mentioned that he wanted to install horizontal paneling in the mudroom (someday) and paint it white. And I thought, “Good grief, I’ve married a genius!” I love the idea and think it will add brightness and a subtle, understated texture to the room. (photo from Dandee Designs)
• double wall hooks: In my last post, I said, “The more hooks, the better.” And seriously, I think that’s my new mantra. I want not one, but two rows of double hooks so that coats, scarves, hats, and backpacks have a place to go that isn’t the floor. (photo from Home Depot)
• lower baskets: We already have five baskets and just need one more so that everyone has a place to store sunglasses or frisbees or stuffed animals or sunscreen–all those little odds and ends that need corralling. (photo from Pottery Barn)
• a long bench with room for storage: A nice bench (ours will mostly likely be homemade) provides a place for those storage baskets to go and gives everyone a place to sit to put on shoes. (photo fromPottery Barn)
• vinyl flooring that looks like rustic barnwood: I love the look of hardwood flooring. We put it in our entryway and dining room, and it looks beautiful. But the mudroom floor gets pretty messy, especially during our muddy Oregon winters. I love that this vinyl floor is ridiculous tough, super easy to clean, and really nice looking. It really does look like rustic barnwood; I’ve even started using our sample piece to take pictures on for my blog, and you can’t tell at all! (photo fromMetroflor)