DIY Laundry Room to Mudroom Conversion

Transforming Chaos into Coziness

Life has a way of keeping us on our toes, doesn't it? Amidst the hustle and bustle of busy schedules and the delightful chaos of parenting, Jason and I embarked on a labor of love that transformed our mundane, narrow laundry room into a functional and inviting mudroom. This project, undertaken with slow and steady determination during MANY nights and weekends, resulted in a cozy haven that—if you ask me—perfectly blends style and functionality. In this blog post, I'm thrilled to share the journey of our laundry room to mudroom conversion, highlighting the carefully chosen elements, the subdued color palette, and the delicate balance of warm and cool tones that make this space truly special.

The Foundation: Earthy Tones and Natural Textures

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted our mudroom to exude a sense of calm and serenity. Earthy and muted colors provided the perfect backdrop for this vision. I pulled together soft greens, warm taupes, and subtle grays to envelop the room in a soothing embrace. To further amplify this ambiance, we incorporated natural textures like bamboo, abaca, and jute. The juxtaposition of these materials not only added visual interest but also brought a touch of the outdoors inside, connecting our mudroom (a naturally transitional space from indoors to outdoors) with the tranquility of nature. Finally, to elevate the overall design and add an element of glamour, I utilized a wallpaper print from the recent William Morris & Co. x McGee & Co. collaboration: Sunflower, in Porcelain (use my code CAIT10 for 10% off your McGee & Co. order!). The colors in the Porcelain colorway are creamy white against a warm gray backdrop, I’d say with a hint of sage. The moment I came home and walked into the partially wallpapered mudroom (even though floors were still demoed and cabinets had not yet been installed), I felt the weight of the day fall off my shoulders and hugged my wallpaper installer! This was one element that truly transformed a mudroom that we always described as “dungeony” into a space that now exudes peace and warmth, grounded in nature.

Introducing a Sense of Depth: Two-Toned Cabinetry in Earthy Tones

One of the most noticeable features of our mudroom transformation is the two-toned cabinetry, with paint colors that span from floor to ceiling. Having worked with CliqStudios during our kitchen renovation back in 2021, I knew how great the process of designing a layout that both fit the space and aligned with my taste would be. CliqStudios’ Minda Sphatt and I went back and forth, utilizing an initial render that I outsourced from Havenly while I was swamped with other client projects of my own. I must admit, it was really nice to have someone else provide the initial design inspiration that I could pass along to my cabinet designer.

Back to my CliqStudios cabinetry order: I chose the Craftsman collection, and the door style is Harrison, in maple. Drawing inspiration from the original Havenly renders, I worked closely with Minda to come up with a design that made sense functionally and fit our budget (cabinetry adds up!). I opted for a cool, dusty olive green stain called “Seagrass Sheer” to complement the warmth of the white oak bench on the lockers side of the space. On the laundry counter and sink side, I chose a warm putty toned paint color called “Chai Latte,” which I dressed with a black quartz countertop. The warm and cool colors provide a subtle contrast that adds depth and visual interest. I personally believe that the play of light and dark makes this space feel larger, too! We ended up adding a sink base cabinet instead of keeping it open because I could just see all of my four year old’s shoes getting tossed underneath the open-base sink in the Havenly rendering, and I didn’t want that to happen. I also pulled some of the pantry-height cabinets from the middle of the locker wall to save on cost, but I ultimately love the openness that created even better!

The Benefits and Challenges of Two-Toned Cabinetry

Working with two distinct cabinetry colors in a small space certainly presents its own set of challenges (can look busy, makes decorating and accessorizing a tad more difficult, etc.), but I’d say the benefits outweigh the limitations. The olive-green-toned lockers with white oak bench along one wall embrace the earthy colors that set the tone for the entire room. On the laundry counter and sink side, the warm putty-toned cabinetry serves as a soothing backdrop, providing a gentle transition from the bustling activities of the mudroom to the functional workspace of laundry. Paired with the black soapstone-look quartz countertop, this combination adds a touch of drama and elegance, elevating the room's overall aesthetic. To keep the space feeling calm and grounded, I brought a sample of the cabinet color to our local Sherwin Williams store to get it color-matched, then painted pretty much everything but the green cabinets and the floor in this color. Yes, that includes the wall paneling, doors, trim, and ceiling for a fully-saturated end result. The way I look at it, leaving any of those elements white would look unfinished, not to mention it would add a third “color” to the mix. Here’s an image of the color code in case you’d like to replicate it for your own home projects:

My decision to incorporate two-toned cabinetry in our mudroom turned out to be a design choice that I feel enriched the whole room. This being such a small space, using two-toned cabinetry did require careful consideration, BUT it allowed us to create a harmonious and inviting environment that seamlessly blends function with style.

Balancing Warm and Cool by Mixing Metals

In a playful twist, I decided to mix polished brass with brushed nickel throughout the space. This unexpected combination infuses the room with a dynamic energy, but also brings a sense of balance to the two-toned cabinetry. I used Signature Hardware’s Padilla 6-1/4” Solid Brass Cabinet Pulls and classic double hooks in polished brass on the green cabinets (warm on cool), and then installed them in brushed nickel on the creamy taupe cabinets (cool on warm). The knobs chose for the green cabinetry have since been discontinued, I’m sorry to say, but I do love their Strasbourg cabinet knobs in polished brass as a replacement! To keep from getting too busy, I maintained a brushed nickel finish for the wall-mounted Felicity Faucet and Hand Sprayer, since it’s on the same side as the warm-toned cabinets, despite this being installed over black quartz. One important tip that I’ve stuck to when it comes to mixing metals over the years is to try to have one matte or brushed finish, and the other be a polished or unlacquered finish. I will say the only place where I strayed from this was on the door pull to the garage, where we installed Signature Hardware’s Aurick Solid Brass Entrance Door Set in Antique Brass. Oh, and on the decorative honeycomb floor register (because I already had one from a previous project in antique brass).

The Flooring: Herringbone Concrete-Look Tile

One of the defining features of our mudroom is the stunning herringbone concrete-look tiled floor. It’s actually a very durable porcelain tile called “Rift” in the Gravel colorway, from Atlas Concorde USA. This choice not only adds an element of sophistication but also pays homage to the utilitarian function of a traditional mudroom. The herringbone pattern, with its classic appeal, effortlessly guides the eye and infuses a sense of movement into the room. The concrete-look porcelain tiles provide durability and are easy to clean, making them perfect for a high-traffic area like a mudroom.

Functional Elegance: Soapstone-Look Quartz Countertop

To enhance the functionality of our mudroom, we opted for a soapstone-look quartz countertop—I can never remember the name of it because I found it while walking through a yard of very large remnants, so I looked it up for ya. It’s Daltile Broadway Black in a satin finish. It couldn’t be prettier in person, too! This choice strikes a beautiful balance between elegance and durability. The deep, rich hues of soapstone create a stunning focal point while offering a practical space for folding laundry, and the slab backsplash and radial side splash make it feel a step above your everyday mudroom. I want to give credit where credit is due, as the radial side splash wasn’t my idea, but Samantha Stein Interiors’. I stumbled upon this Instagram post, and I immediately saved it to my mudroom inspiration board on Pinterest. It’s a brilliant design, as it protects the wall from splashes coming from the sink, but doesn’t close-in the counter space.

*The inspiration for our radial side splash: Samantha Stein Interiors*

If you’re local (in the Denver, CO, area), and depending on when you’re reading this, it would be worth it for you to reach out to Granite Source in Arvada to see at what cost per square foot they’re selling their remnants. We got this for only $15/sq. ft.—unheard-of for this large of a quartz remnant!! The reason: They were in the process of moving their shop to a new location, so they needed to sell as much of what they had in their slab yard to avoid having to move it all. Definitely worth a shot to give them a call!

The Heart of the Space: White Oak Bench

Central to our mudroom is a white oak bench that beckons you to sit and take a moment for yourself. No joke: When Jason finished this bench, even though the rest of the space had a long way to go, I would sit here with my phone and scroll the internet for mudroom inspiration. This inviting piece provides a convenient spot for putting on shoes, setting down piles of folded laundry, or simply enjoying a quiet pause. It also serves as the top of our under-bench storage area! We color-matched a sample of the green cabinetry to land on the perfect paint match so we could build-in and paint our own supports (also, space dividers for my symmetry-loving eye) underneath the bench. To add warmth and texture, I bought these large Madras Dark Brown Abaca Utility Baskets from World Market.

Personal Touches: Slow Progress and Imperfect Beauty

Our mudroom project was a labor of love, progressing at a leisurely pace due to the demands of our busy lives. It’s crazy to look back on just how slow this process has been! We demoed the wall between the laundry room and the mudroom in the Fall of 2021, when we were working on transforming the formal dining room into an office. Since we didn’t need the office to be quite as deep as the formal dining room was, we borrowed some space from the dining room to expand the footprint of the laundry room on the other side of the wall. It wasn’t until the Winter of 2022 that we demoed the rest of the laundry room, and then we didn’t start putting it back together until the Spring of 2023. It’s now August 2023 as I write this, and I’m so proud (and relieved) to say that it’s finally FINISHED!

I must say, working on this project during evenings and weekends allowed us to appreciate every step of the transformation. Amidst the slow progress, we encountered unexpected moments of joy and surprise. My two-year-old's artistic contribution, a painted dryer the day before I was planning to photograph the finished space (many of you watched my unfiltered reaction to discovering this in IG stories), serves as a charming reminder of the importance of embracing imperfections and finding beauty in unexpected places.

A Space to Cherish

As we stand back and admire our newly transformed mudroom, we're filled with quite the sense of accomplishment. This space, borne from dedication and hard work, now serves as calming place to walk into, get chores done, and store many of our family’s backup essentials (TP, tissue boxes, pool towels). From the carefully chosen materials and colors to the personal touches that make it uniquely ours, our mudroom stands as a testament to the power of slow progress, shared experiences, and the beauty of imperfection.

Products Used:

Herringbone Concrete-Look Tiles: Durable and stylish, these Rift collection [porcelain!!] concrete-look tiles in the “Gravel” color way set the foundation for the room's character. I’m a huge fan of Atlas Concorde USA because of the attention to detail that they put into each of their collections. These tiles have rugged texture and light and dark variations like actual concrete would, but they don’t carry the maintenance of a stamped concrete flooring.
Soapstone-Look Quartz Countertop: A practical and elegant surface that adds sophistication to the space, I went back and forth on whether to install white, black, or concrete-look countertops. In our kitchen and bathrooms, we have white, so I decided that the mudroom would be a great space for me to try something bold (or at least bold for me) and pull in this beautiful Daltile “Broadway Black” soapstone-look quartz. I chose a satin finish because I wanted it to look close to matte, but not show all of the little moisture marks that a matte black surface would show.
White Oak Bench: Ah, the heart of the mudroom, offering texture and style in equal measure. Jason built this using 1” x 6” planks of wire brushed white oak that he glued and clamped together for the seat. Then, he mitered the front edge and created a 3” H face, which he also wood-glued and clamped, held firm with tape until the glue dried and settled. It honestly looks like a 3” thick chunk of solid wood—he did a great job!
Bamboo, Abaca, and Jute Accessories: Natural textures infuse the room with warmth and personality, like our two whitewashed bamboo pendant lights, this 9-foot scalloped jute runner for only $100, and the abaca storage baskets.
Polished Brass and Brushed Nickel Hardware: To create visual interest using a harmonious blend of warm and cool tones, here are all of the metal hardware products I used: brass tone door kick, Aurick antique brass exterior door pull + latch set, polished brass cabinet knobs (mine have been discontinued, so I’m linking a similar option!), Padilla solid brass cabinet door pulls (in polished brass and satin nickel), polished brass Classic Double Wall Hooks, antique brass Honeycomb floor register cover, brushed nickel Felicity Faucet and Hand Sprayer, and brushed nickel Rodino cabinet knobs.
Lighting: Flush can lights, Signature Hardware “Balido - Matte White” basketweave bamboo pendants, and the Serena and Lily Fisher Table Lamp with a delicate, fluted shade work together to brighten and cozy-up the space.
The power of scent: My favorite candle of all time—the Palo Santo and Oakmoss candle from McGee & Co—ensures that this mudroom feels warm, calm, and homey from the moment you walk in (tbh, even when it’s not lit, it still makes the room smell so cozy!).
Stylish countertop organization: I used a round gold-toned tray to group some accessories together, such as the lamp, candle, and this cute rattan footed bowl (great for tossing your keys and sunglasses into!). These decorative detergent and fabric softener bottles from Amazon are much nicer to look at than the brightly colored containers that detergent comes in at the store. I opted to use the screw on tops rather than the pumps (the set comes with both options), and I love that the labels are already applied, so there’s no need to struggle with getting it stuck-on straight ;) This cute wooden pedestal is the perfect spot for a scrub brush and a soap dispenser, and it comes as a set of two for only $13, so I bought the set and figured I’d use the other one in the kitchen!
Wall-hung ironing board: We already had a fold-up mini ironing board, so to make sure it looked pretty on its new hook, I ordered this brown ironing board cover from Amazon.
Solutions that just make sense: I saw this inside-the-cabinet door-mounted fluted trash bin on Amazon, and it’s too cute not to order! It’s great for tossing lint and used dryer sheets, and I love the compact size! I’m also loving these Turkish dish towels (I ordered them in “Latte”) for a handy and stylish hand towel to toss over the edge of the sink. Keep the rest of the set in your under-sink cabinet and swap out when needed.