At home: family / mudroom design inspiration
Alright. Deep breath. Here we go.
This is not some beautiful reveal post. As I’m writing this, the family room is still walled off by a plastic sheet (since December mind you) and really is only a floor (existing), framing, and our new windows and doors.
But I have to say…the windows and doors have made a HUGE impact already. There is so much light, so much potential. And I’m beyond ready to see it all come together.
I relayed over on IG recently that I was in the throes of house stuff again. It’s exciting and exhausting at the same time!
I do want to capture our design inspiration here so there’s a sense of direction, so read on if you’re interested.
In this post, you can read about our overall renovation plans and design palette. Keeping neutrals in mind, our palette carries through to the family room - the focal point of our home (outside of the kitchen which will be a whole other story).
Our family room was an existing addition but it had some funky elements. The far wall where our couch sat was flanked by two doors. One led to a random closet, the other a full bathroom (shower and all). There was also an exterior door leading to the backyard within the bathroom. The back of the family room had a large sliding door leading to our beautiful backyard. There was an existing gas fireplace but it was flanked by odd sized windows that didn’t match the rest of the house. Overall, the room is pretty spacious and we have a very open concept.
Architectural elements
When we first started planning our project, we knew we wanted to vault the ceiling in this room. It was a no-brainer considering there was only unused attic space above. This has made a huge difference for the feeling of the space as well as brought in more light.
Since we put so much work into the backyard, we also wanted to maximize our indoor/outdoor living. We replaced the slider with the La Cantina folding door to capitalize on the view and the experience. So far, we love it and while it is a bit of a modern element for our home, the surrounding window designs have helped to bring it all together - including the transom window above. Which reminds me… they sent the transom in white while everything else is in black…yep.
In the space where the bathroom/closet was, we designed a more practical powder room with adjacent mud/laundry room. I’m happy for this change as currently our laundry is in the garage. The mudroom will also serve as a stop over for pool towels and muddy foot/paw prints coming from outside.
Design elements
We’re incorporating faux wood beams within the sloped ceiling. I’m super excited about this and also a bit nervous for how it will turn out. One thing we’ve been working on is designing a beam to encase our shades for the folding door. Often these doors are left exposed since they’re highlighting a view, but in our case we wanted some privacy from neighbors at night. I will be sure to update with more of our design choices once things are further along. For now, we know we need a motorized roller shade.
We kept our existing fireplace box but will be using a faux stone facade to enhance the look. The stone will go floor to ceiling and the fireplace is flanked by two gorgeous gridded windows. Honestly, the windows alone make a big statement.
For the mud/laundry and powder, we chose a thin brick flooring in a herringbone pattern. I can’t wait to see this come to life! Over on IG, I had you guys vote on some options and ultimately we ended up going with Brick Salvage. It is a family-owned company that I found randomly, and they were so great to work with. We will also be doing some tongue and groove accent walls.
I ended up selecting vanities from RH for both the powder and laundry (folding station/storage). I love their waxed black oak and it fits perfectly with our palette. We chose Absolute Black for the slab in the powder and Neolith for the other so we will have a mix of elements throughout the space. The powder will be separated by a pocket door.
I love our lighting as well! We went with the Hicks Pendant in brass for the powder and the small pendant in bronze for the mudroom. I also chose a lovely chandelier from RH for the family room. There are still some items I am sourcing like hooks and a drying rack but already getting excited just thinking about this beautiful and functional space.
We are working on finalizing furniture items for the space as well. We want a warm, cozy vibe of leathers, raffia, and textural pillows/poufs. Given the layout, it’s been challenging to configure seating! But it’s in the works, and I’m looking forward to this being our first completed space.
The plan will be to use the family room and outdoor kitchen while the next phase begins (kitchen and master) so it should be interesting.
If you’ve been through a renovation recently, drop a line with any advice/comments!
