Like most metro-east suburbanites, we NEVER enter through our front door. Of course, I spend time every season updating the front door with flowers (Mums/Vincas/lighted fir) and a wreath. I recently added these amazing lightbulbs that make my front porch lights glow like lanterns. All of this would create a beautiful welcome for me and for visitors. The only problem is that nobody ever uses that front door. Like ever. Oh wait – UPS does get to enjoy it very much (#PrimeMember).
I am always hustling through the garage (carrying something – groceries, my 15 pound purse, backpacks, coffee, etc) carefully avoiding the bikes and tools so that I can get to the mudroom and set it all down.
For a long time that mudroom was a complete disaster – terrible paint, the worst vinyl flooring, and nowhere to hang coats, bags & backpacks and absolutely no decor to speak of. Unless you count the washer, dryer and fridge. No function or form. What would the Feng Shui masters think of my situation?
Transforming my space to serve me – both in function and form was actually easier than anticipated with these high impact changes:
Paint
Paint is the easiest and most affordable way to update your space. Since the mudroom was the first stop on the way into my house, I chose a rich gray that I loved walking into. Such a big impact change with minimal effort.
Storage with a surface
I needed some storage off the kitchen as well as a surface to drop everything coming in from the garage. I tried first to solve this with furniture but realized a cabinet with countertop was perfect – and I just happened to have an extra from my kitchen remodel. Now I had a place to put things down when coming inside. And store all of my laundry supplies. Most new homes have cabinets and countertops in the laundry areas but older ones do not. This addition is an easy way to update a home and provide much needed storage to an area that needs it.
Coat Rack
I needed a place for all our coats and bags and backpacks but didn’t have the room for a free standing coat rack or to build a closet. I solved this by using hooks on the wall directly. There was just enough room to hang everything, conveniently located right at the door.
Here are some examples from Wayfair: http://www.wayfair.com
Create a Gallery
My entry is a mudroom with windows and therefore, little wall space. I already used most of it with the much needed coat rack but did have space above it to personalize.
I have always been a fan of a gallery of prints or photos – I love the way they look grouped together. For our entry, I chose to use my daughter’s art in frames that could be changed out to reflect her latest works. It makes me smile when I walk in and that is the best change of all of them.
Colorful Prints 
Black & White Photos
Flooring
The floor in my mudroom was a cheap vinyl that luckily didn’t show dirt but also wasn’t very pretty. I needed something sturdy and water resistant due to the high traffic. We used our very own Cabinets Now gray plank vinyl and could not be happier.
It snaps together easily so this install job was done by us. Check out the before and after pics:
Before
Planks laid over old vinyl 
Vinyl plank cutter 
Old vs New
After
The color is a lighter gray and white than the photograph suggests. I love this too but the in person effect is much lighter.
New Floor 
View from above 
Overall, these changes made a big difference – walking into our house feels totally different. If I had to pick the most impactful change it was probably the flooring. Ours was pretty ugly and the plank is gorgeous.
CABINETS & GRANITE NOW 