Last Fall we began working with one of our long-time clients to redesign her back entryway and laundry room. Neither room has been updated since the home was built, and the layout in each space wasn’t working for the busy family of four with two active teenagers. The style of the home is traditional yet fresh and current; however, this space did not reflect her personality or style at all.
In the before plan, there was a built-in desk and closet to the right of the garage entry with a bench to the right over which hangs a chalkboard in a vintage frame. The client wanted to keep the bench and chalkboard but eliminate the desk in favor of built-in lockers.
In this photo, you can see the entry from the garage and the chalkboard that hangs over the bench.
Here you can see the desk and built-ins to the right of the door.
In the view below, we’re standing at the desk and looking towards the laundry. You can see the smaller closet as well as the opening into the kitchen.
The laundry room was dated with oak cabinetry and white vinyl floor tile.
This is the third closet and the other side of the laundry room. You can see that large space wasn’t being utilized as well as it could have been.
We proposed eliminating two of the three closets to create a larger laundry room and to make space for custom cabinetry. We selected a palette of soft whites to keep the space feeling light, bright and clean and a new black slate floor to replace the vinyl.
On the right-hand side, we kept the closet facing the garage door to use as storage for out-of-season coats and jackets, but we planned to demo the desk and built-ins. The client also wanted to install a larger window to let in more light and provide a view to the backyard.
Below is our “after” plan. You can see how removing the two closets on the laundry room side helped to open up the space. On one side, we designed a row of built-in semi-custom cabinetry to function both as a butler’s pantry/pantry and as a mini-office. On the other side, we were able to add a broom closet cabinet and add some additional countertop space at the sink. By demo-ing the desk, we were able to create a mudroom with a locker area for each family member.
This elevation depicts the laundry area in the newly enlarged space. We selected a simple Shaker style cabinet with a two-part crown and had it custom colored a soft off-white by Sherwin Williams.
On the butler’s pantry side, we incorporated deep drawers in all of the base cabinets for maximum storage. The bottom drawer on the far right is a custom configured filing cabinet while the drawer above features a hidden drawer for corralling small items like pens and paper clips. We originally specified a pocket door for the wall cabinet above so that there would be easy access to the printer but switched it out for a lift-up model. We specified a magnetic, linen look wallpaper for the backsplash so that our client could pin up important papers, photos, and other items.
In the mudroom, we designed simple lockers with open storage below for shoes. The bench tops are white quartz to match the countertops in the laundry room. The space above the hanging storage was intended for large baskets to hold things like hats, scarves, and mittens.
We specified the lockers, which were mostly built on-site, to be painted the same color as the cabinetry in the laundry room. The backs of the lockers are beadboard, which adds a little texture and dimension.
For the finishes, we paired a white quartz that resembles Carrara marble with the custom painted cabinetry. We recommended painting the walls an off-white that was slightly lighter than the cabinetry but deeper than the white trim in order to create a soft and calming look.The black slate floor creates a dramatic contrast with the lighter cabinetry. The natural fiber runner and woven baskets add texture and depth to the mudroom. Polished nickel hardware on the laundry cabinets acts as the jewelry of the room.
We have a couple quick iPhone snapshots of the space in progress. It’s about 95% there but still needs a few of the finishing touches.
When the family enters from the garage, these two rooms are the first thing that they see. Before the remodel, both the laundry room and mudroom were not only outdated and underwhelming but they didn’t function well for their lives. Now, they are greeted by a cheerful, pleasant and well-organized space.
We hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek into a design project for one of our favorite clients, and we’ll be sharing more posts like these in the future. If you have any questions or are interested in working with R. Cartwright Design, please email us.
Local partners: Showplace Kitchens, Aronson Woodworks, Bertini Stone and Tile
