A Dark Kitchen Now Has a Smarter and Brighter Layout Thanks to a Catchall Mudroom
At their best, mudrooms can serve as stylish and utilitarian entryways to the home, and at their worst, can feel cluttered and disjointed from the rest of the house. In homeowner Jessica Erickson’s case, the mudroom was only holding back the adjacent kitchen.
The mudroom took up valuable square footage between the kitchen and garage that could be converted into kitchen space — previously at a premium in Jessica’s ‘80s-style kitchen. “Cabinetry and counter space framed the corners of the otherwise open floor plan. This made food prep and the general flow of the room really strange.” Jessica says of the old, mostly brown kitchen. “We did the best we could with the space, but I knew it had way more potential!”
Their Mudroom Was a Clutter Catchall and Wouldn’t Be Missed in the New Kitchen
Jessica knew that the family wouldn’t miss the mudroom, which was a catchall for clutter — so during her kitchen renovation, when her contractor George Karalis figured out they could eliminate the mudroom to create an impressive kitchen and dining space, Jessica was all for it.
The Renovation Improved the Flow, Storage, and Working Space in the Entire First Floor
The process took eight months (including four months of construction), but the end result is a gorgeous and family-friendly kitchen that’s also huge.
“The renovation has changed the way we live in our home,” Jessica says. “The space went from disjointed and cluttered to open and vast. There is so much more storage and working space. The flow for guests is much more connected and easy. The opening of a door into the living room majorly improved the traffic flow of the entire first floor.”
An Updated Dining Area and New Skylight Made the Space Feel Cozy and Light
One of her favorite parts? The now-spacious dining area with a walnut sideboard and a long blue banquette from West Elm. In addition to the banquette, Jessica selected a brass geometric pendant and added a gallery wall to make that corner feel extra cozy.
In the cooking and prep area, Jessica opted for new shaker cabinets, a porcelain tile backsplash (Brixton tile in “Fog”), and quartz countertops. (The countertops and appliances, as well as new doors and an added skylight window, were the higher-ticket items in her $75,000 reno.)
In hindsight, she says, she might have gone bolder with the cabinets, but she added pops of color with yellow barstools and sky blue wallpaper from Spoonflower.
Now the Space Is Soft Gray with Pops of Color Throughout
“The wood-nosed laminate countertop and flimsy oak cabinets were just so brown and blah,” Jessica says of the kitchen before.
With calming gray walls (Sherwin-Williams’ “Useful Gray”), fresh white cabinets, a comfortable new dining area, new doors, a new skylight, and pops of color throughout, this kitchen is now anything but brown and blah. It’s airy, cozy, and a complete breeze for Jessica’s family to cook and live in.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Shop This Before & After
- Paint
- Products
- Kirun Walnut Sideboard from Article
- Blue Mid-Century 3-Piece Banquette from West Elm
- Young House Love Equilateral Pendant from Shades of Light
- Shaker Maple Alabaster Cabinet Frame from Cabinets.com
- Brixton Fog Tile from Best Tile
- Flash Furniture Backless Yellow Metal Barstools from Target
- Sky Blue Wallpaper from Spoonflower