Can you believe it’s already time for the Spring One Room Challenge?! I’m so excited to take part in this event as a guest participant. I participated in the ORC last Fall for the first time, and, well, that project is still a work in progress. I didn’t have my design plan totally flushed out or my materials ordered before the challenge started, and our Living Room makeover ended up being more time consuming than I initially thought. But it was still a really fun experience, and I’m glad I took my time with the design! The fireplace is now finished, the window seats are almost done, and I am SO ready to move on to a new room!!
So What Room am I Making Over This Time?
For this ORC I’ll be making over our Mudroom so that it can also function as a home office! It will also serve as a “drop zone” for mail, keys, devices, etc! I’ve been wanting a dedicated workspace like this in our home since work-from-home became more frequent in 2020. While we may not have any spare rooms in our home to convert into a more private office space, I’m still really excited for the function that this room makeover will bring to our home!
I’m also more prepared this time around; I designed the built-in desk a couple of weeks ago and already received my delivery of plywood to build it! I also purchased the drawer slides for it and have my eye on a few different chair options. Soon I will also be placing my order for the new floor tile I selected!
The Project Scope
During these 8 weeks of the ORC, I’ve decided to try to limit myself to a more reasonable project scope this time. I plan to take on the three projects in this space that will have the biggest impact, both visually and in terms of function.
Those projects are:
- New tile flooring
- A built-in desk with cabinets above and below
- New window and door trim. (We have already started replacing the existing trim in the rest of our home. You can read more about that here!)
There are a few additional projects that I would love to incorporate into this space during the 8 weeks if time allows, or possibly as a “Part 2” to this room makeover!
Potential “Part 2” projects include:
- An operable transom window above the Powder Room door
- Beadboard ceiling and crown molding
- New shelving/organization in our tiny Mudroom closet
- New paint(?!) The room definitely needs at least a refresh coat of the existing color, but I’m still undecided if I might try a new color in here instead
The Design Inspiration
I’ve been gathering ideas for this room on Pinterest for years. You can check out my Mudroom and Home Office boards if you’re interested in seeing my inspiration for this space; or, if you need some inspiration for your own!
The project that I think will be the most trying, but will also have the biggest impact, is installing the new tile. We chose our existing tile from a limited number of selections when our “builder-grade” home was built in 2012. My vision for this room, though, has always been a slate tile.
Now that we removed this same tile from our original fireplace surround and replaced it with slate, I am going to repeat that material in the Mudroom! Well, almost- instead of natural slate I am going with a slate-look 12×24 porcelain tile. It’s such a beautiful match to the fireplace slate. Not only does it help the design of the home feel more cohesive, but the new tile has a nice texture to it that will provide slip resistance. This is so important to me in a space that can get wet from all those toddler boots! Our current tile is very smooth and can feel unsafe at times- so this new tile will be a functional upgrade, too!
The Weekly Breakdown
Here is the general schedule that I have in mind for the weekly progress I will share on my blog each Wednesday. I will also be sharing throughout the week on my Instagram stories, so be sure to check those out as well!
Week 1: Reveal the design plans for the space (that’s this blog post!)
Week 2: Remove the existing window and door trim
Week 3: Remove the existing tile and begin my desk build
Week 4: Lay the Schluter DITRA-XL tile underlayment
Week 5: Lay the new tile and built-in desk progress
Week 6: Built-in desk progress
Week 7: Built-in desk and new trim progress
Week 8: Styling, desk organization, and reveal!!
I will also be spending 2 days between weeks 3 & 4 at a local Schluter Systems workshop, learning about their Schluter DITRA/DITRA-XL uncoupling membrane. This is the membrane that I’ll be using as my tile underlayment instead of traditional cement board. I’m excited to learn more about this product and soak in all the install tips!
Let’s Get Started!
I can’t wait to take this project on and to follow the progress of the featured designers and other guest participants each week! You can see everyone’s progress linked up on the One Room Challenge blog each Wednesday. You can also check out the One Room Challenge and this year’s media partner Apartment Therapy on Instagram, too! Let me know below if you are participating in the ORC also and what room you are transforming!
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