Hideous entry/mudroom

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Hi! How would you improve the look and storage of this small entry/mudroom & closet to our house, including the outside? Photos in comments.

*More info*: We live in a beautiful brownstone with an updated interior but absolutely hideous entry/mudroom. It's enclosed but has a gate so technically outside (gate must remain because we live on a Landmark Street) and the walls are all load bearing so can't be changed. Photos include the view from the outside, the actual "mudroom", and the closetWe already know we'd like to replace floors, paint, change the light but don't know what to do specifically to really spruce it up and look more like a welcoming space that nicely transitions us into our home.Thanks so much for ANY advice!

Featured Answer

Ilove MyLife

5 years ago

Move the rug to center it on the gate (and put some sort of rug on the first steps inside the house). Put a narrow wood bench on the let in the second photo if the dimension allows. The wood should coordinate but not match the brown door. Reverse the door opening direction so no one on the bench gets trapped behind the door. Paint the two walls in Behr's Lunar Surface or Sherwin-William's Dorian Gray and that closet door with a pretty color like PNG's Chinese Porcelain (mix both at Sherwin-Williams).

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Comments (7)

Irina
Original Author
5 years ago
View from the outside (tips on prettifying the various things hanging on the brownstone are welcome!)
Irina
Original Author
5 years ago
The inside of the actual space 🤮
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Irina
Original Author
5 years ago
Inside of the closet 🤮
Elaine Doremus Resumes Written
5 years ago
You can certainly look into it, but I'm assuming that all the unattractive items here are emergency related and therefore not allowed to be covered or painted. Nothing stops you from looking into that, however. Ask your neighbors - how did they deal with this? What is your style? I know this sounds odd, but this is the approach I would take: make your entry transformation so wild, that there's no way anyone would notice the hideous state of it!!!! https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/multicolor-entry/nqrwns

I would put a beautiful and oversized light, so that is the focus. Treat this challenge like we treat makeup - enhance the positive and disguise the negative! You could use the same approach here. I Googled what the opposite of mauve is and it's yellow. There are a lot of different yellows. Is that a color that would go with your style?
Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
lol,,,well, paint, tile floors, a new light, and cleaning that 'closet', will make a world of diff.

what kind of style do you want?

would it be considered a vestibule? I always think of vintage floor tile for those old brownstones

and that door. could you switch it out to a vintage style door?

do some vintage style lighting, maybe go to a architectural salvage and find some cool decor items

slate tile in a herringbone. cool light, a bench, you could do hooks for coats, bring in some bright colors.

for the closet area, do a built in similar to this

or, look for vintage lockers to stow sports equipment. organization is the key w/that space!
Irina thanked Beth H. :
blubird
5 years ago
Since this is really an outdoor area exposed to the elements (NYC?), I would paint a nice color other than white, using an outdoor paint. I'd put in plastic shelving units into the closet, so that nothing sits on the ground as it looks like the floor could get wet from weather conditions. A snazzy tile, like those shown above would really give the area a facelift, but keep in mind the need for tile which can withstand outdoor temp and weather conditions.

As to the various outdoor contraptions, water mains, fire alarm bell and other items, you just have to ignore them. Such is life in the city.