Monday, November 5, 2012

the empty nook



Yep, we love our home and all of its corks.  The bonus of living in a smaller space is that we live with less stuff.  The challenge is finding ways to make each space function for our family. Hence, the evolution of our empty nook.

Getting the kids ready in the winter has always been hilarious.  On a typical day you would find me at the top of the stairs throwing boots, hats, and coats down to where our garage door is so that I could get the kids ready to go outside.  Coming in from outside was the same story.  Get everyone out of their gear and lug it all back up.  This was almost a deal breaker for me.  We needed a dumping place.  Our empty nook in the family room became the inspiration for our mini mud room. It was waiting to be defined!

 Here is a quick before and after of what has saved my sanity!



Before



Our lower level family room is the way we access the garage.  The nook is between the bathroom and basement doors above. We mainly used this space for toys because I could never figure out what to do with it.   







The closet in this space is now used for coats.  We also thought it would be useful to remove the wall leading down to the basement so that we could hear and see the kids playing.





After  





  1. wall color...eagle rock-Benjamin Moore
  2. hooks...Pottery Barn
  3. rug and frames...Target
  4. bench color...simply white-Benjamin Moore
  5. art...I sprayed tin squares from Hobby Lobby and then sanded them to give them some texture

linking up with....The Shabby Nest & Not Just a Housewife & Osie Moats

*I'm smiling and my heart is singing...thank you Wendy for featuring my space at The Shabby Nest!!*


and featured at...
Osie Moats

























20 comments:

  1. Wow! you really changed that space. It looks totally different and opens the space up. Great job!

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  2. That transformation is absolutely fabulous! I love how you opened up that stairway...it's all awesome.
    :)
    Kelly

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  3. It is absolutely stunning...the hardwood floors add such warmth to the space and the bench area is just a perfect solution for that great nook!!!

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  4. What a great idea, gorgeous colours & a stunning result!
    x
    Melissah

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  5. What a great job you are doing on your house. The wood floors are sooo much nicer. Love the wall color/white trim and the coatrack with the bench below.

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  6. Great transformation and use of that space! Useful and stunning - a perfect combination!

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  7. that looks amazing! i love that little bench part, looks so cozy with the pillows.

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  8. Gorgeous! This looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing! Have a great day!

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  9. Wow! I am impressed! It all looks stunning! Fantastic work! :)

    Julie

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  10. I LOVE what you've done with this space! Everything is just perfect. That wood floor is divine.
    Congrats on the feature!!! This definitely deserved to be!

    Nancy

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  11. Absolutely beautiful!!!!!!! Great use of the space and done so perfectly it looks like it was always meant to be that way. Just lovely. We see so many makeovers in blogland that after awhile you get kind of numb to all of it, but this one is most impressive and stunning. LOVE it!
    Cindy

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Cindy! Super kind of you to say...it has been a life saver for us with 3 kiddos under the age of 4!

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  12. Love the wall color and the bead board mudroom addition... What a great use of space! I was thinking of doing something similar in our house.

    New follower! Would LOVE for you to follow back at toddlindsey.com :)

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  13. Holy Guacamole! This is so awesome! I want a mud room so bad, I constantly have coats, backpacks, etc...all over. I just don't have space for one! I am still trying to figure out how to do something! I think you did a brilliant job!

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  14. Oh my!!! What an amazing creation! It makes you wonder why they didn't do that in the first place! Amazing!!
    Jamie ~ Better With Age

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    1. I hear ya! Since the house was built in the 60's my husband and I often wondered what the nook was for!! Thanks for popping by!

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  15. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! Love everything about it! Would love for you to share at the party tonight! xo bridgett

    http://www.osiemoats.com/2012/07/thursday-linky-party-1.html

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