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Garage Mudroom Makeover {For the REAL Family}

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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

A few springs ago I gave my front porch a face lift.  I love the door, the tiered planters, (I did a southwest version too) the house numbers… I love it all! BUT… no one ever comes through the front door.  We’re those laid back friends where you can just swing by unannounced and you’d never dream of coming through the front door- and that’s how we like it.

However, what we didn’t love was the hideous garage entryway that we were making our poor friends and loved ones endure…
In my defense, we have a Bernese Mountain Dog that gets MUDDY in the spring, but still, it was nasty! We also had a bit of a shoe issue… Basically our kids never put them away! Grr!
My hubs was going away for a few days and I decided that a garage makeover would be a perfect birthday present- he was coming home on his actual 30th birthday. In 48 hours that tested me as a DIYer and a single mom, I managed to get the reveal done in time!

Isn’t that SO.MUCH. BETTER?
I love that it actually reflects what you’re going to see when you get inside our home (not just a mud pit) and the hubs loves that the shoe issue is taken care of!
Here’s what I did…
I’ll be completely honest here for a second too… the shoe bins actually work! Only once or twice have I had to remind my oldest (of course it would be the oldest) to put her shoes away.  It’s so practical and awesome!
I’m calling this a REAL LIFE Garage Mudroom Makeover because I was not going to go all out and spend hundreds of dollars on a garage- it’s a Garage! I love some of the pictures I see in magazines and on Pinterest where every little detail is exactly perfect and pristine, but news flash… I don’t live in a magazine… My 4 kids are messy, my garage is usually housing a DIY project, and is being spray painted in all the time.  I wanted a makeover that looked good, but was realistic and not fancy just for the sake of blogging it.  Here’s an example… I could have painted the garage floor and it would have looked much cleaner, but really- spend time painting a floor that will get dirty or have fun with my kids?  I went with the kids and I’m happy about it.  So, I hope this inspires you to be willing to try a project- it doesn’t always have to look Pottery Barn perfect.
Okay, off my soap box… Here are some more fun elements…
UPDATE:  I’ve  shared the tutorials for all the projects in the room.  
To check out the Locker’s Tutorial click HERE
 For the Painted Rugs post click HERE
 For the Foot Artwork post click HERE 
 
In the meantime, I have one final detail to finish…  I am going to add some vinyl words to the door.  We have a no knocking policy in our house.  Honestly, there’s one of Kaden’s sweet little friends that always knocks when his family comes over and I give him such a hard time! (Matt, if you’re reading this- no more knocking!)  So, what I want to put on the door is something about friends and family not knocking, but I can’t come up with a good way to say it.  Can you help a girl out?
Leave me a comment if you have any ideas! I always get so inspired by all of you!
What do you think of my Real Life Garage Makeover? 

 

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The comments +

  1. Wow. We just did a clean out of our garage, but I so want to paint the door, steps and walls. What an inspiration you have.

  2. Anonymous says:

    my mom had a sign on the back door “Back Door Guests Are Our Best Friends”

    Awesome job. We’re working on our garage now.

    Thanks for the inspiration

  3. sandra says:

    Love it, especially the huge artwork.
    If it was my back door, I would put “Y’all just come on in”—but then I am as country as a turnip green, and that is how I talk! Choose something that sounds like YOU!

  4. Little Feet says:

    Oh my! Love it! I’ve been thinking of painting our backdoor a fun color. Totally doing it! I love everything that you did – so wish I could do something similar, but I am up in Michigan and that just wouldn’t work up here. 🙁

    But super awesome ideas and I’d love to implement them in some way!

  5. The Lovelys says:

    “YOU KNOCK IT OFF AND GET IN HERE!”

  6. Christina says:

    love love love! The colors are perfect – I especially love the foot artwork & the arrow rug.

    I’d just put a simple “come on in” on the door 🙂

  7. Rebecca says:

    That looks great, yet so practical and use-able 🙂

  8. Anonymous says:

    “if the door isn’t locked don’t bother to knock

  9. love it! and I love your REAL LIFE attitude. I agree. funny, i’m actually working on our garage entry door, but don’t have the awesomesauce other stuff going on. should have a post up by tomorrow w/our little saying on it.;) can’t wait to see yours! (ps – my dream is to be a pop over house, but my house is always such a mess;) )

  10. Jodi Jackson says:

    You could paint the inside if each of the llosa cubbys with their name or a graphic pattern

  11. erin says:

    This is great! Our mudroom is due for a makeover, probably this winter, it’s as muddy/dirty as yours started.

    I’d do something like “Only sales people knock.” or something like that, but my sense of humor is dry. 🙂

  12. Laura says:

    I so wish I had a garage to do this. It would make our kitchen so much more of a kitchen instead of a pile of everything. Any Ideas on how to talk my hubby into adding a garage onto our house? I have no storage in our house. WOnderful job!

  13. Diane says:

    How about:
    Quit knocking! Just turn the knob, you silly knuckleheads.

  14. Jersh says:

    I love the lockers! My garage has a perfect spot for something like that….hmmmm…I’d probably put something on my door that rhymes (I love little sing-songy rhymes, but not too cheesy). Something like, “Keep walking, no need for knocking”.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Your garage looks great! I love that door color! Hope Hubs enjoyed the birthday present.
    For a saying? How about “Opportunity knocks, but friends and family don’t have to” or
    “No Knock? You Rock!!”…teehee

  16. Judy says:

    The aqua on the back door rocks! Love it! Your garage looks so fresh and organized, even though were not close friends, I’d come to that back door to knock. Of course, I thought from the very beginning that your front door was awesome. I’d probably have a hard time deciding which of those doors I’d like to knock on. Our house is the same as yours. No one comes to the front door except people trying to tell us something. Thanks for the inspiration, I’m getting out my paint brush and find a “love it” color for my white back door.

  17. Tiffany says:

    Well done, well said. I need those bins!

  18. “friends within, come on in” 🙂

    Great update!

  19. “Don’t knock it till you…
    Come on in!”

  20. Love it! I hope to get started on a garage mudroom area soon — right now, our shoes, etc., are threating to take over our small enry area in our home! I have a question: How did you mount the coat hooks? Were you lucky enough to screw them into studs? Thanks!

  21. I wish we had a garage. I love this. I can’t wait to see how you did everything:> Especially those rugs. I want some for my house!

    Danielle @ Blissful and Domestic
    http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com

  22. Also I love how you said it doesn’t have to always look pottery barn perfect. You rock! I so agree!

    Danielle @ Blissful and Domestic
    http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com

  23. Unknown says:

    “strangers knock, friends just come in.”

  24. Anonymous says:

    “So happy you came!
    Come on in!” (under in smaller letters)

  25. Christa says:

    Love this idea. I only wish my garage was set up this way so I could do this. Hmmm, I’ll have to see how I can incorporate this into our laundry room which is right off our garage. Thanks for the inspiration!

  26. Amy says:

    There’s a joke inhere about being knocked up somewhere…. not sure you’d want it for your door though.;) It looks great!

  27. Tamboliya says:

    So creative! Wow! So organized! Cool! That is great! Be encouraged. God bless you. 🙂 Have a great day! Your hard work paid off! 🙂

  28. my2munkadoo says:

    Gorgeous! Now I need to know how you made the cubbies!
    (I need to build them RIGHT NOW!)

  29. This is awesome. I did a whole series on how to organize your garage and you have some great ideas as well. One of my tips was making your garage feel like a room by adding art, I love how you used the photograph! I do have to say you guys have sooooo many shoes it made me laugh! I adore the painted rugs and the door. We opted to paint our walls a bright bold blue to hide all of the handprints and scuff marks. I wish we had space for lockers, maybe once we get a backyard shed we can do that. Great job!!!

  30. Lola B. says:

    Those lockers are JUST what I’ve been looking for in our garage!!! PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE post the tutorial soon! We have a NICE weekend coming up that would be perfect to make some pretties for our garage!
    Thanks so much!

  31. Naoni says:

    Just found your blog! Holy love the garage!! Just two days ago I told my husband. “One day I want to surprise you w/ a garage makeover while your gone.” I can’t wait to do it even more now! I might have to kick him out to do it! But I now have to go find your front door I LOVE IT!

  32. khristy oden says:

    I love it! Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve been wondering what to do with our garage bc I totally understand that it’s the main entrance and I don’t have a “mud room” to enter through. Love this idea. 🙂

  33. michelleml says:

    Love it i hope we can do something like this soon

    Thanks for sharing
    Michelle

  34. Erica Simon says:

    how did you do the rugs?! i love them! I cant wait to own a home again so we can finally do creative things like this again. 😉

  35. tonya says:

    I just love that is not “Pottery Barn perfect”. It looks great and is completely functional. We added diy lockers to our garage 2 years ago and we love it, even the dog has her own locker! You’ve inspired me to finsh the project by painting the walls and door(they are gross).

  36. Firstly, your front door is really beautiful and it is very unfortunate that it is not being used as much as it is supposed to be. Secondly, the garage makeover is amazing. I do love the aqua door and the shoe bins. The art work also looks beautiful up there. I am looking forward for all the DIY steps you have done. Thank you for sharing this post.

  37. OMG…You’ve totally inspired me!!! I love your makeover so much!!!

  38. Hi Monica!

    I absolutely love this makeover — organized but functional for a family! I would love to pin this post to The Home Depot’s Storage & Organization pinboard if you don’t mind!

    Cheers,
    Caroline
    Senior Editor, The Home Depot

  39. I love everything about this makeover, the colors, the artwork, and especially the lockers.

  40. Illy says:

    Wish I HAD a garage to have a mud room! This is AWESOME!

  41. Besides loving the door ( love the color) I am DYING to know how you did the rugs. We have our washer/dryer outside and I would love a rug to stand on as I walk the short few feet from the door the to washer. Then I’d like another one in front in case clothes fall out. I do NOT want them touching that gross concrete. It looks like you used a stencil and just painted the words. Any particular rug that you bought?

  42. Kristin says:

    I absolutely love this garage mudroom!!! I was struggling with how to achieve the mudroom idea in my house, and then I saw your post!! Did you build the shelving to house the back packs? Where did you purchase those awesome rugs? Thank you for sharing and inspiring me!!

  43. What an amazing transformation! Your garage now looks a real part of your gorgeous home. What I love best are the lockers. Surely, other readers who are interested with this type of topic as well as flooring Houston regarding will appreciate what you have shared here. Those will really organize things such as the bags and shoes. Thank you for sharing this very inspiring post. I am looking forward to your other blogs.

  44. Lisa says:

    I really wish you’d update this post to link to the tutorials.

  45. Julie says:

    It inspires me! Thanks for sharing!!!

  46. Julie says:

    It inspires me! Thanks for sharing!!!

  47. Buffy Moore says:

    Lisa, scroll to the end of her post and you’ll see links to the project… Look for the ” you might also like these posts”. Or here’s the link https://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2012/09/diy-mudroom-lockers-garage-mudroom.html

  48. E says:

    How did you not tell us, and how did no one ask, where the rugs came from??? Im loving them! SO where did they come from?

  49. I agree on the rugs!! Can’t believe no one else asked…did you make them?? or where did you get them? i want them…. 🙂
    Awesome job on the garage!

  50. This comment has been removed by the author.

  51. Skye Forrest says:

    Did you leave the automatic garage door in or enclosed the opening?

  52. Alexandra says:

    Did you buy lockers? or did you make them? and if so do you have a tutorial on how to make them? by the way great idea!

  53. Erin says:

    Where did you get your mats?

  54. […] space in the house, so you need to keep certain things and items for everyday use there. So, at eastcoastcreativeblog.com we found a easy idea for very smart and useful organizing, so everything fit good and […]

  55. Suzanne says:

    LOVE the mud room!!!! But what about spiders, snakes, and mice…oh my!!!??? Really, how do u keep spiders out of their shoe bins, backpacks, coats, etc. I’m deathly afraid of the sneaky little things!!!

  56. Karen says:

    How did you make the lockers?

  57. STACEY says:

    come on in.. friends welcome

    THanks for the info. talking my hubby into this one right now!

  58. kat says:

    Would love to know the paint color used on the door ??????

  59. Holly says:

    Love your garage! I really want to do the kids art station in mine. Would you mind sharing with me what you used for that? I’m also hoping to do the rugs this summer. Such an amazing idea. You are super creative!

  60. […] Monica has some great tips and tricks for how she achieved this transformation in just one weekend, including building the lockers, stenciling the rugs and creating personalized artwork. Check out the full article on her garage mudroom makeover here: https://eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2012/09/garage-mudroom-makeover-for-real-family.html […]

  61. Jamie says:

    We really like what you’ve done here… you’re before pictures could be our garage!

    We’ve shared this over at ours…http://www.renocompare.com/2015/06/how-to-organize-a-garage

    Thanks again,

    Jamie

  62. […] Don’t have a mudroom? Don’t worry here is a great idea to have home organization in the garage. I love this garage mudroom from East Coast Creative. […]

  63. Holly says:

    How do you keep bugs and cobwebs and garage gunk out of everything??? We are in Georgia where spiders, ants, and everything else are huge and would be in our shoes and book bags!! This is such a great idea!!! I want to make this work.

  64. […] Shoe organizers, plastic bins or baskets and a few strategically placed hooks and shelves will help you to create a beautiful mud room area even if you don’t have a traditional mud room. If you have a space near the door of your garage, you can create a mud room where all of your coats and jackets as well as muddy shoes and other items can be stored. Via: Eastcoastcreativeblog – Garage Mudroom Makeover {For the REAL Family} […]

  65. Erin says:

    We have had issues in two different house with mice. I’m guessing that is not an issue. Anyone have thoughts?

  66. Dori says:

    Just curious to know how much this project cost? We’re a real family too with a real budget. 😉 (Want to know how doable this really will be.)

  67. […] 4. Create a “mud room” space by the back door. […]

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