Getting Organized: Designing A Mudroom For BH&G

Organizing space is on everyone's mind during winter months. Providing places to neatly store winter coats, boots, shoes, hats, gloves and school gear is always a challenge. In many homes, the space for an elaborate mudroom is simply not available.

For many of us, an elaborate mudroom may not be affordable and so, my challenge was to design an organization center that could be built in almost any home and on a small budget.

Two years ago Better Homes and Gardens magazine asked me to design a mudroom space that would be easy and affordable to make. With just a little building knowledge, you can make one too!



For the additional bookcase design that I had in mind, I first needed to find a home with an entry area that included some unused wall space. My good friend, Joanne Palmisano of Salvage Secrets, came to my rescue. I explained to her that my assignment was to create a mudroom from an under-utilized entryway. Without a moments hesitation, Joanne said, "Use mine!" That's one of the reasons I love her!

Joanne lives 5 hours away but that didn't matter. Her home is my home-away-from-home, and so, off I went! I'm always happy to work with Joanne.

Are You Ready? You Can Do This!


We started with a 4' X 8' sheet of bead board purchased at Home Depot. It was mounted directly to the wall using wood screws which are drilled through the board and into the wall's studs which is behind the sheet rock.


To give the edges of the bead board a 'finished' appearance, we added trim moulding. Cut the moulding to the same height as the board. Then use caulking glue to adhere the trim.


Press the trim to the wall and against the bead board to cover the raw edge.

I found a company in Texas that makes pegged shelves:  Peg and Rail can be custom made to any length and then painted in a variety of colors.


Its a good idea to have two pairs of hands when creating this project. Joanne held the shelf in place while her husband, Steve, screwed the board into the 2" X 4" studs behind the sheet-rocked wall.


Be sure you know were the studs are before you start. Mark them on the wall above the bead board for guidance.


As you can see in the photo above, we added a second row of pegs across the middle of the bead board and another row under the window. You can never have too many pegs.

OK, we're almost done! To create more storage space, I added a small bookshelf under the window. The bookshelf came from Knock On Wood Unpainted Furniture. I used an Alder Mackenzie bookcase which is 38.5" W X 29" H

Bravo Joanne and Steve Palmisano. I could not have done it with out you!!

Dressing Up Your New space.


The bookshelf is conveniently placed as an entry table and for storing shoes on the shelves below.

Once the new room was done, styling the mudroom was icing on the cake. To set the stage for photography, I brought in boxes and boxes of props provided by my favorite vendors. BH&G Editor, Amy Panos, then arrived from Des Moine, Iowa and we spent a day shooting the our completed Mudroom story.

You can get the full story with additional step-by-step instructions by clicking: http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/mudroom/how-to-make-a-peg-wall/#page=1

- Rug from: Company C
- Little Bench from: The Pottery Barn
- Baskets from: Home Goods
- Boots, jacket, bags and binoculars from: LL Bean and Garnet hill
- Decorative Pails and storage caddies from: http://themacbethcollection.com/shop.shtml

Treasures from Brimfield

The anticipated May 2012 Brimfield Tweetup at the Brimfield Antiques Fair drew in an amazing crowd! It was tempting to stray away from the antique fair itself, for the line up of talent and inspiring company of designers, bloggers, and decorators in the Tweetup tent was most engaging. Here, you could converse on all aspects of design, including color, decorating, salvaging, antiquing, and trends of the trade.

But the antique fair beckoned and my friend Joanne Palmisano, author of Salvage Secrets, and I had to pull ourselves away and set off for an afternoon of shopping, as I did have a mission.

The idea of venturing into the endless abyss of an antique fair or flea market may seem overwhelming, so the best plan is to have a shopping goal in mind. Having your eyes set on something specific to shop for is always better than anything goes. It helps you edit out the seemingly limitless options, as you can easily overdose on choices.

Floral arranging is my passion. As a stylist, I am always in need of unique bottles and pitchers to house flowers in. At Brimfield, I made my shopping goal to look for small unusual floral vessels for $10.00 or less. Here are a few of my favorite container finds:

One dealer had boxes full of wooden shoe forms. I adored the child size. On the heel of each shoe lays a small, cork-sized hole lined with metal. The hole is the perfect size to hold a few inches of water as well as a few stems. These would look great displayed on your bookshelf or atop a book on any table in your home.

All in all, if it has holes to hold water, it can hold flowers, right? Bingo!

I saw this old electric lamp and fell in love with the textured glass ball shape on top. The electric cord had already been removed which made it a “ready to go” vase and the perfect flea market find.

These old doorknobs make charming little vases, and when paired in threes or more make a delectable collection for any countertop or table.  The cylinder end on each knob holds just enough water to keep a small bundle of lily of the valley or a stem of bleeding heart happy. Of course, the water needs to be refilled daily. 

Joanne has an eagle eye for the unusual. She pointed me in the direction of these fabulous paper milk containers form the 1940’s.  I can't wait to fill these bright colored, summer inspired cartons with the zinnias, cosmos, and heliantus from my garden.

The shopping was fun of course, but the best part of the Brimfield visit was the opportunity to see old friends and make many new.

I was completely thrilled to arrive at Brimfield to be greeted by the wonderful Chris and Walter Chapin of Company C, a sponsor of the Brimfield event and an inspiring home décor and furnishings brand that I have grown to love. Even more thrilled was I to see stacks of copies of the new fall catalog that Chris and I styled in New Hampshire this past winter. It is always a great pleasure to see the finished product of your work.

I was also delighted to meet editor Erin McLaughlin and her fabulous crew from Canada’s Style at Home, interior designer Shane Inman who did a remarkable job designing the Brimfield tent, and I finally got to meet many fellow twitter pals like @abcddesigns, @stylesson and @warrenbobrow1