Increasing storage and character in the mudroom with an antique wood dresser!
Aside from a few small changes, the mudroom has been decorated the same since the kitchen renovation was completed in 2019.
The DIY leather bench I built for the space served its purpose and the vintage canvas laundry basket was the perfect stylish and functional shoe storage solution.
Making mudroom changes wasn't even on my radar until I won a beautiful four-drawer antique dresser.
I bought the dresser from an online auction for the Lucketts Spring Market, but once I saw it in person I knew it would add so much character, texture, and storage to the mudroom.
It's a real struggle to let things go when you buy and sell what you love!
The antique dresser was in incredible vintage condition and only needed a good cleaning and wipe down with Dark Walnut Restor-A-Finish. It still has some flaws, but that just adds to its character.
The simple raised panels and wood keyholes on the dresser drawer fronts add just the right amount of detail and sold me on the piece.
After moving the dresser to the mudroom, I decided the black metal wire rack should be replaced with a coordinating wood shelf.
I wanted something with character, so I headed to the garage to see if the wood plank I originally bought for the kitchen shelves would work. It's old, aged, and luckily the perfect complement to the antique dresser.
I cut the wood slab down to size and then used my favorite hidden black shelf brackets to hang it on the wall.
Hanging the shelf gave me a new space to decorate and display some of my favorite vintage finds. It's a little random and doesn't necessarily make sense (dogs and swans?), but that's the beauty of decorating your home. It only needs to make sense to you and should be filled with what makes YOU happy.
Last year, I hung a collection of antique dog pencil sketches in the dining room, although I liked them better in the mudroom. So I moved three of my favorites to the mudroom and returned the black clock to the dining room wall.
I decorated the rest of the shelf with vintage books, brass animals, and a few plants. A collection of demijohns sits on the dresser with a small basket that houses a phone charger and serves as a catchall for mail, keys, and other miscellaneous items.
Giving up the canvas laundry tote has been an adjustment. It added vintage character to the mudroom and was an easy and effortless shoe storage solution. Now, the bottom dresser drawer houses our garage/yard shoes and we're learning to put the rest of our shoes away. Spoiler: It's still a work in progress.
Even though the change has been an adjustment, the added storage the antique dresser provides and the ability to display additional vintage decor trump the old bench and laundry tote any day.
The other side of the mudroom remains the same as I still love everything in the space.
All vintage, all unique, and all handpicked.
My home may be neutral, but filling it with vintage furniture and decor adds so much character, personality, and texture that I love!
