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The mudroom was always meant to be warm, organized, and a place to make a mess. But, you know me, it still needed to be the kind of place where everything had a spot and the everyday chaos of coats, boots, and groceries could find order.

When we finalized the kitchen design, we realized that once we locked in our appliances, the pantry had to go. Instead of losing it altogether, we shifted it into the mudroom, just steps away from both the kitchen and garage. Honestly, it worked out better. Groceries now move seamlessly from the car to storage without cluttering the main space.

All we knew was we wanted lockers. We didn’t know what we wanted them to look like but when you saw how beautiful Studio McGee’s lockers turned out on this project, it was hard to want anything else. We envisioned three lockers (one for each of us) and a fourth turned into a secondary pantry, this one for non-food essentials like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. The top and bottom of the lockers were reserved for baskets to add texture and hold shoes (bottom) and hats, gloves, etc. (top), while the centre left room for a matching runner to soften the space. 

Across the room was our laundry facility and directly behind the kitchen, our pantry. A concrete countertop ran the full length, a subtle nod to the pendants in our kitchen. It held jars of detergent and lint balls with the washer, dryer and laundry baskets below. Directly behind the kitchen was our favourite feature: the pantry wall, with recessed glass uppers showcasing visible pantry items, oak drawer lowers, concealing those pantry staples that you didn’t want to look at, like granola bars and bags of dried fruit, and that continuous stretch of concrete counter that divides. It looked so simple on the outside, but the complexity of all the design details coming together made it something truly special.

All together the only design debate was the colour. I wanted blue lockers, and my husband leaned toward green. The final decision was still up for grabs, but either way, we knew it would bring the perfect pop of personality. We also considered whether to echo the concrete in the locker bench or keep it oak — one of those small but impactful choices that would set the tone for the space.

We’ll see how it all turns out.