MUDROOM: WHERE THE METAL MEETS THE WOOD

Utilitarian spaces always seem to evolve as the needs of a family change. Aside from the kitchen, our mudroom takes quite a beating throughout the day. And after three years I thought it was time for a little facelift to join form and function.

THE BEFORE & AFTER

While there wasn't anything I hated about the before shot, something felt "off" to me. And since I pass through this space numerous times each day, it dawned on me. It was the door! I'm the type of designer who won't sit still until a space feels "complete". Sure, the door serves its purpose as a fire rated entrance to the garage, but could it look less...well, utilitarian?

With an open floorpan, our mudroom sits right off the dining room. For this reason it was important to bring in design elements from the rest of the home. Wicker for texture, storage and to soften the space. A $30 vintage knockoff rug (below) that I've had for about 7 years. I'm surprised by how well it holds up in here with all the boot traffic. A sturdy wood bench for when you need to remove said boots. The wall basket below holds our keys (both functional and attractive). The bronze, vintage fox hook once lived in Parker's bedroom at our old house. I just hadn't found another use for it...until now. I love how it adds character and serves as a reminder of what lives beyond our garage doors. Life at the gateway to the Adirondacks comes with its fair share of wildlife.

Who says you can't turn metal into wood?

And now for the catalyst that inspired this mudroom makeover. I'll be honest, I had very few exceptions when planning this door transformation. Not to mention, there are next to zero tutorials online. All I had to go on was a dream and my usual stubborn ambition to make that dream come true...or fail miserably (I was banking on the latter).

Just wing it, right? That's my motto when I have an idea I just can't shake. I spent a few nights researching wood veneers before pulling the trigger on the right one. Poplar being my baseline since it's used in our beams and for door trim. This meant I needed to find a wood species that would take stain in the same manner and have a consistent grain pattern. I kept coming back to birch. Poplar and birch not only have similar grain patterns, but also lack red and yellow undertones that come with other wood species. Those undertones would be amplified once stain is applied. This would lead to clashing between woods and that's a big NO NO!

After the research phase was complete I decided on a WiseWood birch veneer in the 2x8' size. I made sure to select the option with 3M™ pressure sensitive adhesive backing for easy installation. As their website states,"When it comes to high quality, flexible wood veneer sheets, you have many great options. Our veneers come in a wide variety of species and sizes, ideal for any budget or application. Choose from a number of backers, including paperbacked FlexVen™ 10 Mil & FlexVen™ 20 Mil, polyback Tuf-Pli™, and 2-ply wood Pli-Flex™."

If I was going to question whether or not this transformation would even work, it was at this stage. Luckily, it took all of 10 minutes to line up and affix the veneer to the door (phew). The only draw back being that the metal door has valleys for air pockets to exist once the veneer was set. I tried not to dwell on it and allow my OCD to present a list of "what if's" in my head, so I moved on. What allowed me to move forward was knowing that the trim pieces would further secure the veneer on either side of the door, preventing any curling over time. Most veneers sheets come in 2 foot wide sections. This left just enough surface area for the trim to lock down the veneer's edge while covering the remaining exposed metal. Adding the horizontal trim pieces was straightforward, with a few hiccups. With the poplar trim being just 1/4" thick, I did notice some slight warping on a few corners when adhesive dried. Not to worry! My husband's 50 lb weights helped those stubborn corners stay put.

After the door was stained my nerves were calm again. You could barely tell that the veneer and trim are different wood species. But that nagging feeling still remained. Something felt incomplete. With such a strong focal point, it made sense to balance the stained wood by updating the door molding. I installed a 6" tall piece of trim on top of the existing molding along with a modest crown. A reminder of how much I dislike calculating miter joints.

The only regret I have is how we could have saved money by constructing built-ins by hand. While functional, the piece below does not utilize the ceiling height. We may add plan to build more storage above at some point. Live and learn ;)

If given the chance I'd do it all over again!