Smart storage

A mud room (or mudroom) is a utility room separating the indoors from the outdoors. It is the place to hang up coats, or leave dirty boots or shoes. It’s also where you stash dog leads, umbrellas and other sundry items that clutter up the house. In large houses, mud rooms are located at a back entrance, but they can also be at the front door or be part of a verandah or conservatory.

Mud rooms are hardworking spaces – and even the tiniest version will help keep the house clean and organised. If you love the idea of a mud room but can’t dedicate a whole room to this purpose, try a mud cupboard.

The drawers and hanging space of old manrobes or wardrobes make them ideally suited to this project – especially once painted to suit your décor.

You will need

• An old manrobe or wardrobe
• Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat
• Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel in colours of your choice
• Resene FX Blackboard Paint
• Medium-sized paintbrushes
• Chalk
• Cloths

Tip:  Match your mud cupboard to its surroundings. We painted the cabinet with Resene Joanna and Resene New Denim Blue to match the veranda.

Step-by-step instruction

Step 1: Remove drawers and unscrew handles (or you may chose to paint handles to match for a seamless effect). Wipe all paintable surfaces with a damp cloth.

Step 2: Paint all surfaces with Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. Allow to completely dry.

Step 3: Topcoat all surfaces using Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel. Generally, it is best to avoid painting drawer runners as this can cause them to jam, but loose drawers can sometimes be painted. Allow to dry and apply a second coat as necessary.

Step 4: Paint panels onto the drawer fronts using Resene Blackboard Paint. Allow to dry.

Step 5: Use chalk to write labels on the drawer fronts, before reassembling and filling your super-handy new mud cupboard.

*Wall colour and outside of cupboard painted in Resene Joanna. Window frames painted in Resene Lemon Grass. Plant pot painted in Resene Seachange. Inside of cupboard painted in Resene New Denim Blue. Door is painted in Resene Nelson Red.

Words and project Sarah Heeringa. Photography Amanda Reelick.

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