Organize Recycling & Create a Family Command Center in Your Mudroom

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Come see how I created a DIY recycling organization station with inexpensive kitchen cabinets and how I made a family command station in a mud room / laundry room.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Brookfield Residential. As always, all of the opinions here are my own.

I’m thrilled to be partnering with Brookfield Residential here in Edmonton this year for some fun, functional and easy DIY ideas that you can re-create in your home. Over the next several months, I’ll be working on DIY projects in some of their gorgeous show homes all over the city to give YOU ideas on what you could build in your own home to add to its function and value. In case you missed it, in January I shared how I built a simple and functional DIY entry hook wall at the Dawson show home and you can read all about that here. Then in February, I showed you how I gave a closet an industrial makeover on a budget. Last month, I taught you how to build a framed pegboard and workbench in a garage nook.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

This month (and as a tribute to Earth Day!), I had the privilege of working in the Low Carbon Discovery Home in the Chappelle Gardens community in South West Edmonton. From winding recreational trails to fun events at the Social House, Chappelle Gardens is all about connectivity and community. It’s the perfect place to raise a family with Donald R. Getty School nearby, a community garden, and lots of space to play.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

This Brighton model show home has 3 spacious bedrooms, a beautiful galley style kitchen with a large island, and a rear entry mud room with main floor laundry (where this DIY will be!).

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

This Low Carbon Discovery Home was built with the intention of creating an affordable low carbon home that will reduce emissions and utility bills by reliably producing as much electricity as it consumes.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

I was inspired by all of the earth-friendly features in this home, and thought it would be a good idea to continue the theme with the DIY project I worked on: a recycling center made from kitchen cabinets with a family command center. A little nook just inside the Brighton mudroom / laundry room was the perfect place for this!

If you’re local, make sure to come see this DIY in person and enter to win $500 towards making your own DIY project with Brookfield Residential! You can find all of the contest details here on Brookfield’s DIY site.

Here’s how the mudroom nook looked BEFORE:

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

Now, watch my YouTube video below to see how I made over this nook in the Low Carbon Discovery Home’s mudroom, or follow the step-by-step written instructions below:

How to create an organized home recycling station and family command center:

First, I purchased two 15 x 15″ Ikea kitchen cabinets with drawers and assembled them as per the instructions.

Then, I cut a hole in the back of one cabinet to match the placement of an outlet on the wall of the mudroom nook.

Then, I put the cabinets in place, attached them together with screws, and attached a wooden countertop on top with screws. I decided to float the cabinets on the ground so that they’d be movable if ever needed. The countertop was a scrap piece from one of my husband’s renovation jobs, so it was a great way to use leftover material.

Next, I plugged a phone charging cable into the outlet beneath the cabinets and threaded the cord through the top back holes of the cabinets and up & out a hole we drilled on the top left of the wooden counter.

I used a wooden crate I had on hand, and spray painted it to make a simple charging station to sit atop the cabinets.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

The phone charging cord threads perfectly through the hole in the counter and into the crate to charge a phone or other device.

I used my Cricut to create labels for my charging station and the fronts of my cabinets for recycling, but you could also use sticker paper and your printer to create similar labels.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

Click here to download my free art file for the recycling labels for glass, paper, plastic and metal!

To complete the recycling cabinet, I added some fabric bins and recycling bags to the drawers and attached knobs to the drawer fronts.

I made a simple command center above by mounting a magazine file, whiteboard, bulletin board and recycled cork trivets to the wall.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

I attached some free printable artwork to the wooden bulletin board, and you can find these lovely blue & yellow themed vintage botanical prints right here.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in MudroomDIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

The lemon-themed printable lists are by me, and you can download them for free right here!

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

A candle, a plant in an upcycled pot and a thrifted tray used for keys and trinkets completes this counter and makes it ultra functional.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

I love how this recycling station and command center turned out, and I hope we can put a similar one in our home one day!

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

Not only is it practical and a great reminder to recycle, but it adds so much character and personalization to this mudroom entry.

DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom           DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

Learn more about the Brookfield Residential Low Carbon Discovery show home right here and if you’re local, make sure to come see this DIY in person and enter to win $500 towards making your own DIY project! You can find all of the contest details here on Brookfield’s DIY site.

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DIY Home Recycling Station & Family Command Center in Mudroom

5 Comments

  1. Great idea! Did you get the bin you put in it at IKEA? Which model IKEA cabinet did you use? It looks like it’s sitting on the floor, not mounted/floating. Did I missed something, or were you saying you’re going to float it? Anyway, I think this is my solution. Thanks!

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