Home Tour – Laundry Room

I have been living in my home for 11 years now.  The only room that looked exactly the same as the day I moved in was my laundry room.  I have painted, decorated, remodeled or in some way put my stamp on every other room, except the laundry room.  One of my goals for this summer was to finally tackle the laundry room.   I am pleased to report that it is done.  Woohoo!

I do a fair bit of laundry and that room was so dismal that I hated going in there. I’m sorry I didn’t take any before photos.  I don’t know why, maybe I just didn’t want to have any memories of it.  You can use your imagination, though.  Just picture beige.  Beige cabinets, beige walls, beige counters and beige floors.  Beige.  That’s it. Oh, and lots of dust.

My two priorities when decorating or remodeling any space are always form and function.  While my laundry room wasn’t terribly dysfunctional, it was seriously lacking in the form department.  To remedy the shortcomings with function, I replaced my old basic model Maytag washer and dryer with a new Samsung high efficiency washer and dryer.   The washer is the model with Activewash.  It’s basically a little sink in the top of the washer.  I don’t have a sink in my laundry room, so I thought this would be a nice feature for pre-soaking and rinsing.  I chose a top load washer since the room is so narrow.  I thought a front load washer would just be too difficult to access.   The new washer is HUGE!   I’m 5′ 4″ (okay, you got me.  I’m 5′ 3″ and I like to round up) and I can barely reach the bottom to get the laundry out. Hence the little step stool nearby.

Another functional issue was lack of hanging space.  The room has tons of cabinets which is great, but there was no place to hang anything.  On the long wall opposite the washer and dryer, I added a 1 x 4 that spans the entire length of the room.  I screwed the wood piece into the studs and painted it the same color as the cabinets.  I then hung large hooks evenly spaced along the entire length of the wood.   I hang the less pretty, but necessary, items like my broom and Swiffer behind the door.

I love that vintage bathing suit with the ric rac trim.  It was actually my inspiration for the laundry room design.

The final functional issue was solved by adding a shelf above the washer and dryer.  I used 4 pieces of 10 inch plumbing pipe and floor flanges for the shelf supports.  I then cut a 2 x 10 piece of pine to size (okay, the nice guy at Home Depot actually cut it for me), stained it with a weathered gray stain, and lightly dry brushed it with white paint for a weathered effect.  Now my laundry soaps are close at hand, and the small counter top is freed up for folding laundry.

I like to use inexpensive glass canisters for my laundry soap.  It’s just a bit prettier than the plastic containers they come in.  That’s the form part of the equation.

I picked up that conch shell on a trip to visit my mom in Naples, Florida.  Anything that reminds me of the sea makes me happy.  You can actually blow that thing, too.

The most time consuming part of the makeover was the painting.  The cabinets were a light maple and in great condition.   All of the other cabinets and woodwork in my home are painted white, which I love.  I have always wanted to paint these cabinets white as well.  Sorry, wood loving fans, but I will always love white cabinets.   I primed and then painted them with Benjamin Moore Advance paint in Cloud White, which is a close match to the white trim in my home.  I used a satin finish.  Love how they turned out.  I also added new cabinet hardware in an oil rubbed bronze finish.   The walls got a fresh coat of blue paint.

I’m not in love with the beige tile counter tops, but I’m leaving them for the time being. Now that they aren’t the same color as the walls and the cabinets, I don’t mind them so much. They are actually the color of sand and work with the beachy vibe I’m going for.

Love my little sheep soap on a rope.  Reminds me of the ’70’s when soap on a rope was all the rage. Well, maybe it was just the rage at my house.

And no room is complete without my favorite succulent.

Thanks for stopping by.

Susan

Sources:

• Washer and Dryer – Samsung
• Cabinet Paint – Benjamin Moore Advance in Cloud White
• Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore in Buckingham Blue
• Glass canisters – Target
• Bathing suit – Vintage
• Striped rug – IKEA
• Blue succulent bowl – West Elm
• Cabinet Hardware – Liberty Hardware
• Wall hooks – Lowes