Laundry room mini makeover before…after!
One of several mini makeovers I completed this summer was our tiny, but mighty laundry room. Though its square footage spans only about 24 feet, it is a major core area and thoroughfare of our home. Besides the obvious laundry facilities, this room connects three different spaces-the kitchen, bathroom, and backyard, hosts our hot and cold water dispenser, keeps our recyclables neat and tidy, and stores pots, pans, and other utilities that would otherwise be inconveniently lost in the garage.
Still, due to its seemingly insignificant size, we never really did anything with it except hang a couple pictures. Blah. I knew it had bold potential, so I went for it and designed a fun and functional laundry room where guests now stop and enjoy this refreshed happy hub of our home.
Kitchen view.
Of all the Pinterest laundry rooms I searched for inspiration, the paint colors were typically bright and cheery. I thought, well…hmm. I could do something like those, or, I could finish off the rest of the paint we used in the living room! It would tie that space with this one, hide it a bit from the kitchen, and would cost nothing to do. Bingo. By the by…it took us easily half the time to paint it using this fab gadget…check it out!
Fun feature wall!
I have to admit this was a bold, out-of-my-comfort-zone choice to create this feature wall. It’s one thing to see a room in a CB2 catalog and love its whimsical busyness, it’s another to actualize it in your head and make it happen in your own home.
Um…it’s the laundry room! Why not? If there’s anywhere to go a little nuts, it’s a space where people aren’t going to necessarily hang out for long. The reviews? This energetic space now welcomes unsuspecting visitors that puts a smile on their face (as well as easily directing them to the “facilities”!).
Helpful signage.
I made about five different chalkboard signs this summer (all from free scrap wood and curbside finds) and thought this one would lessen the question so often asked, “Where’s your bathroom?” It has definitely helped. Still, it’s meant to be changed, so graffiti artists and scribblers are welcome to offer some “funism” sage advice or drawings!
Organized pretty.
The one thing I did learn from my Pinterest and internet research was the art of the organized pretty. It’s possible if you edit and place items that aesthetically play nicely together with enough open space to avoid visual crowding. What’s also nifty, is that a large shelf like this can be handy to keep things out of the way, beautifully display your every once in a while essentials, and allow you to get to them with little effort.
New and easy to clean floors.
Want to change your life? Install new floors!!! I can’t tell you how appreciative I am EVERY day when I can walk barefoot on these fabulous tiles. The old, mismatched, creamy-dirty-sticky linoleum ones were so depressing and never clean…even 5 minutes after I mopped and scrubbed them! If you want to see how my friend (whom I will, for long into the future, owe big-time!), Steve Cowman and I installed these lovely vinyl floor tiles, hop on over to check it out.
Utility closet.
Storage Tip!
A handy storage and organizing tip is to find one of those old entertainment units or an armoire and repurpose it into a utility closet to add to your laundry room. Ours gets a ton of use by keeping things closed away but accessible. Stay tuned for the much needed makeover that’s written all over it!
What do you think about our laundry room? Do tell!
All photography by Skaie Knox, HomeJelly
