It’s finally here! The laundry room has taken a while to get done but it’s finally complete and I’m so excited to share it with you. I am learning that doing projects with three kids is a much longer process. You do three minutes here and ten minutes there. The kids are in bed so you think you have more time and then the baby needs to nurse. Anyway, I have learned that this is just a part of life right now and I need to enjoy every minute of it.
You know what else is part of life? LAUNDRY! That never-ending, mounding chore that I loathe. This laundry room was functional before but definitely not exciting to visit multiple times a day. Now I have a space that is a reflection of me and makes me smile every day. In case you missed all of the before pictures and plan, here are some pictures to remind you of that dark, boring room.
Nothing exciting, right? It functioned but not as well as I would have liked. There were a few problems I wanted to address:
- The room needs some personality
- A solution to prevent socks from falling behind the washer and dryer
- A different way to store wrapping paper
- A place to hang and air-dry clothes
Are you ready? Here comes probably way too many pictures of such a small room but it just makes me so happy.
This room gets zero natural light. (Which is extremely frustrating for taking pictures of it.) The first thing I did was paint the walls a bright white. (Untinted white from Sherwin Williams) This helped brighten up the space. I knew I wanted to do a fun color on the ceiling and since green is my favorite color, I figured why not? This is such a fun green. It’s a darker shade but not so dark that the room feels closed in. Plus, I love that the fun color can be seen through the new glass light fixture.
light fixture | brass melon handles
Next, I used this amazing Bejeweled stencil from Royal Design Studio, which gives the look of wallpaper. Their stencils are so nice. They are fairly large and come in different sizes depending on the project you are doing. They clean easily and paint doesn’t smudge much with them. I am very impressed and will purchase from them again. I painted the white in a semi-gloss and got a matte black to give some dimension and interest to the pattern. This was a lot of work and by no means is it perfect, but I am in love. This pattern is such a simple one but I love the graphic impact it brings to the small space. I did the stencil in a striped pattern to help lengthen the room.
art | gold frame | stencil
Alright, so the room had personality now! First challenge accepted and conquered! Next up was to prevent socks and the kids’ clothes from ALWAYS finding their way to the doom behind and/or between the washer and dryer. I vividly remember trying to fish out little socks while pregnant. NEVER AGAIN! I was determined to find a solution that would cover up the gaps while also being functional. I also wanted to make it so we were still able to access the valves and dryer vent as needed. So a DIY shelf to the rescue.
We went to the hardware store and purchased some 8 inch whitewood board. Have you guys seen this whitewood board at Lowe’s? It is a pretty substantial wood for very inexpensive. This was perfect for this project. I did not want to spend a ton of money on this laundry room. Now for smaller projects, this whitewood board is great but I definitely wouldn’t recommend making a table out of it.
We measured very carefully and then cut, sanded, and stained with a walnut finish. Then we attached the shelves to the wall with these brackets. You can see in the above picture that we created a “waterfall” edge so we could continue the shelf next to the washer as well. This not only prevents all those little articles of clothing from falling down, but gives the room a more built-in feel. Using a Kreg jig pocket hole system, we connected the pieces to get our 90 degree angles. It is so nice to have this ledge as a barricade but also to put functional and pretty things on.
linen spray | so fresh and so clean clean art | brass melon handles
linen spray | so fresh and so clean clean art
And yes, that DIY art is an ode to my 90’s upbringing. Sorry not sorry, Ms. Jackson. (Oh Outkast, where have you been?) I added some thrifted finds to these little vignettes. Right now, the wire basket holds our dryer sheets and the small green dish is for loose change, rocks, legos, and whatever other treasures we find in our family’s pockets. And I’m sure you noticed that I put in a backsplash. I used a peel and stick subway tile. This concept has always intrigued me and I thought this small space was a great place to give it a try. More on this process to come. It’s good for this space but I’m not sure I would recommend it to others.
Ok, so we’ve got our personality and a blockade for socks. Now we need some wrapping paper storage. In the before pictures, you can see that our wrapping paper was just in a short basket in the corner, taking up space and not very pretty to look at. Well, wouldn’t you know that after we created our wood shelf, we also created a perfect little nook next to the washer for a DIY wrapping paper cart.
brass knob(similar) | kraft paper | navy arrow paper | stencil
Oh yes! This is amazing. A rolling cart that conceals the wrapping paper but is still easy to access. Plus it adds to the built-in feel of the room now. I painted it white so it would blend in with the washer and the walls and added a cute brass knob. It really completes this laundry room and is a fun hidden gem!
brass knob(similar) | kraft paper | navy arrow paper | stencil |trash can | art
Last but not least, a place to hang and air-dry clothes. At first, I was going to make a pull down drying rack, but I realized that this is a small space and I really didn’t want something else that would invade your personal space. The other thing I realized is that having hangers available was not an option either. I needed something very simple yet effective. And it really was simple. I found this cute hanging rack and it works perfectly. The wood tone is pretty and the knobs played into the brass and glass vibe going throughout the rest of the room. And voila! Drying rack.
We accomplished everything we wanted to and more! I am so happy with the way this turned out and cannot even begin to tell you how much happier I am when I’m doing laundry! Here are a few more pictures, just for fun!
I also found my new favorite home decor store … H&M! The rug and basket are from there and they are fantastic! Great quality and a really good price. We added the final touches with the rug and some art and handles on the cabinets and made a cozy little laundry room that feels much less daunting when entering. I’m off to work on the next project, the nursery! Let me know below what your favorite part of this laundry room makeover is and if you liked it. I always enjoy hearing your feedback.
Have an amazing weekend!
*This post contains affiliate links but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for your continual support of R&H!
I love it! Love the walls and ceiling!
What a great makeover! Absolutely love how you devised room for the wrapping paper, AND the shelves themselves are wonderful! The whole space looks inviting and functional – couldn’t ask for more than that from a laundry space!
Thank you so much, Janet! The wrapping paper cart is definitely my favorite part!
Ommmg this is so pretty and omg can’t even imagine the effort that was put into this. It is so beautiful! This is a laundry room goal. I love it 😀
Wow what an amazing compliment! Thank you so much! Working in tight spaces can definitely be a challenge.
Love this!!!!
What a great makeover. Your laundry room looks like mine and I’ve been trying to find a way to jazz it up. You did some really simple and beautiful upgrades and now I have some serious inspiration!
Aw Jill, thank you so much! I’m so glad it inspires you for your own space. Ours is such a strange room. They could have used more space to make it a little larger in order to add room for shelves, storage, etc. but they chose to make it this size. Who knows? But I am in love now! If you ever need a second opinion on what you’re thinking, I’m always happy to help others out with their spaces!
So many amazing ideas here!! In love with the green ceiling!
Thank you! I was trying to think of a fun way to add personality in such a small space.
I bought the stencil and I’m thinking of getting started. Any tips befor I begin stenciling? Thanks! It all looks so perfect!
Oh Angela, I’m so glad! They have the best stencils around! Make sure to get the stencil as flat as possible before starting, try not to get too much paint on your roller or brush so it doesn’t bleed through the stencil. Start with less and then as you get used to it, you’ll start to know how much paint to use. I would say, also, to clean your stencil periodically so as not to transfer paint from the stencil to the wall. Their stencils clean really easily. Have so much fun and send me a picture or tag me on instagram when it’s done @rufusandhenrietta. I’d love to see it!