Laundry Room : Phase 1

Growing up, our laundry room was always located in the basement.  An unfinished half of a basement, that as a child, was creepy and avoided at all costs.  Our first home we had the exact same set up.  Unfinished half of the basement, to which I did my best to make it feel more “cozy” and less dungeon like, adding large area rugs to try to lessen the cold concrete feel.  It still did not help much, but that was the only place our laundry could go!  Our newest home-made me squeal and plug my nose all in one turn around our kitchen corner.  There she was, dirty, wallpaper, covered in cat hair and dated beyond belief.  All negatives aside, she was located on the first floor.  Yes, my laundry room is a she, and I am surprised at this point I haven’t given her a name because I love her so.

Having the laundry room so accessible on our first floor, with two little boys is a true winner.  We were in sheer rush mode trying to get the wallpaper down and room prepped prior to the appliances being delivered.  Yet, the rush was the biggest blessing, because hadn’t we busted a groove on this room I would have felt the same way I felt tip toeing through my old basement laundry room.

Take a deep breath, I know this room is  was extremely depressing.

Wallpaper needed removed…

A less than appealing slop sink needed to go! Prior to us moving in, there was a kitty litter box beneath it which of course only pushed the room to hold onto their ever so sustainable smell.

The cabinets that were above the previous owners washer/dryer set I was actually looking forward to saving.  Removing one, followed by sanding and painting, and eventually adding a nice tension rod for Dan’s work shirts.  However, the cat smell was so intense it seemed to have seeped into every pore of this room.  Goodbye wallpaper, goodbye sink, goodbye cabinets.  Hello, empty bland space.

For some reason I am a little bit more in love with the laundry room then most rooms in our house. Obviously as a mom, I spend a great deal of time in here. Second to that, I see so much more potential in this room. Storage, art work and hooks for the kids coats. It drives Dan crazy that I care so much about this little room, I couldn’t care less …. a girl’s gotta decorate how a girl wants to decorate!

We painted the laundry room “gallery white” by Behr, the same color we used in our kitchen and family room and love the choice. The wood trim went white, besides the window, still deciding if I want to keep some natural wood work, what do you think?

This tiny space is a just the perfect example as to how a little sweat and hard work can transform a space on a tiny budget.

These simple changes brightened the room by light years, and tossing two clearance target rugs, we are well on our way to having a functional, and attractive laundry room.