Laundry Room Transformation

 When we bought our home last August, the laundry room looked like this.  I loved the size, the utility sink, and the way that it was a "catch all" room before you entered the main part of the house.  However, the floor, the wall color, the old shelves- they all had to go!

We had ceramic tile floor laid prior to our move-in date, so this brown and tan lineolium floor is long gone.  We removed these shelves shortly after we moved in, but hadn't had time to paint and redecorate until now.

We did put up some newer, nicer shelves and lived with those for a while.  These shelves were from an old shoe organizer that we didn't need.  So, we made use of the longer pieces of shelving by disassembling the organizer.

For quite some time, I thought about what color to paint this room.  Although the rest of the house is very neutral and soft colors, I wanted this room to be bright and fun.  So, I finally settled on a creamy yellow.  I don't have a name for this paint, though.  I went to Home Depot and loved the aqua color of spray paint by Rustoleum.  They had a canary type color that blended perfectly with it.  I took the canary spray paint to the paint counter and asked them to match the cap of the can, and they did!  And I just love it.

This small space has four doors- one to the garage, one to the kitchen/family room, one to my sewing room, and one to the patio/pool area.  So, there is a lot of traffic that flows through this area!  

These yellow baskets were in the Dollar Spot at Target a while ago.  I love how they organize my food and hide it, too!  I found the blue ones at CVS (3 pack for $3) and love how they are interspersed within the yellow.

Above the washer and dryer, I have a sign from Old Time Pottery.  The blue vase was found at our church's rummage sale, and the flowers were from our wedding six years ago.  The round yellow baskets are actually pots for plants (plastic, of course) that I found for $0.74 at Target.

This blue cabinet was actually a DVD cabinet that I bought on Craigslist several years ago.  I will share the before and after later the week, but we use it for the kids shoes.  It's the perfect size for toddler shoes and they can always be found when we're running out the door... if the kids put them away, that is.  :)

This peg hanger was found at Goodwill for $1.99.  I spray painted it white and then had my husband cut it down to make it go around this corner.  I left this space a little bare because I'm sure it will be cluttered with purses, backpacks, diaper bags, etc. in the near future.

Above this area, I made a key hanger similar to my necklace hanger.  I'll share the how-to later this week as well.

One of the more expensive things in the room was this broom and mop organizer from Bed Bath and Beyond- $13 with a 20% off coupon.  I love how it hides these unsightly necessities behind the door. 

I also made a felt ruffle wreath to hang near the dryer.  I had one long wall of yellow that needed a punch of blue, so this was a frugal and easy solution.

This white box was a yard sale find for $3.  It's solid wood and hangs nicely on the wall to hold paper plates, which we use often, especially in the summer. 

Under the utility sink I keep a plastic tote full of my Shark Steam Mop supplies and other cleaning supplies (not cleaning solutions, just in case the kids got curious).  This was also on clearance at Target for $5.

I love these closet hangers from Old Time Pottery.  They fold up (as you can see in the previous photos) and then can hang down to hold clothes and such.  Such a space saver.

And this octopus thing from Ikea is just perfect for swimsuits, bras, or anything you need to hang dry.

Well, I think that completes our tour of my new laundry room.  Let's just recap one more time...

Before....

and After....

Things I still want to do:

• Replace the brown doors with white doors
• Buy a new door for the exit to the pool/patio, preferably one with windows to let in natural light.
• Make a skirt for the utility sink.

Check back later this week for the breakdown of some features of the space.