Laundry Room Makeover

Part A:  Cindy's Inspirational Laundry Room Redo

A couple weeks ago I was surfing around for photos of board and batten and came across this laundry room transformation:

Wowsers!

 ***Cindy's Aqua Laundry Room Redo*** 

I just love how bloggers can inadvertently change a room in your house just because they shared what they did in theirs!

Part B:  My Own Laundry Room Makeover

The Before

My own sad little laundry room had a very similar layout and I had an ah-ha moment. I too could put board and batten on my boring wall opposite the washer and dryer.  Next thing you know I found myself at Home Depot buying mdf, and at various other places to collect up everything I needed to transform my messy neglected laundry cave:

Not a very inspiring room to keep clean (or finish painting for that matter!)

Right off the bat I was interested in seeing what the little room would look like if I took the doors off the cupboard. As you can see below, it was really nothing more than a big junk collector. I cut out some paper trim and taped them up into the corners to see what that would look like. If I did this, I'd want it to look finished and I figured some trim would help.

Paper "trim" taped up to see what it would look like

The After

Less than two weeks later, I now have a laundry room that is a pleasure to walk into! I don't even mind my old washer and dryer.

The paint colour is "Delicate Moss" by Debbie Bliss

I removed the door which helped make the little room feel more spacious

Taking the doors off definitely added to a feeling of openness and space

Handy hooks from Walmart for hangers of clothes I need to air dry

Cafe style curtains replaced the mini-blind to bring in more light and yet give privacy from the neighbour's driveway (and unsightly green fence!)

A sweet vintage cut out from a children's book from Abundant Curiosities at Etsy.com

I used plain old white semi-gloss paint right off the shelf

A little applique design of mine to add some cheer

My daughter found this vintage recipe box in a thrift shop last summer and I couldn't help but display it here

Maybe it's obvious to some, but the beadboard is actually paintable beadboard wallpaper.  I chose to use the Wall Doctor brand by Graham and Brown, made in England, and found it at my local Canadian Tire.  I compared it to the Martha Stewart one sold at Home Depot (which is NOT prepasted - NO thank you!) and found the Wall Doctor one to be of a superior quality.  It was super easy to work with and well worth the money.

In case you're wondering where the heck the laundry detergent is etc., I keep a jug of detergent on the floor, and bleach and fabric softener up in the closet in the next room (the back entry).  I don't use those much, so they don't need to be super handy.

A poochie approved place to store the laundry detergent

A few baskets hold dish towels, dish cloths, and single socks.

Easy to grab dishcloths in a basket (my kitchen is close to the laundry room)

It's a pretty room to do laundry in, and I find I'm keeping up on the clothes washing much better than I used to!