Laundry Room! The Big Reveal!

Well friends, it took about 4 times as long as we thought to finish our laundry room re-do, but it’s pretty much done now.  (Well except for where the plumber cut the sink hole in the counter too large and we had to order a new counter top.  Still waiting on that, but such is life.)

I have been dreaming up this laundry room for YEARS, and I’m happy to say that it both functions and looks just like it did in my dreams.  Uh-mazing!

And really, pictures speak more than 1000 words, so I’ll get to it!

Here’s what it looked like before…. (in all it’s standard messy glory!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And… after a full on gut-it-to-the-studs, and a few weeks of carpentry, and plumbing, and electrical mojo….

We now have this….

Doesn’t it just make you want to curl up and do…

Laundry?!?!

How bout a little more?

Because inquiring minds often want to know….the paint color on the wall is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, the ceiling is BM Palladian Blue, and the door is BM Wythe Blue.  (I had the rest of my downstairs doors painted in the Wythe Blue too…that’s been on my dreaming list for about 3 years as well.)

I had beadboard sheets installed on the ceiling and I love the combination of it with the schoolhouse light for a vintage feel.  We added can lights as well which really brighten the space.  The center light and the cans are on different switches too, so I can keep it low should I find myself in there in the late hours of the night or wee hours of the morning.

I LOVE these floors.  They’re designer vinyl tiles, and at just $3.02/sq ft they don’t break the bank!  My inspiration was from this fabulous house I found HERE (pictured below).  Obviously though, those floors were some super old and worn gorgeous stone….which I wasn’t going to be able to afford to put in my own home.  I also happen to prefer the tiles on the diagonal to add visual interest to the space.  I think for a cheap-o version, they definitely create the look though huh?

I really wanted to have a countertop where I could fold clothes and whatnot, but I passionately didn’t want a frontloading washing machine.  Most of the people I asked had mixed reviews on the front loaders, and I HATE that moldy smell they all seem to get after some time too.  I didn’t want to have to clean my WASHING machine all the time, or have to leave the door open either (because the washer is on the left immediately as you enter the room anyways.)  We ended up buying a top loading machine with front loading technology and I LOVE it!  Never smells, I don’t have to cram it full since gravity is on my side, it cleans amazingly, and doesn’t smell.  So I bought a mismatched set (the dryer is from a different model set.)  It’s worth the sacrifice of the partial counter space to not have a room that wreaks!  My advice should you ever find yourself in this situation…buy the best washer you can find for your $$, and buy the best rated dryer that you can for your $$…and forget about if they were “made” to go together.  Your life is about what works for you…not what a manufacturer tells you that you should do.

Before, part of the problem was the ginormous main electrical panel on the wall.  We had a custom cabinet maker work around the thing so that it looks even, but is still accessible inside the door!  Check it out!

And yes….I have already crammed it full!

The width of the doors couldn’t be the same so I just had him put a little faux piece for the doors to close on…see there on the left…that funny little piece just above the duster?!  And for the record….who are we kidding with a duster in there?!  As if I actually use that thing?!

 

Here’s a little more of the storage!

 

 

The upper center section holds the tall drink dispensers that I use for parties perfectly!  I even went to town with some storage containers for all of our crafting supplies!

And perhaps the happiest part of all for me, still needs some organizing, but look….I have a pantry!  FINALLY!

THE BEST thing I did in this entire room may very well be having the can shelving put onto the doors on the pantry side! Oh my words…LOVE being able to see things clearly!  And inside the cabinet, I put those stair-step expandable shelves to help see cans and things as well.  (You can get those at places like Bed, Bath, and Beyond or probably on Amazon too.)  And yes…my husband really likes boxed tacos…I’m not too proud to tell you that I’m all about some Old El Paso for a quick dinner on a night where I haven’t made a plan!

So…just a few more beauty shots…because they make me happy!

Dare I say it….

I might even like doing laundry now!

Now if I could just snap my fingers and get it to put itself away like this gal…

photo from Mary Poppins the movie

**So what’s your favorite thing in the space?  What would you have done differently?  Impressions?  Do you like it?  Do share in the comments below!