New Year, New Home: Beautifying Your Laundry

One space in your home that you (most likely) use ALOT is your laundry room {or laundry area or laundry closet or laundry nook}.....you get the picture.  For me, I do TONS of laundry (more than I'd like to admit)   After the kitchen, the laundry room is most likely the second space that you spend the most time ~ especially if you have kids ~ so beautify it...VAMP IT UP!!  In many homes, the laundry room area is small and doesn't allow the proper room to sort, wash, and fold!  The unfinished closet or hidden space in the basement, just isn't cutting it.  Let's turn it around ~ Embrace our laundry area.  Since it's inevitable that we all have to do laundry, let's make it an enjoyable, fun spot in the house!

I'm not guaranteeing you will love doing laundry, 

but at least you can be a little happier doing it.

My laundry room space closet is nothing to speak of, but I HAVE tried to maximize the space with going high has you can go...one of my favorite mottos and can be meant for so many things in life.  In this case, I'm talking about installing shelving as high as possible.  Like many builder spec houses, our laundry closet had one white wire shelf about 5' off the floor.  That's it??  That's nothing, YUP...definitely not enough.  In a previous post, I mentioned this laundry update.   By using bins and baskets, I've been able to maximize the use of this space AND make it look PRETTY!   Add pictures or 'laundry' signs, or even a pop of color...you'll enjoy this unexpected treat every time you clean those dirty clothes. And sometimes there's nothing you can do about ugly pipes :( ....just EMBRACE :)

  

Let's check out some laundry ROOMS that I just....ADORE!

When designing a laundry room, think of the space not only to wash/dry clothes, but as an {organizational command center}.  By incorporating base and upper cabinets, you can store miscellaneous items, as well as multi-task, & keep things organized in one designated spot!

 A great location for a washer/dryer in any home is at the entry / mud room. The kids come in from playing outside in the snow...put the clothes in the dryer...PERFECT.  You're outside gardening...put your clothes in the washer...IDEAL.  Again, incorporating cabinetry is a great way to build-in your washer and dryer, but also to organize.

 Have FUN with color....Create the unexpected!

How elegant is this space?! ...I'd hang out here ALL DAY!   I love how the accessories ~ the topiary, glass filled jars, and the laundry sign ~ are used to 'dress up' a typically drear part of the home.

Building your washer and dryer into cabinetry is ideal if the laundry room is being shared with bathroom or other space where you may not want to see this huge appliance.

Retro Fab!

POP it with COLOR!

This is somewhat a 'typical' looking laundry space, yet it's so efficiently and beautifully put together.  Everything needed for laundry and more, is neatly stacked and placed on the shelves.

Front loaders are an ideal style of washer and dryer to have, since it allows space on top for a countertop to sort and fold.

Think {Built-ins}! If your washer and dryer are not located in the 'best spot' of the house, build them into cabinetry...you'd never expect this stunning hutch housed the washer and dryer.

Simply have fun with your laundry room decor.  This space sure could have been boring with white cabs, white walls, and white appliances, {BUT} by introducing a plaid wallpaper, adding some country pictures, and changing the hardware to bright red knobs, this is a room that anyone would enjoy doing laundry in!

Images courtesy of Hampton Design, House & Home, My Home Ideas, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, Desire to Inspire, Real Simple, BHG, Decor Pad

Here's a sneak peak of what I was working on yesterday....

hmmm...what can it be???  any ideas?  

Stayed Tuned!