Wash…Rinse…Dry…Repeat…Wash…Rinse…Dry…Repeat…

This is the story of my life. We are a family of four and yet, I wash three loads of laundry two times a week. That is six loads per week! Or broken down, it is 1.5 loads per person per week. Is this a lot for a family of four? Maybe I’m too clean? Regardless, with all the time I spend in the laundry room, I wanted it to be attractive.

Our My laundry room looked like this right before we bought the house:

 
If you look up “blah” in the dictionary, you’ll see that picture.

So, I set to work and painted dark blue on the bottom 2/3 of the room and the same color with some white mixed in to the top 1/3 of the room. I also painted the windows and trim a glossy white. It is amazing how much easier it is to dust a newly painted surface (a definite must in a lint-filled laundry room.)

Next, I bought several sections of peg racks and painted them the same color as the trim. I screwed them into studs, or

if there wasn’t a stud to screw into I used Toggler anchors:

Then I set forth to cloak the biggest eye-sore in the room, the utility sink. All I did was cut a curtain down to size and used double-stick velcro. Then I hot glued some roped cording to the top. Abra-ca-dabra, it was sufficiently hidden.

Next I cut a piece of 1″ x 6″ pine to the length of my two windows. I rounded the corners with my jig saw and then used a router to give the edge a decorative finish.

After painting the shelf to match the windows, I mounted it to the wall with metal shelf brackets.

This gave me a sunny spot to rest my plants…

…and laundry supplies (Oxy clean powder, liquid laundry detergent and water spritzer for ironing wrinkles).

I also hung some drop cloth curtains that I painted stripes on (tutorial to come);

added a few letters above the windows;

and now I have a laundry room that I want to spend time in!

This makeover was very low budget. I had the paint leftover from our master bathroom. And the sink cover was one panel on clearance at Target for $3. The letters were $1.50 each and the drop cloths were $5 each. The curtain rod was stolen from another room in our house. And the shelf was from my wood pile. So, all-in-all, I spent about $25.

Some day I’d love to install cabinets with doors on them to hide all the supplies. But, until that day, I’m happy with the transformation.

So, am I the only one doing loads and loads and loads of laundry?

55 replies
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  1. Carolyn
    Carolyn says:

    Amazing! I’m inspired to “finish” my laundry room. With 8 kids…I do alot of laundry! Might as well enjoy the chore! I love reading your posts and it gives me the confidence to try something myself, when DH is bogged down with everthing else.
    Thanks, Carolyn

    Reply
  2. Jenn
    Jenn says:

    What a transformation! I love how sunny and bright the whole room feels with the big windows and plants and pretty curtains. Nicely done!

    Reply
  3. Leanne
    Leanne says:

    I love the wall color. My favorite things are the containers for the cleaning detergents. I'm hosting We're Organized Wednesday through Saturday and would love for you to join the party if you get the chance.

    Reply
  4. Traci@ Beneath My Heart
    Traci@ Beneath My Heart says:

    Brittany,
    I love it!!!
    The blues make it looks so fresh!
    As soon as I saw that first picture, I thought I spotted me a drop cloth. 🙂 You know I love me some drop cloths!
    I have to make a skirt for my sink this weekend. Thinking of using burlap of course. We'll see.
    I love the way you have your detergent and plants in the window. Beautimous!
    Thanks for linking to my party!
    xoxo
    traci

    Reply
  5. 1 Funky Woman
    1 Funky Woman says:

    I love the stripes and the cover around your sink. Very calming colors used. And I love your containers used for the soap!

    Reply
  6. Blessed Mommy of 2
    Blessed Mommy of 2 says:

    Your laundry room looks great! Love the containers you used for supplies, your curtians, the paint….all of it! How awesome to have a window in your laundry room!

    Reply
  7. Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com
    Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com says:

    Your laundry room looks awesome!! I love the blue color and you are so lucky to have a window!!! Love it.

    It was so fun to meet you and hang out at Blissdom. You are so sweet!

    xoox
    Jen

    Reply
  8. Jen@AutomaticMoms.com
    [email protected] says:

    Love it, love it, love it! My laundry room is in a closet in our hallway so I don't have as much room to work with, but you've inspired me to try painting it and adding some accessories at least to make it a little more cheery!

    I love the sink cover idea and can think of a few places in our home where that work work nicely!

    Reply
  9. {the vintage wren}
    {the vintage wren} says:

    Love your transformation, the fact that it was done with such a small budget makes it that much better. -Carrie

    Reply
  10. Pine Tree Home
    Pine Tree Home says:

    I am in the process of fixing mine up and really like some of the small things in yours. The nice bottles, the paper towel on the rod and the plants. Such a homey place. Great work.

    Reply

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