Updating the Laundry Room Decor in One Weekend
Our laundry room is a small room at the end of the hall on the second floor. Its convenient to have near our bedrooms & bathrooms, but its pretty uninspiring when it comes to motivating us to want to do actually doing the laundry! As any adult knows, laundry is truly the never ending story. In one weekend’s time, we updated the laundry room.
I am almost embarrassed to show you the before shot. But, it’s what builders grade looks like!
Laundry Room Before
This picture was taken less than two weeks before our home closing. I promise, nothing was “enhanced” by the home builder between this picture and when we obtained possession. Well, they did add a door handle, but you get the idea. Pretty boring, right? Lots of white walls and zero storage. I had nowhere to stack detergent, stain removers, and all the extra things that we need in there.
- Related: Easy DIY Industrial Shelving
The Planning
I did lots of “research” on Pinterest and found several pretty ideas. Unfortunately, some were beautiful and lacked hidden storage, or some were so utilitarian, that I just didn’t find it pretty. Measuring the space we had, we tried to compromise between storage and having the luxury of a blank space at our disposal.
We installed two pre-built cabinets from Lowes and we were able to get creative about the wall space in-between. This made both hubby & I satisfied. The industrial shelving is something we both liked on Pinterest boards and we were excited to try it on a small-scale. The wall paint was leftover from the downstairs powder room and it gave a nice pop of color against the white cabinets. For less than $300 we have usable and beautiful storage in the laundry room!
Laundry Room After
We decided to buy a top loader washer and front dryer for the space. We knew we had a second baby on the way and wanted to make sure we could do as much laundry done in a single load as possible. If only the quantity of clothing needing folded was proportional to the number of loads completed. Since NONE of our closets in the house have an electrical outlet, our cordless vacuum takes up real estate in the laundry room. What bothers me the most is that we do not use it upstairs, it goes downstairs several times over the week.
My husband purchased the industrial fittings at Lowe’s. They had two options for the fitting finishes and we went for the brighter nickel look. I think they contrast nicely against the dark stain. The cabinet grade shelving is from a piece of extra wood he had downstairs. He notched out a piece on each side to accommodate the cabinets. With a quick coat of the stain he had lying around, the shelving was finished! See the complete industrial shelving tutorial here.
My next task is to find some cute coordinating baskets to go across the top of the shelf. I don’t need the storage, right now. But give me a few years and I’ll be trying to cram stuff everywhere. Now, the laundry room is still small and at the end of the hallway, but more pleasing to the eye when we have to do the laundry.
How do you make the laundry room more interesting? Have you done something out of the ordinary decor-wise?
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What a great idea for your cabinets and shelving! I have a tiny little laundry room too and I’ve been wracking my brain how to make it more accommodating.
Thanks, Carrie!
I love the contrast between the shelves and the cabinets. Very beautiful makeover. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Crystal! Thank you for stopping by my page! -Brittany
It looks great! – It is so important to have a pretty laundry room that you don’t mind spending time in! 🙂
Thank You Elise!
How inviting! Now doing the laundry will be like having a little zen retreat! I just deep cleaned my kitchen yesterday and now instead of avoiding it, I WANT to be in there cooking. Your laundry room is gorgeous and the details really pop. Love this idea 🙂
Thank you Sarah! I enjoyed seeing something transition from downright boring to something I liked! And quickly- the ultimate gratification 🙂 Have a great weekend!
So pretty! You did a great job! I love those little burlap flowers, that adds such a cute touch!
Thanks, Cara! I like them, too 🙂
I love the shelves and that blue! A big improvement. My laundry room is very utilitarian. It’s also where the water heater, well pump, all the plumbing out of the house, chest freezer, and litter boxes are. Only one wall even has drywall! But, since it serves it’s purpose and other things need to happen first, it is not high on the list of things to renovate. But I would love to have a room that is actually bright. 🙂 (visiting from Sincerely, Paula)
Thank you for stopping by, Julie! I totally understand. Our last laundry room was the entry from the garage so it doubled as our unofficial entrance to the house and mud room! And we never made it look nice! You’re right a window or a bright room would make it more tolerable 🙂
What a pretty space, Brittany! I love the wood shelving and the industrial fittings. I love white cabinets, but you always need a little something to help “ground” it, and those are just perfect 🙂 Really great job!
Thanks Shawna! I love white cabinets, too! I’m kicking myself for not choosing white cabinets in our Kitchen! I’ll just have to enjoy them in this little space! 😉 -Brittany
I love this! Laundry rooms can be so messy and uninviting but this is awesome! 🙂 I love it!
Thanks, Alissa! Anything to keep me from running away from the laundry! -Brittany
Your laundry room makeover is just lovely. It is beautiful and practical. Perfect. Thanks so much for linking up to Frugal Mommas…..XOXO Susie from The Chelsea Project
Beautiful makeover. love the color and the decor.
Thank you!
It looks so great! I bet you are in love with it. Love the shelves between cabinets. Thanks for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme
Thank you, Jenny! I am enjoying seeing your posts on IG!
I love the color you used on the walls. So pretty. And the decor is fabulous. I have so much stuff in my Laundry room, it desperately needs a makeover. Pinning, stumbling and tweeting this. Happy Wednesday!
Thank you Lindsey!! Have a great Wednesday to you, as well 🙂
I like the colour you have used on the wall, it has really given it a fresh look. I also like your little décor accents you have used to dress the shelves. It reminds me I really need to make a start on mine.
Thank you Sam!