Thursday, July 5, 2012

44 Reader Space: Lovely Laundry Land

Laundry rooms come in all shapes and sizes; everything from entire rooms to a stackable washer and dryer in an itty bitty closet.  However, no matter the size of the space, I have always been a fan of any lovely laundry area, since you should really smile and love the spaces you work within.

Today's reader shows us how she took her plain and simple laundry room and made it an AMAZING space that fills her with warmth every time she enters.  And it's organized to boot!  Extra win!


Emily wrote:

Hey Jen!
I had this awful laundry room that was a complete disaster and dumping ground for anything around our home. It was one of the most unorganized spaces in our house and it was driving me nuts so I finally fixed it up and made it pretty. It's a happy laundry room now with plenty of storage, and fun bright colors of orange and aqua.  I actually like going in here now!  More details are in my makeover post here.


The second I saw it I knew I had to share it, and I think you will agree... IT. IS. STUNNING!

But first, let's take a look at Emily's original laundry space:




"It was chaos. Complete and utter chaos. I first just cleared out the room and decided I wanted none of this stuff in here anymore. So I found a new place for everything {besides the vacuum} and got to work.  I painted the room Chrysanthemum by Sherwin Williams and love the color!  I know orange might not be for everyone but if you like an intense orange, this is a good one.


You’ll notice I decided to not remove the existing shelf and bar for now and just added some pretty bins for extra storage.


The two little white shelves I did add {from Lowes}, and they are merely for decorative purposes only. You would not want to set a bottle of detergent on them.  When I saw all of those pretty plates at Target I had to have them. The colors were perfect for this room.  And yes it might be weird to have plates in a laundry room, but hey, they make me happy and it’s my kind of “art.”  And I bought those over a month ago {maybe 2?} so I’m not sure if they are still there?  Oh, and the bins came from Lowes, Homegoods, and Target.  Oh yeah, and I slapped up some beadboard and a chair rail too for added charm. 


Molding makes the world just a little bit better.  And I just did it on this one wall because it is the only wall it made sense on. This room is way too choppy with the staircase and all.



I love it!

And on the other side of the room we have this now:


We just added an Expedit unit from Ikea and that is now where I keep all of the detergents, the iron, and other miscellaneous things.  Only two of those bins have stuff in them right now too, so I have plenty of space for extra storage. It’s amazing what these little Expedits do to a space am I right?  It’s instant organization that looks pretty.  Those little baskets on top of the Expedit are also from Target, and 2 of them from the dollar spot section. I figure the extra things I find in pockets can be thrown in here. 

Oh and let’s not forget about this gorgeous rug from Urban Outfitters.


I can say that doing laundry is just a tad bit better.  Now if they can just make a machine that folds and puts the laundry away…now that would be awesome."

How about some fab before and after moments?





  • The laundry room was originally lacking any sort of functional and effective storage.  By adding in the Expedit, weeding out what didn't belong and adding a couple of "pretty" bins to the top shelf, she was able to give herself a room to actually grow within!
  • The laundry room wasn't blessed with windows, however, it still feels bright and fresh because of the lovely vibrant colors that she brought into the space.
  • What can I say, I have a soft spot for vibrant floral laundry room rugs.
  • And Expedits.
  • I love the character that is added by bringing in some decorative wainscoting panels.
  • She doesn't give two hoots that plates aren't intended for laundry spaces.  She loves them, they have fabulous colors and they make her happy.  It's always important to do what you love in a space and not what is considered "standard".
  • The chandelier provides incredible amounts of light in a windowless room, along with drama!  It's so chic and pretty, every laundry land deserves lovely lighting!
  • I also adore that she brought in a mirror to reflect all that great light around.
A special THANK YOU to Emily for submitting her inspiring Reader Space.  You can find all the details over on Emily's blog here

Who else is having fun with vibrant paint colors and beyond excited about the results?  Anyone else tackling a laundry room as we speak?


ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!

44 comments:

  1. This is fantastic! I love the color! And I love the adorable target dishes! I bought the tray with the sunburst for our coffee table and it just brightens my day! Really great makeover!

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  2. I love it! Strange how laundry rooms just scream to be pretty and organized. A happy laundry room, a happy woman perhaps? Great job:)

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  3. I love this. The wainscoting really pulls everything together.

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  4. Beautiful makeover!!! I wish I had a little extra space in my laundry room to add more storage. It is a mess and I am still trying to decide what to do with the small amount of space I have. Got some great ideas with this reader space. Thanks for sharing!!!

    xoxo,
    Kristin

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  5. Utterly love this! The chandelier is so, so perfect!

    We recently did our laundry room too (well, actually created one from an unused bathroom) and it. just. makes. me. so. happy!
    Because it's so pretty, I try harder to stay on top of putting away the dry towels, reducing the ironing pile, putting away the "stuff" that piles up - sewing and repairs, toys needing new batteries etc.

    Enjoy your new laundry room!
    Karen
    (Scotland)

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  6. Wowza! That's something to admire! Thanks for sharing! It makes me want to grab my paint brush and start on my ugly hole-in-the-basement-laundry-room. However, I still don't know how to hide all those pipes there without permanently putting them out of reach in case of emergency. Any ideas?

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    Replies
    1. Maybe you can't hide them, but you could paint them funky colors and make them part of your decor?

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  7. Wow! What a difference! I'm sure she doesn't mind doing laundry now! Or, at least, not too much! :)

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  8. How beautiful! What a great room makeover!

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  9. that is gorgeous! I'm truly inspired. Oh to have a laundry "room" or "closet". I would love to see a makeover of a laundry "area" that is within a larger storage room, next to the HVAC, litterbox and up against a foundation wall. Anyone who's made that beautiful out there? :)

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    1. I did Nancy! We sheetrocked 2 walls painted them hot pink, put some rugs down, a cute saying on the wall, and a wire basket mounted sideways on the wall with my grandmothers jar of vintage buttons on display. We used a folding laundry rack as well as a retractable clothes line to create a visual barrier and block off the ugly furnace and unfinished concrete walls on the other side of the room!

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  10. I love the chandelier, so elegant! And the colors are so bright and cheerful

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  11. I'm in love with the rug!! Going to their site right now! Great job Emily!!!

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  12. Love the colors and the great ideas!

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    1. Love the laundry room & the giveaway!! Thaks!

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  13. I love orange, and this color is AMAZING! I love the rug too. I like her style!!

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  14. I would love to win this prize!

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  15. I love it - great colors and very, very pretty (oh, and organized :-))

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  16. Love an organized and pretty laundry space! Would LOVE to win a Cameo! Would make some vinyl labels for all my pantry containers as my first project, but I have MANY others in mind too!

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  17. Great intervention! I love those Expedit organizers--they always look so classy and they're so simple. It's always amazing how the right additions of wall art switches up a room. Awesome choices!

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  18. I always love a food laundry room makeover. I tackled mine last year and it's become one of my favorite rooms!

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  19. Emily did such a beautiful job here. I really love the rich colors and am so envious of the space. To have something as large as an expedit in there is a dream for me. Beautiful, laundry room.

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  20. Nice! Love the rug, and the mirror. I just bought orange drapes for my dining room, and plan to have turquoise accents. One problem... I cannot pick paint colors! Someone please help! I am completely stuck. We have a chair rail. All one color? Light color on top and dark on bottom? White on bottom? I would love some input!

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  21. That is such a pretty orange! It doesn't look harsh at all like would have thought orange would be! I just redid the shelving in my laundry room to get rid of the builder grade wire shelving and it's already so much better! I would love to paint it soon and might have to bookmark this one!

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  22. Beautiful! Can you please tell me what kind of washer you have? Thanks!

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    1. It's an LG Wave series, top loader. Love it! You can read more about it in this post I wrote. http://www.decorchick.com/top-load-washing-machine/

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    2. Thanks so much! :)

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  23. What a transformation! It looks so inviting and happy now. Great job!

    :)
    mikky
    www.todaloos.com

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  24. Thank you so much everyone for the sweet comments! I'm glad you like our laundry room too!! :) xo, Emily

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    1. Emily! I love your laundry room!! Where did the white lidded boxes in the Expedit come from? Thanks, Bethany

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  25. LOVE the new laundry room.. I wish I had that much space in mine..One of these days I"ll get around to trying to do something with mine.. Thank you again for sharing your photos! :)
    Robyn

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  26. I love your new makeover laundry room. This is now looks bigger space and good in the eye. We can now enjoy our laundry moments.

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  27. Wow! That's a great laundry space. I love the warm pink color-- so unexpected for a utility room. I'll have to keep in consideration as I re-do my own laundry area.

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  28. Emily did a great job, and I love that rug!
    Digging around over here for my pantry project!! posting it monday...thanks for all the golden nuggets of inspiration! xo

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  29. Stephanie in IowaJuly 8, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    Wow! This is the most beautiful laundry room I have ever seen! Great job!

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  30. I would enjoy doing laundry so much more in the new space. Great job!

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  31. Lovely!!! I just wanted to say that you have a very attractive blog. Thanks a lot for giving me some idea. Now i can easily manage my Laundry area.

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  32. This looks great! I am in love with the color combinations and the decorative accents! She made so much organization space out of what little room she had! I love it!

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  33. I LOVE THIS!!! I love that people treat their laundry room as part of their home. I mean I figure as much as I am in there, I might as well. That being said, mine could use a boost! I love the non fear of color here...and the light fixture is fab!!! Great job!!!

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  34. Please tell me anything you can about this rug. I saw it once and keep kicking myself for not getting it. Help!!

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    1. Hi Nikki!

      The rug was from Urban Outfitters, we had a similar one that we loved in our laundry area for years. I don't see this particular style any longer, but they often change out their offerings with a lot of stylish options and great prices: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/category.jsp?id=A_FURN_RUGS&cm_sp=NAV_HOVER-_-APARTMENT-_-A_FURN_RUGS

      xoxo!

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