Wednesday, December 26, 2012

13 Reader Space: Ooooh La La Laundry Room

Welcome back from the long holiday weekend!  I hope everyone had the Merriest of Christmases and that your days were filled with love, warmth and joy.

I am here to share the final Reader Space of 2012!  It's a great one too as April is stopping by to share a laundry room to love!


April blogs over at House by Hoff and shares all sorts of fun DIY and craft projects.  A few weeks ago she sent over her laundry room/workspace and I was so smitten with it, it left me smiling for days!

"This room is the very definition of a multi-purpose room!  We use it for laundry and as my work/craft space.  It is also the first room we walk into from the garage, so we need to have places to hang things and throw the diaper bag!


My favorite thing about this room is that it is functional, but pretty!  The shelves between the two cabinets were my chance to put out some pretty milk glass, my blue mason jars, my favorite white cake stand and my large numbered jars.  These accessories make this room really cute, in my opinion!  I would also say that the labels clipped onto the baskets make the space prettier.  I used some scrapbook paper to back the labels and clipped them on with mini-clothespins.


The baskets above the washer/dryer were chosen to give us specific places to keep the "extra stuff" that usually had no home.  I think the enemy of organization is that extra clutter that you don't know what to do with, just give it a basket with a label and your problem is solved!


The other important component would be the curtain.  It hides the unattractive laundry baskets, drying rack, dog kennel, my husband's briefcase and work bags.


My tip for keeping a space like this organized, is to think about the purposes for the room before you redo it.  When you design it around your needs, keeping it organized is easier.  Living in the house for a few months before we re-did it, helped me understand our needs for the room.  It occurred to me that we need a specific place to keep the diaper bag, so that it wasn't always sitting on the dryer, and a specific place to keep my husband's dry cleaning, so that it wasn't taking up room in my work space, etc... When I understood what we needed, I could design a space that works well for us!



I am a happier person when things are "in their place", so it just makes me happier and calmer to have an organized space.  I also love having my little nook to work on my crafts and DIY projects.  Walking into an organized and clean space is a nice welcome home each day!"

I couldn't agree more with April!  I would be grinning ear to ear if I walked into a beautiful space like this each day!  I adore all of her special little touches, like the wire memo board, numbered jars, curtain fabric, wall hooks and mail baskets!  Everything works so well together, yet also holds a function.  Such a superstar space!

You can find more details on April's blog here.

Thank you April for stopping by today with your ooh la la laundry room and fantastic tips for creating an organized space to love!



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!


13 comments:

  1. Thanks for featuring my laundry room today, Jen! Hope you had a great holiday with your fam! :)
    - April Hoff

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  2. As a professional organizer, I totally agree that you must think of what a space will be used for before you reorganize it. Than you can make your plan and organize it accordingly and it'll be much more likely to stay organized. Well done April. It looks wonderful!

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  3. I'm a big fan of clothespins, any size, so that's my favorite part of this post. Imagine not having to scrape off or wash off labels! Thanks for sharing so many great ideas, Jen.

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  4. I enjoyed going through this post and all the photos. My tiny laundry room is also my main entry/exit. I was so fed up with the mountain of shoes that I purchased two three-tier shoe racks from Walmart that are stacked on top of each other. That freed up some room, and the clutter is gone. I also moved all laundry supplies (i.e., detergent, dryer sheets, mesh bags, and bleach) to a wicker bin I found at TJ Maxx. Now, the top of the machines have available "shelf" space. Small room but big purpose. Thanks for sharing!

    Diana

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  5. I LOVE the curtains to hide all of the not-so-nice to see bits. How cute!!! And the cake stand :)

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  6. Very cute but, um, wheres the laundry? ;) lol

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  7. Good morning! I have a question! I have 2 large plastic (rubbermaid?) containers with 3 drawers on each that I will be using for our laundry. I wanted to label each drawer (whites, darks, hand wash etc.) But really don't want to use labels. Any suggestions?? Any help would be appreciated!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Stephanie!

      You could use vinyl or stickers? Or print something out from your computer?

      xoxox!
      Jen

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    2. Sharpies...so many colors to choose from. You can use stencils to make the writing pretty :-)

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  8. Stephanie, all my labels are printed in plain paper, then cut out and I use a large piece of sticky tape to essentially " laminate" them to wherever I'm sticking them.

    April, have you considered replacing those white wire shelves with wooden shelves? They're dead simple to make and so much prettier.

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    Replies
    1. All shelving options were considered. I chose the white wire shelves for their utilitarian look, which I rather like. So, no, I wouldn't consider replacing them, Anonyous.

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  9. Your room is lovely. Any of you ever have to deal with (or hide) a small water hose (from 99% efficient furnace) to the sink? It is UGLY! but has to be there! Ideas welcome!

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