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Saturday, October 25, 2014

73

All Filled Up!

The paint cabinet is filled and I couldn't love it more!


Warning: A color happy room is ahead...

Our laundry room is in a deep, dark and windowless corner of our home.  And just like most rooms, it is always evolving.  Over the past year, our laundry room has been housing our paint supplies, but in very unorganized piles.  In an effort to finish organizing our final storage rooms, we finally focused on the paint pile by building ourselves a custom cabinet (read more about that here).

When we built and painted the cabinet, I really intended on blasting the cabinet with a coat of color.  However, with the recently papered sewing/folding nook, and the other colors being used within the space, white (although it can be trite) was the way for us to go.


You see how those colors just shine through the cabinet doors?  As I sit and work at my desk, I look over and this is my new view.  Before I would just shut the door to the room, but now that I have taken the time to do some laundry and clean up clutter, I am loving the new scenery!


The uppers were filled with the main painting essentials; the jars of colorful paint, brushes, tools, swatch books, etc...


The jar labels are created from an Avery template I downloaded into Microsoft Word.

Quick tip: Place the full jars of paint near the front to create a clean visual appearance.  Half filled jars can live near the back of the bunch.


We have been using jars of paint to hold the remaining contents of our gallons and quarts for the past few years now.  I did receive one comment awhile back that paint shouldn't be stored in glass, but I can't personally figure out why because we have been loving this solution like crazy.  The paint stays fresh, I can quickly see the colors I have and it has reduced the amount of shelving space that the over-sized cans take up.  I am a fan.

On the top shelf, I used vases and jars to hold my different sized paint brushes.


Quick tip:  Check out this You-Tube video for cleaning paint brushes.  It was very life changing for me.  I personally use a small grill brush I found at Home Depot and my brushes have never looked better.


The woven baskets added a really nice natural element to the room, and also concealed some unsightly items.  One basket corrals my waxes and specialty paints while the other holds the remainder of my favorite tools.  A paint can opener, triangle stands, tape, sanding blocks, spackle and a painter's tool, rags and cheapy test brushes are all items you will find within this basket.  And on painting day, I can just pull the entire thing out and tote it to the room I am working in.

The lower portion is concealed because it is a little more busy on the eyes.


I used the beautiful bird gift wrap to cover two cardboard boxes.  The labels were created on my computer and printed at home on copy paper, which I cut down and affixed with double stick tape.


One box holds paint roller covers while the other has the ugly paint thinner and paint additive bottles.


Empty glass jars for future paint storage as well as the over-sized jars of paint and cans of stain, make up much of the rest of the lower half.  I also placed my favorite specialty technique tools inside of a clear container that previously housed my roller covers.


The bottom shelf holds my spray paints.  Because I knew it would be hard to access and see the colors near the back, I placed them inside of plastic bins I found at IKEA.  Now, they just pull out like drawers and I can easily grab any color of the rainbow.


Quick tip:  Add felt to the bottom of baskets and bins on shelves to help them slide out easier.

After I got the paint cabinet loaded, I couldn't wait to polish the rest of the room up.  We hung a few laundry room art prints I purchased awhile back from Lettered & Lined.  I love that they look cute yet offer real life functional advice!



After I temporarily lined the nook with pretty paper, I was trying to find the common color link within the room.  No surprise, I had been drawing inspiration from the same color palette as my recently recovered office chair.  It has a beautiful and playful blend of pinks, corals, greens and blues.  Pretty much my all time favorite colors, ever.  So using my very last scrap of fabric from the chair project, we made a small bag to hold our clothes pins.


We just sewed it up quick and attached it to a small embroidery hoop which I hung with ribbon.  Does it get any cuter than that?


Funny how something so small can link both sides of the room together so well!



The paint cabinet lead to me finishing up the space "for now".  Small DIY projects (like the pretty paper and DIY cabinet and small pops of colorful storage) all add up to a big impact.  I say, do what you have to do to make the dungeon the most cheerful place possible to get those daily chores done!  I really consider this room the Disney World of our home.  Hopefully all of the prettiness will inspire me to keep it clean moving forward.

Do you have a room like that?  One that brings on feelings of butterflies and happiness when you enter it?


73 comments:

  1. I absolutely love how you set up and decorated everything... So inspiring :)

    Francesca
    petitfaon.blogspot.com

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  2. Jen this is pretty much my favourite room in your house now! Who would've thought a laundry could look so pretty! Love all the splashes of colour & go well they tie in together. You must be so happy with how the space has turned out!

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  3. wow what a beautiful space! i am inspired to get my paint situation under control ;) i love the idea of keeping paints in jars. what a great way to see what you have and make it visually pleasing at the same time. it is a goooood feeling when you can leave your laundry room door open!!

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  4. This room is amazing! If I had a laundry room this organized and pretty, I may actually enjoy doing laundry. Some great inspiration for my laundry closet makeover.

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  5. Oh I love this so much! Also, I love that you used a pretty paper on the bins even though they are always hidden behind drawers…reminds me everything has the potential to make me a little bit happier even if it is hiding in a cupboard! Oh how I would love a laundry room! xxx

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  6. I was skeptical about transferring paint to glass jars (a bunch of unnecessary work?) but I think you now have me convinced! We are giving so much real estate to almost empty paint cans, and I love the idea of being able to see the color easily. And the fact that it looks pretty is never a bad thing! Thanks for the tip!

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  7. Love the new cabinet and the room. Just wondering: How well does the paper hold up on the cardboard storage box?

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    1. It always depends on the quality of the paper and how much traffic the container will be exposed to. I may not use it when organizing things for my kiddos, but since I am more careful, it offers an inexpensive way to get playful storage. The thinker the paper, the better off you will be. :)

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  8. I don't really have a laundry room, I have everything in my bathroom, but if I would have some extra space, I would definitely do a room like yours. Great colors and everything is so organized:)

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  9. Very beautiful and bright space! Definitely inspiring.

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  10. This cabinet is fabulous!! Also pretty sure I need those laundry posters!!

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  11. Very nice ! so clean and crisp looking!

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  12. Love the woven baskets...where did you find them?

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    Replies
    1. Found them at HomeGoods. They are my "go to" for baskets, price and selection wise.

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    2. Those baskets can also be found at Target (or very similar ones). No HomeGoods near me, & I go shopping at Target often enough (awesome and PRETTY stuff there!), thought that's where they were from. Thanks for asking! :) I'm thinking these are anywhere between $15-$25 at Target. No idea the price range elsewhere.

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  13. Love the cabinet and how it works well with the laundry room. I asked my friend's husband that works for a very big, well known paint manufacturer about the glass jars. He said as long as no food has been in the jars, it is fine and can actually work better than leaving it in the can.

    Oh, and you are costing me money!! I'm terrible at organizing and we just moved and merged two homes together - ours and my 80 year old Mom's. Our large pantry and kitchen just aren't functioning well so I hired a professional organizer to come in. My hubby thinks I'm nuts but I know in the end, it will be a huge money saver for us because I'll be able to see what I need to buy and not checking two or three places for where we are keeping the same product.

    LOVE your blog!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know about the paint and jars. Glad to know all is good because I just love it! :). And congrats on your new home. I have no doubt that getting that pantry organized will end up saving you both time and money in the long run. xoxo!

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  14. I would guess that you aren't supposed to store paint in glass because it allows in light that will fade the color. But it looks cute!

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  15. I think you made the right decision in painting the cabinet white. I think any other color wouldn't have allowed the paint to stand out like it is. Great job!

    -Megan

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  16. Hello! I just recently started reading your blog and I love it! Thanks for your tipps which mades me organize my home better!

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  17. Love this room and all your projects! You constantly come up with new, adorable, and inspiring ideas for me to use. Can you tell me what the font is on your label on the bird gift wrap boxes.

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  18. So pretty, Carla! I love it!! Our laundry room is the one area of our house that can never seem to STAY organized!! Going to spend some time there soon and try to get it under control!!

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  19. The "laundry room" (still can't believe it!" is amazing! Love those wooden frames Jen!! Would you mind giving the source?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. The frames were purchased at Target last year. I stocked up because they were just so pretty. I haven't seen them in their store for awhile though :(

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  20. Marilou Patricia SandeOctober 25, 2014 at 7:58 PM

    Wow I love that. It's art work!

    I must do this!

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  21. Oh my god that's beautiful. Best thing I've seen on the internet all month.

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  22. Jennifer, do you still have your teal blue bins that you had labeled Linens and Whites in your laundry room?

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    Replies
    1. I still use them - one is currently being used in our linen closet upstairs to catch our boy's laundry. The other gets toted around the house to transfer clean laundry. We updated our sorting system when we did our built-ins back in January: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/02/built-in-laundry-sortingfolding-station.html xoxo!

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  23. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the paint cabinet! What a great idea for paint storage and organization.
    Leslie
    House on the Way

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  24. LOVE this- I cannot wait for the renovation be done. My garage and laundry room are going to be so organized again!

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  25. So inspiring, Jen!! You are probably the only person I know who could succeed at making paint storage look utterly gorgeous. I love everything about this room!

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  26. I wish I had a laundry room as beautiful as yours, I probably wouldn't mind doing laundry! Your cabinet looks great and I just love how all your painting supplies are organized and in one spot. I think I may have to do this for my own painting supplies. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

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  27. What is the wall color? Thanks!

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  28. All your rooms are so fabulously amazing; would love to see them updated on your home tour!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your sweetness. And I agree! In fact, I started re-photographing our home on Friday last week to do exactly that. :) Stay tuned!

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  29. Great looking storage. I like the paints in the glass jars. I use those jars for storing food and use a vacuum seal (Fresh Saver is a hand held device & inexpensive). Have you tried eliminating the air from the half filled jars? I wonder if it would help?

    I looked back at your previous laundry room posts and noticed that you haven't changed out the sink? Do you like the big tub? I recently purchased new washer/dryer and the current sink looks wimpy so I am debating getting a tub and building something around it, or perhaps leaving the area open like you have. Any ideas?


    Great blog and thanks!
    Liz

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    Replies
    1. Hi Liz!

      I would really love to get rid of the giant, eye sore of a tub and put in a nice laundry sink paired with a counter and cabinet. For us, it will require some added plumbing movement so we have been putting it on hold - maybe when we finally start working on the kitchen. :)

      The sink is primarily used for cleaning up project and paint messes, so I haven't been brave enough to use it for any laundering purposes. My biggest problem with the tub is that I can't seem to keep it clean (it seems to be porous so many of my paints and stains have damaged it). xoxo!

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  30. This looks fabulous!

    Although I am wondering where you've moved your expedit to and how you are using it now.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bianca,

      When we built our wall to wall storage/sorting/folding station back in January, we no longer had room for the Expedit unit as it was too wide to allow our cabinet doors to open or allow access to our utility sink. We disassembled it and are considering putting it on casters to use in our garage. If it doesn't land there, I have a few family members that have been eying it up. :)

      xo!

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  31. Seriously! This is amazing! You are so inspiring, I wish my laundry room looked as amazing as yours! It even beats half my house haha! I love the mason jar paint storage idea :)

    Thanks for sharing!

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  32. I love how you used the jars to store your paint. I noticed this before is some of your posts and love the look, but I haven't taken the time to organize all mine. This has inspired me to finish my laundry room and get that extra paint stored. Thanks for all your great ideas! I must admit, I love coming home from work everyday and hopping on your blog to see the latest post. It makes my day!

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  33. Swoon...I loved your laundry room in every stage so far, but this is really the best!Hugs!

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  34. Absolutely love this room! Can I ask where you got the cute mason jars? The ones with the diamond like print?

    Thanks! - Paula

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    Replies
    1. Hi Paula! I found mine locally at a hardware store, however, they are also on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1tY5PzR xoxo!

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  35. Hi Jen...couple of comments...1. I love this project and wish I had room to build a cabinet like yours. 2. Watched the paintbrush cleaning video. Thank you so much for adding that to your post. Cleaning brushes is the most annoying part of painting but that looks so easy. Finally, love your new picture! I think I've been reading your blog through three picture changes now...and loving every moment!

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  36. It's so beautiful! You have me wanting to empty every single paint can into pretty jars! I always find so much inspiration through you, Jen!

    xo,
    Kylie
    absolutelyarkansas.com

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  37. Looks great! Question, doesn't the stuff on top of the washer rattle off when it spins?

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    1. It shifts a small bit, but has never moved enough for concern or caused any of the items to fall off completely. I try to watch how much I include within each load to reduce weight during the spin cycles (to prolong the life of the washer). I also added felt pads on the bottoms of a few of the items to prevent any scratching to the top of the washer and dryer while they are running.

      xoxo!

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  38. Love this! However, I have two quick questions: Back when you organized your paint last year, I seem to remember you saying that printing off paint labels on the computer was too much to keep up with, and you were transferring to handwriting them. Is there a reason why you switched back?
    Also, I was wondering if the paint swatch cards you created (the ones to use as reference points with your house colors) ended up being a useful tool to have, as I don't see them here? Just wondering if that's something that you're still implementing, and keeping up with as you add new colors around your house, etc.

    Thanks!

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    1. Good memory! I have gone through three phases with my labels. The first was to print and cut labels using my Silhouette CAMEO craft cutting machine. That was too much to keep up on. The second phase was to print and hand write info on the lids. That worked fine, but I ran out of those labels. This phase I just printed the name and finish on the Avery Labels, and made sure to save the template on my desktop to easily access and print again in the future.

      I still have the paint card swatches, but find myself referencing my blog for paint colors much more frequently and didn't keep up on maintaining those swatch cards as much as I thought I would. I actually had plans to put together a notebook containing swatches and finishes from around our home, just trying to determine the best way to go about that next. :)

      xoxo!

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  39. Gorgeous!! Gorgeous!! Gorgeous!! :-)

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  40. I'm so glad to see that you figured out how to use that pretty bird fabric (Paper? I can't remember which it is.) in a *smaller* dose! :)

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  41. Love this room! Your blog is always such an inspiration for me to make my home prettier :)

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  42. I think this is the first laundry room I see that I want to move into! You did a beautiful job! I love it! =)

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  43. You have such great ideas and they give me inspiration!

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  44. Did you just recently get those green storage boxes? If so where from?

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    1. I purchased them many years ago from Walmart (you can see a really old post here on how I organized the contents: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-featured-space-laundry-room-little.html) Occasionally I see similar boxes at the Container Store, Target or craft stores. xoxo!

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  45. Seriously Jen, could you be any more amazing. I absolutely loathe doing the laundry, but who could resist this gorgeous space. I love it. Its just so darned good:)

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  46. I LOVE this room. I think any room that's made beautifully....really helps you enjoy every moment. I really need to work on my utility areas and making them beautiful like this!

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  47. I am seriously going bananas over this entire space, Jen. It' s this crazy breath of fresh air and has your gorgeous touches all over it. I agree with Shavonda. . .loathe it . . but holy cow. I would do it all day in there. {That sounded bad|.

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  48. I have been wanting to store our extra paint in jars for a while now, so I am glad to see how well it works! Everything looks just lovely. :)
    Jessica

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  49. I really love everything in this post! Lots of great, useable tips. Thank you for the inspiration!

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  50. LOVE, love, love the idea of paint in jars. I'm so tired of rusty paint cans. Got a great deal on jars and transferred all my paint. So much easier to do touch ups. Thanks for your always wonderful ideas.

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  51. Thanks for all the inspiration! I am thinking about transferring my paint to the jars. Did you use the 2 piece lids or is it a solid lid? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hello!

      I just used the standard two piece mason jar lids. :)

      xo!

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    2. Jen, I just came across your blog and I am in love! I understand that this is an old post but -who knows- maybe you have ways of checking new comments ;-) We are currently are remodeling our old house and finishing up our laundry room. so, this post is perfect! I would really love to frame stain removal tips on our wall as well, do you happen to have a printable anywhere? Thanks!

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    3. Hello! The awesome prints were purchased from Lettered & Lined: http://www.letteredandlined.com/

      Her shop is fabulous! :)

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