41 Our Laundry Room Today

First, I want to thank you for all of the great feedback on the sweet and simple nightstand drawer before | after post. I am excited that those smaller projects are just as fun for you as they are for me! I have a few more small scale organizing projects up my sleeves that I can't wait to tackle and share.

Today, I wanted to give you an update on our laundry room!

In my last laundry room update a few years ago, I excitedly shared a peel-and-stick wallpaper that I had just installed. Shortly after that, a funny thing happened. I was so in love with it when I found it, but then I became stuck. I attempted to source finishing touches for the room and it all seemed to compete with the paper. Just because I loved the colors and design of the wallpaper, doesn't mean it was right.

37 Reader Space: A Pretty Place for Washing Clothes

When we started working on our updated laundry room, I had one goal in mind and that was to make it pretty!  Today's reader did the same!

I have always been a huge believer that we are more productive and just happier when we heart our surroundings.  And who loves to do laundry?  Maybe a few of you, but the last time I checked, it didn't rank high in the list of favorite things to do.  So creating a place that you enjoy spending time in, even if the room's main function isn't the most glamorous, is a great aid to getting chores done with a smile.

Shan shared:

For a family of five, we have a lot of laundry!  Our last home had a laundry closet.... just enough room to fit the washer and dryer.  I wanted to make sure our new house had a nice size laundry room since we spend an abundant amount of time in there.  Did you notice I said, "We"?  Yep, except for my eight year old, every member of our family {including my husband}, does their own laundry.

We used small slate tiles for the back splash and front of the counter.  We bought black granite tiles for the counter top, much more inexpensive than slab granite.  I chose the least expensive utility sink/faucet combo.  This is the first time I've had a sink in the laundry room and I love it!

This is how I sort my dirty clothes when they come into the laundry room.  It was my idea to have the builder build these cubbies for my laundry baskets.  I found the labels and idea of attaching them with clothes pins from Better Homes & Gardens.

 

I purchased Elfa drawers at the Container Store.  They work well and slide all the way out for taking to family member's rooms.  The chalkboard labels came from Pottery Barn Outlet.  I wrote my kid's initials on each basket.  They are responsible for putting away their clothes when they are clean.

To the right of the baskets is a thin broom closet where I keep my broom, mop and other cleaning tools.  I hot glued a table runner to make a pocket to slide by tension rod through and it made a perfect little curtain to hide the cleaning tools.

Isn't the space incredible?  I had to know more!

What is the main function of the space?

It is THE place for sorting our family's dirty laundry, washing/drying/folding and ironing our clothes.

Any superstar tips for keeping it organized? 

The ONLY way I can keep this room organized is by simply doing laundry.  If laundry is stockpiled then it overflows out of the baskets and on to the floor.  This is a huge NO NO for me.  There is nothing I dislike more than walking into our decent sized laundry room only to find it filled with dirty laundry all over the floor!

We do at least two loads of laundry Monday through Saturday.  As long as I do that and family members empty their baskets, it stays pretty organized. 

What items did you find essential when organizing this space and why?

After many years of doing laundry I found a system that worked for me.  I was ecstatic to be able to build our home and spent many hours figuring out how to set up this laundry room.  The essential ingredients for me were LOTS of storage, a sorting of dirty laundry area and an area to put the clean clothes.  I also wanted a place to store my broom, mop and other cleaning tools.

What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"?

Never before have I tried to make my laundry room pretty.  I did with this one.  It is a room I frequent the most in my home, so why not make it pretty?  The blue on the walls makes me feel calm and reminds me of the ocean, my favorite place.

Where did you find your inspiration?

I found a lot of my inspiration from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine and of course perusing through many blogs.

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

I bought the mirror at Goodwill and repainted it.  I made the clothes pin mirror, used a table runner as my drape for the broom closet, printed out the labels and decoupaged the eggs in the vase with book paper.  {All of these DIY projects are explained in more detail on my blog}.

How has this update impacted your life for the better?

When my laundry room feels organized I feel like all is right with the world.  This room has been a huge blessing to me and my family.  I am very grateful I took the time to organize and decorate it.  A completed project such as this one has been a dream come true!

• I love that she took the time to plan everything out prior to installing and building, to ensure she was able to achieve all of her goals for the space.
• They stretched their dollar by selecting smart finishes that look like a million smackaroos!
• She put her personal touch on the space by DIYing projects and labels.
• I adore that she thought to use a table runner as a no sew curtain project!  Genius!
• I really admire the overall functionality of the system.  Dirty clothes in one area, clean clothes in another!
• The bins for the clean clothes are quite genius!  One for each family member to own and put away their belongings ensures clean clothes never get mixed with dirty.  We actually recently implemented something similar and it works amazingly well!
• The built in washer and dryer base is beyond fabulous and most likely far less expensive than the pricey store purchased options.
• The entire room is just one happy space, even if it means chores must be done.

A special thanks to Shan for allowing me to share her awesomeness today.  If you are looking for more details, you can find them on her blog here {along with oodles more organizing eye candy!}

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!

110 Laundry Land Labels {and some tips too!}

Laundry.  Just typing the word makes me cringe a bit.  But not as bad as it would have months ago.  It's a work in progress around here.

That's right, you can ask just about anyone that is related to us or frequents our abode.  Our laundry room used to be a pit filled to the brim with laundry.  Either the laundry room or the bedroom.  Or both.

It's been such a thorn in my side, but I have been experimenting a bit and we have finally found a solution that is working well for us.  Are we always caught up on laundry?  Nope.  But almost always.  Here are a couple of tips I have learned along the way:

• Simplify your wardrobe.  When we paired down our clothing supply for our dressing room wardrobes, we also reduced the amount of laundry that could pile up before needing to wash items.
• Make it easy for kids to put away their own clothes.  About two years ago I set an expectation that my kids take ownership of putting away their laundry.  It's important to make it easy for them to do so.  Whether labeling their drawers or their closet bins, a simple system is key.
• Don't sort everything.  I used to sort down everything.  I tried it every which way.  By person.  By color.  By type.  All that sorting and categorizing was allowing the piles to build and build and then playing catchup took all day.  Now, we only sort delicate pieces, whites and linens.  The rest gets washed together.
• Create a system.  Instead of letting the laundry pile, we have a goal to empty everyone's hamper once a day.  Yep, you heard it right.  The kid's share a dirty clothes bin and the hubs and I have two {one in our dressing room and one in the bathroom}.  Each night, the clothes are gathered from all and sorted into one of the three categories mentioned above: delicate, whites or linens.  If it's not any of those items, into the washing machine it goes.  Once the laundry machine is full, it gets run.  Then, one day of the week is dedicated to those other "special" categories.
• Be aware of washing frequency.  Call me gross, but we wear our jeans two to three times before they get washed.  Just jeans.  I don't know why, but that's how I was raised and now how I have been raising my babes.  {And apparently there is something to it; it extends the life of the jean, you have to wash less often and it saves more water}.  Linens are washed once per week {towels and bedding}. 

Ever since we made some fab updates to the laundry room, I actually enjoy being in there.  As much as one could.  So we have been trying to manage the new system and so far, it has gone pretty well.

The whole point of today's post was to share a little laundry room switcharoo that we made, but since it was based on our newer system, I thought I would give you the back story first to make more sense of the project.

We started out by using some cheapo old white laundry baskets for sorting in our laundry room.

Then we pulled the laundry hamper from the bathroom, because it looked better.

But the bins were too small for our linens and whites.  And we missed having the hamper in the bathroom.  So back to the larger cheapo plastic baskets we went until a better solution came along.

I scoured shops and the web for a prettier yet effective option.  It seemed as though majority of the sorters were far too small and pricey!  And the super nice ones like we have in our bathroom {same one shown above}, are really really pricey, especially when you up the capacity.  And when I say pricey, I was looking at anywhere from $60-$200 pricey.  When did laundry sorters get so expensive?  When I don't find what I want or what makes sense, then I wait.  Which I did until a happy day came that I saw Crate and Barrel was having a sale and free shipping, so I snagged up two of these.

The right size, the right color, easy to tote around.  Not super fabulous cheap, but cheap enough for me to finally take the plunge.

I love that the turquoise works so well with my adjoining studio workspace.  Not to mention that they fit so well and are much more concealing and streamlined than the white "holey" plastic option we were sporting previously.

Then, "Jen" mode kicked in.  What more could I do to these puppies?  They need to be labeled!

Thank you Silhouette!  You make this fun once again!

Using the same process as I did when I labeled the boy's canvas closet bins, I had the Silhouette cut some white flocking heat transfer.

And used some scrap fabric to protect the iron while transferring the labels:

It's important to be patient at this point.  The letters didn't want to adhere to the canvas all that well.  They put up a fight.  But after just continuing to heat the transfer material and letting it cool before peeling away the backing, it was a lovely finished product!

Sometimes, it's the small touches that make all the difference.  And I love that there will be no more questions when sorting.

Before and after for fun?

Extra things to note:

• The font I used is Sofia font.  Love it!
• We use the towel bar to dry our sweaters.  But we have really been lacking in any good hanging system for drying other pieces.  We have a plan in the works, so stay tuned!

Let's stop avoiding laundry and make a pact to learn to love it.  Ha, kidding.  But for realz, what is working well for you?  What's not?

22 Reader Space: Green and Graceful Laundry Closet

I know that some of you wanted to egg and toilet paper my house the day I painted over our green living room, but it was such an eye opening, space expanding difference when our kitchen and living room had cohesive paint colors.  However, I do miss that green paint.  And I am still hoping to bring it back into our home in some shape or form down the road.  Until then, I am going to drool over Maria's green laundry room closet instead.

I focus on a lot of things around here, but it is safe to say that organization and color are two primary elements of this blog.  The perfect pairing to Maria's laundry closet, which touches on color, organization and so much more.  In fact, I initially thought I was looking at an entire laundry room, when in fact, it is a standard closet behind bifold doors.  That tells the story of the power of paint, great lighting and smart storage solutions.  Maria is visiting us today from her personal blog, Graceful Order, to share more details about why she hearts her laundry room how she made it function big.


What is the main function of the space?

"This is my laundry closet and also where I keep all my cleaning supplies."


Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?

"It is difficult to keep a space organized that has a ton of different products. I chose to separate the cleaners by purpose and sometimes by brand in order to access them easier and also making it easier to put away."


What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?

"The white plastic bins were essential in organizing this space. I have wire rack shelves in this space which were economical. However, products topple over and spill if I place them right on the shelf. The bins keep the products from falling over and if they do, since they are plastic, I can easily clean them. I also added shelves to the side walls and used the vertical space as much as possible.

Adding a drying bar to the opposite wall, made the laundry space complete and it felt like more of a room than a closet.

A simple item that made a big difference, was a tiny trash can so that I can empty dryer lint and little wrappers from the boys pockets. Little tin buckets from the dollar section hold loose change (one of the few perks of doing laundry) and clothespins." 

What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"?

"All the baskets and shelves that I purchased were not the same brand but they are all white and they make the space look cohesive and bright. I also added little faux plants to add color and 'life' to the little closet." 

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"I purchased all the plastic bins at Target while they were on sale. When I have to purchase more than a bin or two, I look out for the sales to stock up on what I need. I did add some stick-on labels to the plastic bins which were both functional and pretty! I love displaying cute products on a metal tray which is a pretty affordable way to decorate." 

How has it impacted your life for the better?

"I wish I could say that I now skip to the laundry closet but... Well, I don't. I can say that doing laundry is a lot more bearable in a bright closet where every item is in its place. It's amazing how much you can do with a small closet once you decide to maximize the space you have. You can make anything beautiful, even the laundry area."

___________________

Maria's laundry room is a breath of fresh spring air.  Another space done right with cohesive baskets, labels, maximized vertical space, beautiful use of color, functional products that double as everyday decor and even a sweet little lint bucket.  Oh!  And a laundry line for air drying.  Love that!

It is important to love the space where work and household chores are done, and I think Maria did a wonderful job at creating a joyful place to enjoy on laundry day.  You can find all of Maria's helpful laundry room organization tips on her blog here.

*  All images courtesy of Graceful Order

 

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, big or small.  They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room.  Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, 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 and how it has changed your life or 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 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.

We also had that ugly florescent light in here, which was replaced with this $8 thrift store chandelier that I redid.

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!

23 Reader Space: Loads of Love for Laundry

Reader Spaces, oh how I have missed you!  Today's space is just what I needed to feel re-inspired about my own laundry situation.  Our laundry room makes me happy and isn't the most troubled spot in our home, but lately it has become a tornado of a mess and I have fallen behind with our daily washing routine.  There are a few lingering projects I would love to tackle in there, and I think that Jessica just bumped those up on our priority list.

Jessica blogs over at Live the Fancy Life, and I love her mission!  Live the Fancy Life is all about making every day count, living life to the fullest and enjoying the days we’ve been given.  And she is practically my neighbor, so I can't help but feel a connection with her!  Not to mention, she offers amazing advice for dressing little dudes.

When I first saw her laundry room, I quickly showed Bryan and begged him to finish up our laundry room projects.  He reminded me that we have a different project to finish up first, but he agreed, this is one heck of a transformation. 

Let's begin by taking a look at Jessica's laundry room before her recent makeover.

As you can see, it was begging for a little love and updating.  And that is just what happened!  I asked Jessica to stop by today to share more details.


What is the main function of the space?

"Laundry, laundry, laundry. I LOVE that this space allows us to fold and hang everything. If our boys are in bed, our clothes aren't stuck in baskets or laying on our bed. That always turns into a bad situation where they don't get put away for weeks."


Any superstar tips for keeping the space organized?

"For us, the individual baskets for each member of our family and different colored hangers and spaces on the hanging bar make a huge difference. Keeping the laundry detergent and dryer sheets organized is easy with a beautiful tray. The cabinets allow us to keep dirty clothes separate from clean clothes and even allow for extra storage for things like sheets. And a hidden trash can is a pretty nice bonus."

What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?

"Hands down, the hanging bar, built-in hampers and counter spaces. Several friends recommended the little tray for random pocket change and that is also so nice vs. having everything just laying on the counter."


What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"Two words. Marble backsplash! Oh my! The backsplash has my heart. Is it necessary in a laundry room? Absolutely not, but it gives the room a stunning finish that could not be achieved with paint. I also love the laminate counters that are faux marble. They were exceptionally budget friendly, but make the room look higher end than it actually is. And the simple but pretty art from Rifle Paper Co. is so nice to look at."

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"Please keep in mind that this project was mostly sponsored, but I did buy cabinets that were in stock and affordable. I went with very inexpensive laminate countertops that still achieved the look I was going for. And finally, the tile on the floor looks great, but it is actually vinyl and is a very budget-friendly option."


How has it impacted your life for the better? 

"Besides being pretty, this space is incredibly functional. It allows us to fold laundry and leave it until we have time to put it away. We have space to create organized piles and hanging things immediately means it doesn't end up in a basket for weeks. We have been caught up on laundry for the full two months since this space wrapped up. I definitely couldn't say that before. I don't even want to tell you how many loads of laundry were sitting in our hampers before this room change occurred." 

A complete transformation at its finest!

Having a similar setup with the folding counter and hanging bar, I can attest that it makes such a dramatic difference in our laundering process to have a place to fold and hang items to dry.  Toss in all of the added storage within the cabinets above and below, and you are able to display the pretty and tuck away the day-to-day visual clutter.

What we don't have and have always lusted after, is a counter over the washer and dryer.  What a difference it makes to have accessible solid surface for both storage and stacks of clothing.  It also provides a streamlined appearance in the space.  I adore that Jessica now has a place to display her decorative bins of laundry care items, as well as a catch-all tray for pocket items.  Pretty flowers are a plus.

Other takeaways are a tucked away trash can and color coded hangers for the family.  And backsplash.  Glorious, beautiful backsplash.  I agree, it was a game changer.

A load of thanks to Jessica for sharing her incredible makeover with all of us today.  I hope she is ready for all of the grumbling husbands around blogland.  I think many have laundry room projects in their future.

You can read more about Jessica's smashing space on her blog here.

*  All images courtesy of Live the Fancy Life and Melissa Oholendt Photography.

 

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, big or small.  They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room.  Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, 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 and how it has changed your life or 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!