We don't actually have a laundry room in our house - just a large closet-like space underneath our stairs that houses the washer and dryer and a little shelf. But as a family of four, it is a heavily trafficked space nonetheless. I do a load of laundry every.single.day just to keep up with the sheer magnitude of it.
As I scroll through Instagram and Pinterest, I am always longingly looking at beautiful laundry rooms that make the space feel anything but utilitarian. I always think "maybe one day I can have that" or "I wish our laundry room looked like that!".
There is absolutely nothing wrong with our laundry area. It serves its purpose. And our washer and dryer are nice - we purchased new ones when we bought the house so those are new and clean. But there's nothing pretty about the space.
As I've mentioned before, I've been dying to wallpaper something in our house. We don't have a big budget for me to do all the design I'd love to do so I wanted to find a small space to start. We don't have a typical powder room/half bath scenario which is where I'd love to put a fun bold print to add a pop of color. Then it dawned on me that I could wallpaper our little laundry nook and breathe some much needed color and style into it.
Here's the space as it currently stands:
To get started (and to sell my husband on the idea) I put together this little mood board of the changes I'd like to make.
Here's a breakdown of what I'd like to change in the space:
1. Add a bright and colorful wallpaper to the space to add color and some personality.
In this moodboard, I used a design from Chasing Paper that I'd been eyeing for a while. I love their papers and they are removable so if down the road we get sick of it or the next homeowner doesn't love my idea, no biggie.
2. Add a rustic wood or reclaimed wood shelf to add warmth and texture.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the white shelf that is in there now. But it does have lots of detergent gunk built up on it and it wouldn't really stand out against the wallpaper like I want it to. I'll probably need to do two side by side to maximize the small amount of storage in the space. Something like this shelf from Wayfair is what I'm thinking.
3. Add more attractive (yet still functional) lighting.
There is a hideous florescent light along the opposite wall. It emits good light which is important since the space doesn't have any natural light but it is honking. I'm thinking something a little industrial would look good. I am in love with all of the fixtures from ModCreation Studio and featured one in this moodboard.
4. Add more attractive canisters or storage vessels for detergent, softner, etc.
I actually always envisioned some large clear canisters to put dry detergent in with a scoop but clear canisters like these didn't show up as well on the moodboard. The ones pictured are from BBB.
5. Add something pretty.
I'm thinking a nice art print or a shiny mirror. Just something to glam up the monotony of laundry duty.
I don't think any of these changes are going to break the bank (the biggest expense will be the wallpaper) but I can save money since I can install it myself. I do think that with these little changes the space would be VASTLY improved. Yay? Nay?
What little changes have you made to your home that had a major impact?
xo, Cameron
