Tiny Laundry Room MAKEOVER
We wanted our laundry room makeover to include bright whites and dark contrasts accented with natural wood. We love neo-classical styling for our home’s interior, but still wanted touches of farmhouse + industrial elements thrown in. Above all, we needed a functional space. So with all that being said, our laundry room makeover is complete!
Click here to see all of our laundry room posts and our progression.
I had a long list of “wants” for this space. Tiny room remodels seem like they would be so simple at first. Soon, my long list of must-haves and beautiful “things” was whittled down to only bare-minimum, basic needs. Maximizing the use of space and improving efficiency took some thought. This room is adjacent to our garage and when I think about the original design, the room felt like an afterthought. No windows, no utility sink. So we had to bring in the light with paint and under-cabinet lighting, and amp up the functionality. A tough task in such a tiny space!
The countertop to fold our laundry has been a game changer! It’s actually eliminated a full step in our laundry process. Before a giant mound of laundry would migrate from the dryer to the couch and swallow our family room. And, of course…sit for days. Now, we can finish a load of laundry, use our countertop to fold, hang our clothes using our brand new hanging rod valet. And then…put them away (already hanging is a huge bonus!) Who knew a hanging rod would make such a difference?
Shop this Space:
Source List:
- Industrial Hanging Rod (we made this ourselves)
- Rug from Overstock.com
- Installed beadboard on the walls $18 per sheet (approximately 5 sheets)
- Painted beadboard in HGTV Home “Oxford White” from Sherwin Williams ($40)
- Blew out the vents using a leaf blower
- Purchased a new washing machine
- Installed new overhead lighting from Ikea ($20)
- Glass knobs from Hobby Lobby (find similar here)
- Tobacco Baskets from Hobby Lobby (find similar here)
- Plaid Blanket (bottom) from Ikea
- Plaid Throw (top) from Versona (find similar here)
- White towels from Target
- Antique Wash board from my stash
- Built custom cabinets using doors from Ikea scratch & dent = $8 doors + $35 in wood for cabinets
- Painted cabinets using Heirloom Traditions Paint, Heritage Collection in “Iron Gate”
- Wood Countertop created from 3/4″ plywood and a trim piece (to make it look like thick butcher block) = $35
- All natural wood stained Varathane “Early American” (counter top and industrial hanging rod)
- Flooring is Pergo Outlast+ in Molasses Maple
As you can see, lots of little DIY projects make this room feel functional.
Before
We have a couple of trim pieces we still need to finish, and I’d like to make some of my own wall art. But I’m so happy to have the bulk of this project behind us. We tried to not stray too much from our original design plan, just made a few adjustments here and there. I will likely change the decor at some point and will post updates when I do.
Watch our Youtube Video:
Pin it for later:
Thanks for following along!
What kind of lights do you have under the cabinets? Love your new laundry room!
Hi Jill, thanks! Those are from Ikea, they are the 7 volt version. I forgot to add that to my source list but will do it now.
It is stunning! I could do laundry in there all day…
Thanks so much, Janet! <3
I to love the lights underneath the cabinets. I also love the industrial rods over the door idea. Your laundry is fabulous. I am currently working on improvements in my’s.
Really pretty room, I may try to copy as much of it as I can…thanks
Hi Anne! Copy away, we are very happy with it. Life is so much easier with a functioning laundry room.
Your laundry room is not only functional but a sight to behold. However, what did you do to the wall opposite the W/D? Previously you had a narrow chest or shoe storage? What have you now? If you have not done anything with that wall, I would consider building between the studs. You could get 3 or 4, 12″ – 16″, full height cubbies; with or without doors. Angled shoe racks or coat/tote hooks would relieve piled foot wear. Also give you a place to keep those recycle/reusable shopping bags that you can grab before going out the door to shop.. Maybe you could hang dirty laundry in laundry bags, marked ‘whites’, ”lights’ and darks’. If you don’t have a broom closet you could use a cubbie to keep broom, mop, dustpan, etc. Or even keep canned goods if you don’t have enough room in your kitchen. There is so much space there just waiting to be used!
Hi Peggy! All of your ideas are great! We originally had shoe storage from Ikea there, but we found it obtrusive. We didn’t do anything to that wall other than make it look clean with a big sheet of beadboard — it’s visible from the living areas and I liked the idea of it looking uncluttered. We thought about recessing some storage into the wall, but we ran out of budget (and patience) to do any more work in that room. How’s that for honest? :)
Hi. This isn’t related to the stories above, at least not yet. 🙂
I can’t figure out how to purchase any of these unique items are they just simply ideas and the consumer needs to find a place that carries these items?
Thx
Many of the items in my laundry room are located in the “shop my home” area on the blog that helps you locate some of the items. The cabinets were custom made by us as well as the wood countertop. The decor and where I bought those items are mentioned in most of the posts. I’ll edit accordingly if they are not :)
The layout of our laundry rooms are identical and I have been stumped! I love this so much. Is there a post about the clothes hanging rod you guys made? Thank you!
Where are the dirty clothes. That seems to be my biggest problem. I have piles of dirty clothes in the floor?
Unfortunately the room is too small to store dirty clothes so everyone keeps them in their respective rooms in a hamper.
Does the counter-top hinge up for machine maintenance? Also, did you leave a space in case another machine (new dryer) might be higher? Or are they all pretty much the same height?
Looks great, I’m jealous!
Stunning makeover you are going to love to do laundry in your new room.
Happy Mother’s Day, Kippi
Hi This is a great room makeover. Would you tell me the height of your cabinets? Thanks
Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Monday. I wanted to let you know that you are one of my featured links this week. Come check it out at https://www.farmhouse40.com/inspire-me-monday-227
Did you use any top coat (i.e. HTP wax) on your cabinets? Is the Iron Gate color truly a deep rich black? My son wants his bedroom furniture painted a deep deep black. Thx.
I didn’t need a top coat necessarily but you can certainly use one. I loved the matte finish.
Do you have a tutorial for how you made your counter top over the machines? I’m in the process of redoing my laundry room and I’m looking for some guidelines/instructions on building a butcher block style counter top to go over my w/d.
Thanks!
I will ask my husband if he can create one. It looks amazing but not heavy at all like real butcher block would be. We plan to do something similar in our new laundry room. I will see if he can write a tutorial with the photos we have from the previous house.
I am interested in the tutorial for the shelf above the washer and dryer also!
Ok! We will add that to our video tutorial list! We need to re-create that in our current laundry room (which is also in need of a makeover!)