We have lived in our home for almost 9 years now, which seems totally crazy. The years keep flying by. We moved in with two toddlers and a newborn and the only thing we did right away was paint over the awful dated wallpaper in the kitchen. It was the one thing I knew I couldn't live with. The house had pretty much been renovated before we bought it. It just wasn't necessarily "us" but it was nice and livable and nothing "had" to be done right away.....except for that kitchen. We moved from an older, historical home that we had also done a lot of renovating on ourselves. We loved that house so much and still do but we were simply outgrowing it. The moment I walked into our current home, I knew it was right. I could see our family living here. I couldn't even tell you why it was right really...I just knew it was.
Slowly but surely, as our four children have gotten a bit older and as time and money allows, we have been working on making this home truly reflect our style and personality. And I must say, I am completely smitten with it now.
The most recent renovation was our laundry room and I love it so much! I actually want to be in there. I call that a success right there, my friends.
This is the room before. That sliding door used to lead to a bathroom but we blocked that off in our last renovation as we created a new master suite. So, now to block it off on this side.
Ah, that's better.
We used the same tongue and groove pine wood that we used on previous projects, but rather than staining it, we painted it white to create a shiplap look. This is a small space with great natural light coming in the window so I wanted a nice clean and bright space.
This is now my new view. (insert nerdy giggling and ridiculously large grins)
We replaced the floors with a durable vinyl floor that looks like weathered oak hardwood. And my husband made this amazing folding station for me out of pallets. I added some paint and stain and voila!
Isn't it so happy?! My laundry baskets slide in and out. I have one for clean and one for dirty.
What's that you say? A family of 6 and you have simply one for clean and one for dirty?!
Yep.
Simplify has been a running theme in my mind and in my heart for several years now. Laundry is inevitable. There are 6 of us and I am so grateful that we have clothes to wear and get dirty in the first place. And then the means to conveniently wash them in our own home.
Yet, I still felt like there was a better way to simplify this process and make me less crazy! I've tried several ways in the past. We simplified everyone's closet and wardrobe, which is very helpful. We used to have a hamper in everyone's bedrooms which was counterproductive in my opinion. Then, I tried a big hamper with four separate slots in the laundry room which only made me think I had more time before I "had" to tackle laundry. So....1 basket for dirty and 1 basket for clean it is. And you know what? It is working beautifully! We get it done and it stays caught up! Crazy awesome!
Simplified....and pretty too. I am a firm believer in making your space beautiful; a place that consists of beautiful moments and collected things that bring a smile. This is our home and I love making it a place of beauty.
Our home actually has quite a lot of closets for the size of it. But since we don't have a garage or a mudroom type area or pantry, we still needed more storage for bulk grocery store items, laundry items, and random things that don't have a designated place.
So, hubby to the rescue again with the free pallets from our sweet friend! He made this monster of a shelving unit and I added some white paint. It is so big that I wanted it to blend into the white walls rather than being a statement piece. It has been SO nice having this storage now.
Isn't it crazy how much lighting can truly change the feel of a room? We had just your typical inexpensive flush mount light in here before, came with the house. This new light came from Lowes. It's a brushed aluminum and just looks modern and clean which is my fav! We bought a oiled bronze finish ceiling medallion to cover the hole from the old light and I actually love the contrast.
I added this fun textile to the room recently. I bought this kitchen towel at IKEA about a year or so ago because it just made me smile. I love the pop of green, the strange old man, and the "do you dig?" text on it, so much!
And the shelf in front of the window has proven to be the happiest little spot in the whole house. I keep adding more plants. They love it there and I love them there.
The actual transformation of the laundry room took one weekend. We had to use another weekend to build the two shelving units because ya know, we have jobs and children to school and care for. ;) I seriously love this space now...makes me smile every time I look in there from the kitchen and I love doing laundry now!
Cost Breakdown:
-Light- $19.98
-ceiling medallion- $9.98
-Shiplap wall- $20.00
-White paint (for walls and shelf)-$20.00
-Flooring-$150.00
Grand Total- A full laundry room makeover for about $220.00!!
Hope you enjoyed viewing our latest renovation and more than that, I hope it has inspired and encouraged you to do your own!
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