The Cure for Houzz Envy: Laundry Room Touches Anyone Can Do

Nowhere is the difference between high-end new construction/remodeling and existing homes more clear than in laundry rooms. These once simply utilitarian spaces have become large, decorated rooms that incorporate drying racks, clothing sorters, built-in ironing boards, craft areas, wrapping areas and gleaming machines. For me, I just have to remember that having my own 12-year-old washer and dryer is still a dream come true. No more hoarding quarters or waiting around to make sure no one takes my wet clothes out of the dryer and leaves them in a lump on top of the machine. We’re lucky to have washers and dryers, even if they are stashed in a closet, right? Well, sometimes doing laundry is still a chore, and there are ways to set up the space to be more pleasing and efficient, and to bring a smile to your face.

Before we get started, let’s have a safety check. Clean that lint screen, vacuum all around your machines and have your dryer vent cleaned out. Clean out those corners and remove everything but the machines so you can see the room as a blank canvas. Now enjoy the inspiration below and decide which ideas you want to borrow for your own laundry room.

More cures for Houzz envy: Kitchen | Dining room | Guest room | Living room | Entryway | Bathroom | Closet | Mudroom | Home office

This is one of the most popular laundry rooms on Houzz, and it’s easy to see why — a window with a view, a beautiful countertop, a lovely ceiling light, gorgeous machines, charming wallpaper and storage. There’s even a hamper tucked right between the washer and dryer — so smart.

One of the best takeaways from this room is the countertop and the use of space. If you do have a laundry room fund going, the smartest place to spend your money is on energy-efficient machines that will pay for themselves in utility bill savings over time. As a bonus, front-loading washers can accommodate a counter for folding and sorting at a great height on top of the machines. For me, this is a someday purchase that won’t likely happen until after my machines bite the dust.


Approach designing the room as you would a bathroom or kitchen. Pay attention to the floors, cabinets, paint colors and machines, and how they relate to one another. This is a big-picture idea to have in your head as you start thinking about a little laundry room redo. Create an ideabook of laundry room favorites and make notes about what you like about each one. Maybe it’s a color palette you can steal or a checkerboard floor you can emulate with peel-and-stick tiles.


Do something shocking. The great thing about laundry rooms is that they are typically closed off from the rest of the house, so if you want a jolt of hibiscus pink that clashes with everything else you have going on in the house, this is the place to do it.


Experiment. I have had my eye on this darling wallpaper and have been wondering if I should take a Sharpie to my laundry room walls to try and make something similar. It will likely be another Becky DIY disaster, but so what? If it is, I can shut the door, then eventually paint over it.


Add a cute rug. It’s fun and makes things easier on your feet too. My laundry room has room for only a bathmat-size rug, but the argyle one from Todd Oldham’s dorm room line for Target still makes doing laundry a little more fun 10 years after I bought it.


Put up art. Even if your machine is in a closet, you can hang a piece that makes you happy every time you open up those bifold doors.


Add a dazzling backsplash. The good thing about a small laundry room is that you will need only a few square feet of tile, so you won’t have to spend much. A lucky find of one or two boxes of tile at ReStore should be plenty.


The same goes for floors. Just a box or two of tile will cover the floor of a small laundry. The catch: You will have to move the machines out of the room for this one. Make sure you know what you’re doing with the hook-ups.


Add a rod. If you have the room, this is a great place to dry items that cannot go into the dryer. An adjustable shower curtain rod can suffice. Keep extra hangers so that items you typically hang in the closet can go right onto them as they come out of the dryer — it makes the putting-away process easier. If you don’t have the space for a rod, over-the-door hooks are also a good way to do this.


Consider cabinets. If you find your cleaning supplies and linens on open shelves over the machines messy to look at, install cabinets or a curtain to cover them up.


Use uniform baskets or boxes on shelves to keep things organized. If you don’t have the budget for cabinets, give your shelves a nice paint job and add matching baskets or boxes. Dryer sheets, random single socks, detergent pods, cleaning rags and more not-so-cute items will be chicly corralled. You can even use stencils or stamps on a box or stencils and fabric markers on fabric bins to label them. Shoe boxes covered in brown packaging paper and labeled with stencils or stamps can be an attractive and inexpensive organizing system too.


Buy nice-looking supplies. If you want to have your supplies on display where they are easy to grab, buy Mrs. Meyers stuff, because it has the cutest most charming labels, and the scents are spectacular. No, I am not being paid by Mrs. Meyers; I’m just really in love with the lavender-scented dryer sheets and the graphics on the packaging. Shoot, if Mrs. Meyers isn’t your jam, treat those dollar-store laundry supplies like Andy Warhol did — revere the bright, bold graphics and arrange them in a way that shows off those dynamic labels.


Use the wall for extra storage. This system of rods and hooks from Ikea is a great place to stash dryer sheets, a lint brush and stain removers. You can also use the rods to air dry items that can’t go in the dryer.


If your laundry is also a mudroom, designate zones. Put those shoes and coats in their own spot so that they are out of the way when you need to sort and fold. Keep sorting hampers and bins and places to put clothing to dry in the laundry zone.


Add fresh flowers. OK, I’m kidding. The only place most of us have for fresh flowers is on the dryer, which is a very bad idea. However …


… maybe you can bring flowers in with a bright and beautiful photograph or painting.


Arrange plates on the wall. This one’s for my regular Houzz Envy readers. I’ve missed you!


So, Houzzers, do tell: Have you done anything to perk up your washer and dryer’s digs? That makes doing laundry an easier chore? Please share with us in the Comments section.

URL: The Cure for Houzz Envy: Laundry Room Touches Anyone Can Do http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-23243.html