Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Laundry Room Organization

Our laundry area sits in the mudroom and has been strictly function over fashion. And it wasn't even that functional. As you can see below, things were getting out of hand:


The laundry room was overflowing with three different kids of detergent, clothes and linens that I never put away, a stack of items to give away, and more than a few items that didn't belong there in the first place (I spy: an air mattress, headphones, my gym pass).  I actually really don't mind doing laundry (it's the only household chore I like), so I wanted to make this into a space I enjoy using.

After I cleaned it all out, I knew I needed to add some color.  Painting the whole room seemed tough, as I'd have to work around the shelves (which, after some checking, seemed near impossible to remove) and behind the washer and dryer.  I've seen some stenciled rooms around the blogosphere (like here, here, and here) and, on a whim, headed to the craft store to see what sort of stencil options they had.

I came home with three matching diamond tile stencils.  I got set up with the stencils, some painters tape, a sponge brush, and a sample of Martha Stewart Sea Glass paint.  I lined the stencils up, stuck them to the wall, and started dabbing the paint on.

(True confessions time: this is my first time stenciling anything.)


The first few tiles were a little sloppy.  The paint bled through a bit and I had to neaten it up using a Q-Tip.  After some trial and error, I ditched two of the stencils and just used one.  I found it was quicker and easier.



With part of the wall finished, I took a step back and had to decide whether I was going to keep stenciling or scrap the whole plan and paint the top bar a solid color.

I kept going.


Once the paint dried, I brought in three fabric bins I picked up from the Home Depot and divided up the laundry necessities among them - fabric care, bleach, and iron & steamer.


I also put an old laundry basket up there for items to toss or donate.  I go through this once every few weeks to make sure it doesn't get out of control!


I put my powder detergent into a glass jar, gathered the dryer balls into a ceramic bowl, and stashed frequently-used laundry items (stain remover, dryer sheets) in a colorful flower pot I already owned.  To the far left, I added hangers for drying delicate items.


Last but not least, I found some "art" to stick in there - a copy of a Brian Andreas print, a recent birthday card from my friend Leah, and two notecards my parents sent me when I was living in Seattle.  They're all so different and I love looking at them when I'm folding laundry.


Here's to making functional spaces look great!  Stay homey!

11 comments:

  1. That is so sweet. I especially love the unsual things in frames to look at while you do laundry. What a great idea for a beautiful bday card!

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  2. Love it......maybe I'll work on my laundry room today!

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  3. What a wonderful job you did with very little expense! Love it, ;D

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  4. Thanks, ladies! It could frankly use a little cleaning today :)

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  5. You have inspired me! Thank you! :-)

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  7. It's amazing what a stencil can do! I've been shying away from using any stencils because they seemed so complicated, so I'm glad you brought up using a Q-tip. I love how simple and easy this seems! Thank you for sharing :)

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  8. Just LOVELY!!! The stencil is beautiful!!! and it looks super organized in there!! :)
    Lots of Love
    Ashli

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  9. That really looks nice!! I have the same kind of bins--mine might get better use if I took time to label them! (I procrastinate....)

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  10. congrats on the laundry room organization! We just did a major laundry room overhaul with a custom wall treatment too! It makes all the difference to have an organized AND beautiful space!

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  11. Hello from IHeart Organizing's link up! Please follow back if you have the chance. Have a great day :)

    Kristina
    http://www.yomichaelmichael.com

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!