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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Finally! Re-do for the Laundry Room


When I found this fabric, I knew it was TIME!!!  I would finally re-do our pitiful little laundry room.  It's called "Turkish Toile" and it's part of the Colonial Williamsburg collection.  I had to work to find a way to introduce any fabric into this room, but you'll see how I did.

Then, as things sometimes happen, I found this Quimper plate the very next day.  I loved how it had that orange color, too.  You see, I've been dying to do an orange room and none of my design clients will listen to me!!!  No takers!!!  So.....I decided to please myself in my very own home and finally, finally, finally freshen up the laundry room.......in ORANGE!

Here's the way it looked before.  Saaaaaaad, isn't it?  It was a high gloss, blood red color with so many nail and screw holes that had never been filled and woefully inadequate storage.  Just this small cupboard above the washer.  This is really more of a laundry closet than a laundry room  The reason I never re-did this room is because the previous owners left their washer and dryer, so we sold ours with our old house.  (Now that house had a real laundry room.)  This set seemed to be inferior quality and I never expected it to last more than a couple of weeks.  I figured that I'd re-do this room when they were replaced.  Fast forward six years and they're still going strong.  So I'm probably jinxing myself, but I decided to refresh things.

Here's the way it looks now.  Mr. Pressed Pants went away for a weekend, and I got busy!   The color is Behr's Ultra in Marmalade Glaze from Lowe's.  It's just called that.  It's a paint, not a glaze.  It covered that awful red from the previous owner beautifully.  I built three shelves beside the cupboards which doubled my storage space.  Two of the shelves have wire baskets from Ikea with muslin liners and the third is curtained with the toile fabric.  I told you I would find a way! I toyed with buying a snazzy ironing board cover for pattern, but I really like a plain muslin one.  Just me.

There is another shelf behind this, without pretty baskets.  I just gathered the fabric on a tension rod and placed it closely under the shelf trim.  Man, this color is bad.  Refer to the first photo in this post for the accurate color.

Then I added a short closet rod for our hangers.  I'm pretending here,that I only use matching velvet hangers!  In reality, I like to stick with these, but Mr. Pressed Pants really likes his stuff on wire hangers.  I know.  That's weird.  But, hey, I like to make the man happy, so I have wire hangers, too, and some plastic tubular ones.  But, for the sake of this post, I'm coordinated, right?

The hardwood floors and the fluorescent light fixture stayed.   I was able to get rid of that thin rolling shelving unit and chose a muslin lined zinc style waste basket that could go in it's place.  Much better! 

This photo gives you a better idea of the way the color looks.  It's a really relaxing orange, almost a bittersweet.  I remembered that I had these old, old handmade wooden clothes pins.  Aren't they neat?  They made the plate look a little less lonely and random.

Working around the light switch (sigh) I changed up the frame for the cork board and the little wooden sewing cabinet.  This just contains a few spools of the most common thread and some buttons, etc, for when I need to do a quick mending job.  (I have a sewing room downstairs that I'll show you someday.)  I just went to check to see if this little cabinet is really this crooked, but it is just the photo.

I think I've done about as much as I can do to this room.  When we first moved in, I toyed with taking room from the garage and enlarging this, but I'm glad we didn't.  It's so small that it forces me to get all of my laundry done at once, since there's no way to hide things mid-job.  Oh well, there's just the two of us here, and I'm not doing all that much laundry, so I'll keep on keeping on. 

Have you ever waited six years to re-do the last room?  

Joining:

Metamorphosis Monday 


8 comments:

  1. I like your orange laundry room! Never would have thought I would! I have a laundry closet, too, only not as deep as yours, it's literally a closet. I like the way you used baskets, I think I will do the same!

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  2. Wow! You got a lot done! You did the shelves YOURSELF?! It looks amazing! I love anything toile...

    xo

    Andie

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  3. Hopped over from Met Monday... Great paint color, and the curtains are so pretty! Love the fabric! The plate is so unique and is the perfect accessory!

    Now your newest follower!

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  4. Great transformation! I love the color. I got a giggle out of your hanger situation -- same here. I'd love to have all wooden hangers -- or even those "velvet" ones -- but that's pretty far down the priority list!

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  5. I gotta go with "Mommie Dearest" on this one: "NO....WIRE....HANGERS!!!!!!!!!" Tell your husband he's harshing your cool with that wire hanger thing! :-) The color is GREAT, Linda! I know you must really be thrilled with this! If you MUST do laundry, it's nice to be able to do it in a pleasant environment. Like you, we only have a laundry closet as opposed to an entire room, and you're SO right...it forces you to get 'er done! You've really inspired me with the shelves you built in. VERY clever for starters, and I love the fabric treatment. The clothes pins on the wall is a cute idea, too! You've got my brain on fast forward right now thinking of what to do with my tired old space! I just keep thinking what a hassle it would be to have to move the washer and dryer to paint. That puts a damper on it for me. I think I'll just enjoy yours! :-)

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  6. Beautiful job on the laundry room! I too have nothing more than an closet for a laundry room. It is the room that leads to the garage so I can't even sort clothes on the floor. Grrr...With that being said, if I EVER have a chance to build a home, it is going to have the coolest, largest laundry and sewing room with large windows in it and NO florescent lighting! HA! Love your wall color and toile fabric choice! Hugs, Meghan

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  7. I would do a lot more laundry if I had that cute room!

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  8. I have a laundry room about the size of yours. I've got it somewhat decorated but need to refresh it ... love your paint color. Like you say, it's so small you can't accumulate much! Thanks for the inspiration.

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