So this room makeover may seem like it’s coming out of left field. Well, let me tell you…it completely did! Rewind back a couple of months ago and imagine our total and utter shock when we realized our washing machine was over-flowing. and flowing. and flowing. and completely flooding our laundry room, mudroom and the entire basement! I know…seriously awful! So after an amazing fire and water restoration company came to our rescue and got all of the water cleaned up and dried out, we soon realized we were going to be taking on *several* unplanned projects. One of those projects is the laundry room, so today I’m sharing my Laundry Room plans with you!
Just when you think you can settle down on projects and just *maybe* participate in the One Room Challenge after the $100 Room Challenge wrapped up at the end of September. Well, not so fast. Our water situation occurred at the end of August and caught us completely off-guard. But quite honestly, with all of the real disasters that were taking place in our country at the time, my situation felt incredibly petty and insignificant. Still frustrating and exhausting, but we still had a roof over our heads and beds to sleep in at night. It really is all about perspective.
The wet drywall was cut out, the baseboards and trim was removed and the floors were ripped up ON BOTH LEVELS of the house. We were living in total reno mode around here for weeks and weeks until the repair company was able to get us in the books. The repair work began in late September and is still going on! New hardwood floors were installed in early October and while they were at it, we had them go ahead and refinish our existing [undamaged] floor in the kitchen, family room and front entry. We chose a gorgeous Walnut colored stain and they turned out beautifully. [You may remember me sharing a glimpse here!] So, little by little they’ve been working away and since the basement is such a large, multi-use space, I thought it would be easiest to share with you the direction we are headed in the laundry room. The work has started, but there is still a ways to go!
Come see the before photos and my plans!
Warning: Previously, this space was in shambles. Like, it was literally never going to be a space I could share on the blog until it was fixed up a bit. Well, I guess now is that time!!
Unfortunately, since we weren’t planning on working on this space, I never took the time to snap a true “before” pic, but use your imagination… Picture an oven, old rusty rangehood and vent pipe and boxes, bins, shopping bags and PILES! And after moving in last year, it somehow became a dumping ground and all-around storage area for all of those things that did’t have a home! We did use the cabinet space for storage, but the rest of it was a sight to see [or not see, rather!].
Who has a room like this in their home? Please tell me you can relate!!
We would do our laundry and then quickly close the door behind us. No one was to ever see what was actually back there!
THE BEFORE
This is the mudroom area just outside of the garage door [Remember when I shared this space with my DIY Bookcase Makeover Project this Summer?]. At the top of the photo is the entrance into the laundry room. This was taken right after damaged areas were removed.
This shot was taken right after the drywall was repaired and they were prepping for paint. And yes, those are our gems of a washer and dryer. They came with the house and could 100% use an update!
Now, for the prettier portion of this post…my vision for the laundry room that I tried to convey through the creation of a mood board!
Ahh so much better, right! I should mention that we are not going to be purchasing / using every item shown in the mood board. But you guys know the drill! I love to create a dreamy image of my vision in order to have something to refer back to if I start to lose focus or get off track. It really does lay the groundwork for a less chaotic decision-making process when it’s time to pick out finishes! You can see all of the other mood boards I’ve created over time by clicking here!
So far, we’ve settled on the faucet you see above, this base cabinet, this sink and this countertop. We love to put in granite, quartz or even marble, but this particular dark counter really does look nice in person. The floors are installed and the walls are painted. It is already looking like a night and day difference! Oh, how I love these gray cabinets, but the more economical solution would be to paint the existing ones and save some money where we can.
Any great medium gray paint recommendations? Especially for painting cabinets?… I’m ALL ears!
The biggest looming decision we are faced with right now is whether or not to purchase a new washing machine and dryer. There’s no doubt I would fall head-over-heels for a washer like this one and the matching dryer here, but again, we are trying to be somewhat practical since a laundry room overhaul was not exactly in our 2017 [or 2018!] gameplan.
Since the contractors are in and out each day working back and forth between the laundry room and basement, I’m sure I’ll be starting to wrap my head around some of the decisions we have to start making for the basement. And when I do, I will share them with you here! It probably seems like I’m constantly juggling projects, but these last few months have really opened my eyes to the sorts of crazy that really can come out of constantly being in a state of PROGRESS! Let’s just say now that it’s officially cold outside, I am counting down the days until the basement is finished enough to let the boys be able to play down there again. Cabin fever is a real thing in Chicagoland so I’m hoping we’re able to spread out a bit in the near future!
Don’t forget to pin for later!
Shop my Laundry Room inspiration pieces below…we’ll see if any more of them pop up in here to stay!
If you’re still here, thanks for hanging with me! My editorial calendar is LOADED up for the month of November and first two weeks of December, so be sure to stop over regularly. You won’t want to miss all of the goodies I have in store for you! Have a great weekend, friends 😉
