Laundry, oh how I despise it! I had this friend once who actually enjoyed doing laundry. Can you believe it? She found solace in fluffing and folding (insert sly side eye here). Well, to each their own, I guess.
**This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you**
When we first moved into our house, I couldn’t stand the layout of the laundry room. It felt like just to get out I had to do a three way turn. Why did they build it so small? But hey, that’s water under the bridge now. Let’s focus on the amazing transformation we’ve achieved. Prepare to be amazed!
Here’s where we started, folks, in all its cramped glory.
Talk about a tiny space.
So, since the room was small and conveniently located right off the entryway, I decided to extend the design onto this area. By doing so, we created an illusion of more space than it actually has. Gotta love those optical tricks!
Now, considering this room hadn’t seen any love since we moved in, the first order of business was patching up holes and caulking around the attic trim to seal those annoying gaps. After a couple of hours of drying (I even gave it a little fan action to speed things up), I sanded it down and wiped the walls with a damp rag (don’t forget to change the water after every few wipes or so!). No dusty walls on my watch, because we want that paint to look sleek and polished. And now, my friends, it’s time to paint!
For the colors, I went with Benjamin Moore’s First Light and Onyx in a matte finish. I know, I know, using matte finishes in a high activity room is a no-no, but rules were meant to be broken, right? I wanted that look, and that’s why I chose it- simple as that. And let me tell you, the combination of these two colors was perfection. I initially worried that the pink would be too pink, but once it was paired with the black, it was exactly what I had envisioned.
Check it out:
Even the ceiling is black! Isn’t it absolutely stunning!? If someone had told me I’d be putting black anywhere in my house, let alone on the ceiling, I would have burst into laughter. I used to believe that dark colors made a room feel smaller. Well, call me a changed woman, because now I want color everywhere….. EVERYWHERE! But let’s save that discussion for another day. Shall we continue?
When I planned out this room, I wanted to make a statement with one particular wall. After all, it’s the first thing you see when you walk in through our back door. Why settle for a plain old wall when you can have something extraordinary? So, armed with my trusty sketch pad, I came up with a little something-something.
Something different.
Something cozy.
Something that you wouldn’t expect to find in a laundry room.
Off to Lowe’s I went, armed with my sketch, ready to gather the wood I needed. Poplar and Red Oak wood caught our eye, as I intended to use a stain that would highlight the natural beauty of the wood rather than cover it up. These two types of wood were perfect for bringing my vision to life.
We used 10’x10″x1/2″ Red Oak wood and Poplar wood for the horizontal pieces, cutting them down to 3” wide. As for the vertical pieces, we mixed both woods, using 8’x6”x1/2” boards, cut down to 1 1/4” wide. I must say, we ended up using more Red Oak than Poplar.
Funny story though- we actually didn’t use all the wood we bought. Let me tell you we had a funny thing happen…we didn’t use all of this wood. We had a slight miscalculation there (oops!) Looks like we have some extra wood now. Maybe we can get creative and find another project for it. A wooden sculpture in the garden, perhaps? Who knows, the possibilities are endless!
Anyway, after acquiring the wood, it was time to stain. And stain….. and stain….. and stain.
The horizontal pieces received a coat of Miniwax Gel Stain in Mahogany, while the vertical ones were treated with Miniwax Wood Finish in Golden Pecan. Now, pay attention to the next pictures because you’ll notice that the vertical pieces sport two different colors. That’s just the natural color of the two woods shining through the stains. Alright, time to assemble this puzzle!
Oh, be still my heart! I was completely in love with the result. Then we started adding the rest of the pieces, and well…. I mean. But let’s keep going.
We used a half inch spacer between each piece to allow the wall to peek through (otherwise what was all that painting for), and we cut the vertical pieces at an angle so they would gracefully flow down the wall. To ensure a seamless finish, we used wood glue and finishing nails.
Now, how about we add some flair and style to this space?
Let me show you the finished piece and the little extras I incorporated. I installed these cool shelf brackets (with shelves made from the leftover wood, painted black), a cute little basket with a lid (perfect for dryer sheets and delicate bags), a spacious basket for cleaning rags and extras, a soft glowing lamp (which stays on all the time so it serves as a little extra light in the middle of the night), and even a clothesline that disappears when not in use, just like magic! See I told you that you were going to see some magic tricks today!
Can we take a moment to appreciate how much I adore this room and that stunning wall? I mean, seriously, THIS much!
It has definitely made laundry time a bit more enjoyable…. well, maybe just a smidge.
I know some may think it’s a lot of effort for just a laundry room, but I believe that every room deserves its moment in the sun. I want to enjoy every corner of my home; otherwise, what’s the point, right? So always remember to embrace and enjoy your home.
If video is your thing catch it all below.
One Comment
Comments are closed.