Reader Space: Lovely Laundry Land

Laundry rooms come in all shapes and sizes; everything from entire rooms to a stackable washer and dryer in an itty bitty closet.  However, no matter the size of the space, I have always been a fan of any lovely laundry area, since you should really smile and love the spaces you work within.

Today's reader shows us how she took her plain and simple laundry room and made it an AMAZING space that fills her with warmth every time she enters.  And it's organized to boot!  Extra win!

Emily wrote:

Hey Jen!

I had this awful laundry room that was a complete disaster and dumping ground for anything around our home. It was one of the most unorganized spaces in our house and it was driving me nuts so I finally fixed it up and made it pretty. It's a happy laundry room now with plenty of storage, and fun bright colors of orange and aqua.  I actually like going in here now!  More details are in my makeover post here.

The second I saw it I knew I had to share it, and I think you will agree... IT. IS. STUNNING!

But first, let's take a look at Emily's original laundry space:

"It was chaos. Complete and utter chaos. I first just cleared out the room and decided I wanted none of this stuff in here anymore. So I found a new place for everything {besides the vacuum} and got to work.  I painted the room Chrysanthemum by Sherwin Williams and love the color!  I know orange might not be for everyone but if you like an intense orange, this is a good one.

You’ll notice I decided to not remove the existing shelf and bar for now and just added some pretty bins for extra storage.

The two little white shelves I did add {from Lowes}, and they are merely for decorative purposes only. You would not want to set a bottle of detergent on them.  When I saw all of those pretty plates at Target I had to have them. The colors were perfect for this room.  And yes it might be weird to have plates in a laundry room, but hey, they make me happy and it’s my kind of “art.”  And I bought those over a month ago {maybe 2?} so I’m not sure if they are still there?  Oh, and the bins came from Lowes, Homegoods, and Target.  Oh yeah, and I slapped up some beadboard and a chair rail too for added charm. 

Molding makes the world just a little bit better.  And I just did it on this one wall because it is the only wall it made sense on. This room is way too choppy with the staircase and all.

We also had that ugly florescent light in here, which was replaced with this $8 thrift store chandelier that I redid.

I love it!

And on the other side of the room we have this now:

We just added an Expedit unit from Ikea and that is now where I keep all of the detergents, the iron, and other miscellaneous things.  Only two of those bins have stuff in them right now too, so I have plenty of space for extra storage. It’s amazing what these little Expedits do to a space am I right?  It’s instant organization that looks pretty.  Those little baskets on top of the Expedit are also from Target, and 2 of them from the dollar spot section. I figure the extra things I find in pockets can be thrown in here. 

Oh and let’s not forget about this gorgeous rug from Urban Outfitters.

I can say that doing laundry is just a tad bit better.  Now if they can just make a machine that folds and puts the laundry away…now that would be awesome."

How about some fab before and after moments?

• The laundry room was originally lacking any sort of functional and effective storage.  By adding in the Expedit, weeding out what didn't belong and adding a couple of "pretty" bins to the top shelf, she was able to give herself a room to actually grow within!
• The laundry room wasn't blessed with windows, however, it still feels bright and fresh because of the lovely vibrant colors that she brought into the space.
• What can I say, I have a soft spot for vibrant floral laundry room rugs.
• And Expedits.
• I love the character that is added by bringing in some decorative wainscoting panels.
• She doesn't give two hoots that plates aren't intended for laundry spaces.  She loves them, they have fabulous colors and they make her happy.  It's always important to do what you love in a space and not what is considered "standard".
• The chandelier provides incredible amounts of light in a windowless room, along with drama!  It's so chic and pretty, every laundry land deserves lovely lighting!
• I also adore that she brought in a mirror to reflect all that great light around.

A special THANK YOU to Emily for submitting her inspiring Reader Space.  You can find all the details over on Emily's blog here. 

Who else is having fun with vibrant paint colors and beyond excited about the results?  Anyone else tackling a laundry room as we speak?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!