85 UHeart Organizing: A Laundry Cupboard to Covet

OK class.  Can anyone tell me why we go the extra mile to make things pretty when organizing?  Let me see those hands.

You got it!  It is more motivating to maintain your systems when you love those systems.  It is also fun to get creative, crafty and make your home YOU.  Courtney has this amazing ability to take everyday, inexpensive objects, and make them look like a million bucks.  She does it all around her beautiful home, and also adds that touch to her organizing projects.  Here she is now to show you how she made her laundry room cupboards smile big for her, which is so important in a space that is known for chores.

Hi everyone!  With my children back at school for the year, I have some time to get things more organized around my home.  Like most moms, I spend a ridiculous amount of time in my laundry room.  In fact, I often call it my office!  My laundry room is a nice size and I am able to store some craft supplies in it as well.  But the cabinet above the washer is plain uninspiring.  While it does the job just fine, I knew it could use a little pick me up.  Organized + pretty is the best combination in my book so I set off to give the cabinet a little bit of glam.  Here is the before.

And here is the more glamorous version!  All in all, the entire overhaul took an hour and a half.  Not bad for a cabinet that I now love to open.

First up was loading the cabinet.  Whenever I do this, I realize I don't even use 1/3 of what is inside.  I have been storing two irons in this cabinet for years.  We only use one!  Out with the other.  So I cleared out and purged.  I love a blank canvas!

Next up was backing the cabinet with cute paper I picked up at HomeGoods.  I LOVE their paper selections and have had this one on hand for quite a while.  I am no stranger to using wrapping paper as wallpaper.  In fact, you can see my daughter's closet office wrapped in paper here!  I also busted out some gold dots on the back of our linen closet.  For this project, I simply measured the space, cut the paper, and used a hot glue gun around the edges.  Simple and really really fast.

STORAGE:

Let's begin with the basics.  I picked up this under shelf basket from the Container Store.  It was on sale for around $7.  I didn't know these existed.  It fits nicely under a shelf to add storage in the most unexpected place.

Next up, I scored two black bins from HomeGoods.  They were $7 each.  {That seems to be the price point trend for this makeover}.  The gold dot vase was a DIY project I made while organizing the cabinet.  More details about this on my blog soon.  I also couldn't help but give the under cabinet shelf a shot of gold spray paint!  I really love the new color.

I added the gold plate labels to each basket.  They simply stick on.  They are from the Martha Stewart line for Staples and I use them everywhere!

These white bins are from Target.  I am not sure they still sell them, but any sturdy white bin will do to keep things neat and tidy.  I added gold plates to these as well.  I shared more uses for these little gems with you just a while back.

The mending bin has needles, thread and extra buttons.  I have scissors near by so everything I need to make a quick fix is right at hand.

The other bin is labeled "found" and is intended for any treasures I find in the pockets or in the laundry baskets.

The other side of the hanging shelf hosts my dryer sheets.  We are big fans of The Honest Company and use many of their products.

I have now included clean white rags as a go to item for working on stain removal.  I was always running to a bathroom or the kitchen to borrow a white towel.  Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner.

The black bin on the left keeps the laundry supplies and iron.  The one on the right holds stain removal supplies.

Now this is where you might think I have lost my mind.  Yes, I may or may not have sprayed my bleach bottle cap gold.  But hear me out before you judge me!  I had the bottle on the top shelf {I placed a piece of scrapbook paper around the label.  The directions are still on the back} and the bright blue cap bugged the heck out of me.  I know it's a tiny little thing, but it took me all of thirty seconds to spray it and now I am a happy girl.  And to be quite honest, I so rarely use bleach that this bottle will be with me for years.  Well worth the thirty second gold glam job it got!

I also wrapped the font of the shelf with black ribbon.  It was simple to do and I used a little bit of hot glue on either side to keep it in place.

Here is a peek at the entire laundry room.  You can see where I pulled the black and white color scheme from.

The cabinet above the dryer holds a large amount of my craft supplies.  The cabinet on the right, above the washer, is the cabinet I just overhauled!

And here is one last look at my new glam laundry cabinet.  In less than two hours I have a cabinet that I love opening and it definitely puts a smile on my face.  I already had the cute dragonfly paper on hand so the total cost for this was $21 {hanging shelf + two baskets}.

Thanks for letting me share my new makeover with you all today.  With a little bit of sweat equity and a few sprays of gold paint, the cabinet has an entirely new look.  Maybe you don't need to spruce up a laundry room cabinet, but maybe it has inspired you to do a desk area, a kitchen cabinet, or even an office space.  Happy organizing!

"Do you believe in love at first sight? I sure do because when I first stumbled upon I Heart Organizing I immediately fell in love with Jen's mad organizational skills. I think we all long for a calm, organized, well styled life. I am the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where I dish on all things related to decorating, organizing, entertaining, and of course DIY-ing! To be quite honest, working on making my house a home is my happy place. It fulfills my need to be creative and I love sharing ideas {both big and small} with my readers. Along with my blog, I am a contributing writer to House of Fifty and have recently started my own decorating firm, Casey Grace Design, LLC,  with my talented sister.  I call Orange County, California home where I live with amazing husband and two children. At the end of a busy day, I love to enjoy an ice cold beer on the front porch with my hubby while we watch our children ride their bikes or run around. Life is sweet and I am thrilled to be a part of the IHeart Organizing Team."