The Laundry Room

The room that started it all, the laundry room. We had planned to take 6 months and finish up some projects that we started in 2020. That is a story for another day. This year we were going to button up some things and refresh some areas of the farmhouse. Years ago we relocated the washing machines into another room. Now that we were remixing the way we use the house the machines were being moved back to their original location. We thought we were starting with the easiest project first to get the ball rolling. Once we moved machines we realized there was some damage to the room. Upon further inspection we realized that this wasn't just a rearrange some decor kind of project. What was supposed to take us 2 weeks to finish became a 4 month long ordeal. Damages were revealed into rooms that were never supposed to get more than a coat of paint and maybe new curtains. I won't get into the dirty parts of this adventure but I will say that for reasons beyond our control we had to stop all work for 4 months before we were able to move forward with repairs.

Once we were able to make progress things came together quickly. This room is a very small, windowless space with low ceilings and mechanicals from our air conditioning and the breaker box for the farmhouse in a very unattractive location. We had to get creative to hide the unattractive parts that we couldn't relocate or permanently enclose. Reclaimed closet doors became a ventilated wall that have hidden access around the air conditioning after moving some poorly placed electrical. That allowed for a laundry hamper to tuck neatly into the corner and it really made the space feel more welcoming.

The electrical panel disappears behind peel and stick wallpaper that was cut to leave the door functioning but camouflaged. A cleverly hung poster keep the focus off the electrical panel and helps make the space feel cozy. We moved a shaker peg rack from a bedroom and with a quick coat of paint she holds a collection of vintage thread spools and some hanging baskets corral laundry essentials. My favorite shade of white spray paint was color matched so that I could paint the paneling. Peel and stick wallpaper and backsplash tiles make quick work of the decorating and can be changed as quickly if I ever get the itch. Some leftover foam ceiling tiles and stick down floor tiles from the classroom project keep the budget in check and brought a finishing touch to the room that I am very pleased with. I have some door trim and new air vent covers to add to complete this space but I love looking in this room every time I walk by. For now we will have no door to this tiny space but I am on the lookout for 2 small doors to use. I may have one last DIY for this space to convert closet door for my purpose but that is another post.

This room is the hardest working space in our home besides the kitchen. It needs to function first and be beautiful second. I love the way it looks which helps me want to spend time in there. It's easy to clean with vinyl wallpaper, commercial grade vinyl tile floors and the top loading machines are hard working, reliable and simple which is what we need to wash the farm off our clothes. Front loader machines are great with city water and wifi and smart features have their place. That place is just not here on the farm. This is my ideal version of this space and I am very happy with it. This has given me the motivation to move to the next space which is the upstairs bathroom.