Recently, I saw a sign that said, “This home is full of love and laundry.” Boy, can I relate! We always have something that needs to be washed, dried, folded, or ironed….and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Laundry is one of those chores that is never going to go away, so we might as well make the best of it by making sure we get to do it in a pretty place. Speaking of pretty laundry rooms, look at this wallpapered laundry room by interior designer Cheryl Scarlet of Design Transformations:
Ah-mazing, right? That gorgeous wallpaper totally elevates this space from utilitarian to elegant. Beyond the wallpaper, I like the white cabinetry, open shelving filled with baskets, and the handy drying rack. I think I might actually enjoy doing laundry room if I got to spend time in a room like this.
It wasn’t hard to find five things in this room (including the designer wallpaper!) that could be DIYed for a fraction of the cost. Read on, to find out how the laundry room of your dreams could also be the laundry room within your budget.
1. Wallpaper
The wallpaper in this laundry room is such a focal point! I think I’ve shared with you already that it’s possible to save a ton of money by papering walls with wrapping paper instead of wallpaper. Here’s another gift wrap to wallcovering tutorial from A Thoughtful Place.
2. Clothes Drying Rack
Everyone loves the laundry rack made popular by Ballard Designs. Over at Knock Off Decor, I featured a DIY version by Impatiently Praying for Patience.
3. White Cabinetry
In a small room with walls as busy as this one, it’s good to make sure other main elements–like cabinets–don’t compete for attention. Painting your existing cabinetry another color, like in this laundry room makeover by Centsational Girl, is an inexpensive solution.
4. Yellow Accent Lamp
I love the idea of a pretty lamp in the laundry room, especially one without any natural light sources. The yellow one in my inspiration photo reminds me of the ombre lamp makeover I recently shared.
5. Storage Baskets
Baskets are a great way to organize open shelving and add texture to a room. But they can be pricey, especially when you are buying more than one or two. Luckily, I featured an easy jute basket DIY by diy Design Fanatic over at Roadkill Rescue.
There you go–five ways to make this dream laundry room a reality! Tell me which element of this room you’d actually be willing to try in your own home.
From what I hear, a shop called Paper Source is one of the best places to get heavy-duty wrapping paper to use as wallpaper. I checked to see if they had any papers available that were similar to the stunning bird paper in my inspiration photo. I found one with birds, and one in a very similar color scheme that features bicycles. Too cute! If you are completely in love with the bird wallpaper pictured, I’ve done some digging for you: it’s available here, but only “to the trade”, which means you need to get it through a designer. I’d love to know if anyone has found something similar in a wrapping paper!
I love it! I have to share my FAVORITE design idea for laundry rooms with nothing. It is inexpensive and functional! In our 1960’s tri-level we had nothing but concrete walls, an open ceiling with 2 x 4’s and wires, and a black and white linoleum floor which I thought was kinda cool. We covered the cement blocks with beadboard, used a white dropped ceiling over the exposed ceiling and for the workspace did this–this is my favorite tip! Get two unfinished cabinets from your Lowes/HD and space apart about 3-4 feet. Add a nice stained/poly’ed piece of pine for the top and you have a folding table! I painted the cupboards, added glass knobs to the doors and drawers, put beadboard on the sides of the cupboards, added molding along the bottom sides, and then use a tension rod (Target) to run between the two cupboards and add a cute curtain which allows for storage! This is very doable for so many who are tight on a budget, have no previous built ins, or are short on space.
I have a house with a basement laundry room that’s unfinished. Unfortunately I don’t have the $$$$ or hubby/ DIYer to help me put in a drop ceiling. I do however have a large rectangular table I’m putting in the space for folding. I’ll put storage of some kind under the table as well. Unfortunately again, no $$$$ or hubby/DIYer to help put breadboard up. I’m going to paint the concrete walls in a very cheerful yellow most likely ( I would do a deep deep pink but I’m going to put the house on the market next year), that will appeal to most people. I’ve got all kinds of hanging racks, drying racks and 3 two door shelving units (the ones by Rubbermaid I think – you can buy them at Target, Walmart, etc) that will give me storage for toilet paper and Costco trips. The space is fairly large. I want to hang some things but I’m concerned about hanging on concrete. Any suggestions? I also have front dryers that I purchased the pedestals that go underneath and are big drawers, as well as the unit with two drawers that you can put between the units or to the side. I also got the heavy Matt that goes over the washer and dryer to create a shelf. That has really come in handy. The floors are AWFUL. They’re the 1970’s little tiny deep red pebble look linoleum. I don’t have the money to put anything down so I’m going to put a big sisal rug there. If it gets wet, no biggie. I already have it & I know I’m not going to be using it. If ANYONE has any IDEAS for me with painting the concrete, I would be most appreciative! Or any other ideas as this space it truly “unfinished”!
Thanks so much for sharing your tip, Kristin! Your laundry room sounds lovely. At least you can stare happily at your handiwork while you’re folding. Ha! 😉
Oh my goodness that wallpaper! Why does the prettiest wallpaper always have to be just for “the trade”?! But I love that wrapping paper idea! Very cool!
Yeah, it’s a little more in my budget. 😉
Hi Wendy,
Kudos to you for rocking what you’ve got! Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience painting concrete walls or hanging things on concrete. However, I am sure you could google it and get some information. Best of luck, and thank you for reading and commenting!