Laundry Room Re-Do

When we first moved into our house the laundry/entry room was painted stark white on every surface.  Now white can be a clean palette for some people, but I like a little color in my life.

I decided to take the room from drab to fab by painting it a bold color.

I am usually color conservative.  But I always admire other peoples bold colors in their homes, so I thought I'd try it myself.

I shouldn't have.  

I made a mistake by choosing a deep color for a small room with no natural light.

Although I really loved the color, instead of making the room fabulous, it made the room feel small and dark.

I painted the room a hot pink/raspberry color that was bold, exotic, and fun - and completely wrong for the space.  

I had originally thought to make it into a glitzy and glamorous space with a fun chandelier and a wild rug, but after I got the painting all done, I realized that finishing the room wouldn't improve the cave feeling that was prevalent.

Although I didn't love how the paint turned out in the room, I couldn't justify spending more money to repaint it.

Paint may be a cheap way to update a space but it isn't that cheap!

So, the laundry room stayed that color for over a year. 

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. 

Hunky hubby didn't love it, and neither did the boys. 

There were a few friends who liked it and there were even some people who never even noticed the color!?!?

Then, finally, the opportunity arose for the laundry room to be repainted.

We had been wanting to add some storage cabinets. Friends of ours picked a couple of matching cabinets up for us at a Habitat Restore. 

I gave the cabinets a face lift with a couple coats of paint and some new handles.

Before installing them though, I convinced H.H. that this would be the perfect time to repaint. It honestly didn't take much convincing because he didn't like the pink anyway. 

So on New Years Eve we repainted the laundry room!

I still wanted the color to be something feminine, but I learned my lesson with the bold color and decided that less is more.  H.H. helped me choose a pretty lavender color. 

It's girly without being overly girly. 

I love the color now. 

It is hard to see in the pictures, but it is perfect in the room.  It brightens up the space helping it to feel larger.

H.H. hung the cabinets above the washer and dryer.  Then he attached a pole for hanging shirts to dry and placed a shelf above that.  The cabinets add great storage and keep the room looking neater than the bare shelf that was in there before.

I would still like to replace that old gold light fixture with a cute chandelier. I'll be keeping my eyes open for something at a yard sale or flea market so I can have another DIY project. 

I picked up the wall art on clearance at TJ MAXX.

It says "smile, happy is beautiful".

I find this to be a helpful reminder when I am knee deep in laundry.  It is even more helpful when I am rushing out of the house after corralling kids and 2 dogs and coming back inside 3 times to grab the forgotten items off of the counter. In all that chaos, my face is seriously lacking a smile. I need this little reminder to stop, take a deep breath, and smile. Smiles help not only your face be beautiful, but your heart as well.

We added double rows of coat hooks behind the door.

This is for my coat fetish that I inherited from my Dad. That's right, I said Dad.

We also keep the bulletin board, calendar, and phone charging station in here.  There is a row of hooks under the shelf for the boys coats, although I am sure they will be outgrowing that soon.

The peg board wall holds baskets for 5 peoples shoes. It also holds house tools, hats, and duct tape.  Behind the wall on the left are 3 shelves that hold an array of miscellaneous junk that I have a terrible time keeping organized.

I think this is the most multipurpose room in the whole house!

Personally, if I was able to design my house, I would never have my laundry room be my entry room.  But my Mama always told me  "You need to do the best with what you've got". Sound advice that can be applied to many things, even laundry/entry rooms.

All things considered, we have done the best we can.  The new color helps.  I love the clean white cabinets and trim. It all comes together to make a pleasant room to be in. Which is nice because I am in here a lot.

I'd love to hear about your painting mishaps and what you did about it.  Leave a comment below!

Thanks for looking at our space.  Organizing ideas are welcome. As long as you can tell me how to train the kids to always put their stuff away.