How I Made My Laundry Room Feel Luxe—Without Breaking the Bank
Transform this forgotten, boring space into one of mental peace.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t intend on starting my home makeover series with the laundry closet.
I thought my master bedroom would be the first to make a grand appearance on this blog. But I’m often reminded of the importance of being willing to pivot when things don’t go according to plan. In this case, I underestimated the cost of buying furniture and decorating a home completely from scratch. And so, with my bedroom dreams delayed, I shifted my focus to another area of the home that would cost less to update, but have just as equal of an impact on my mental state.
The laundry room is an often forgotten area of the home, for it falls into the category of utility over aesthetics. We toss our dirty laundry in hampers and close the doors without a second thought. But I desire for every space of my home to be one of inspiration. I spent years moving from place to place, and even sharing a home with seven other strangers at one point. So this home is special to me. It represents not only stability and the sacrifices that have been made, but God’s goodness as He continues to elevate different areas of my life.
Like many parts of my home, I saw the potential of the laundry closet despite it being a little battered. It also had those very (personally) undesirable wire racks. So the first thing I did after putting together a mood board, was have my painter remove the rack and paint the wall.
Click to check out my mood board on Pinterest.
Again, here’s a lesson on being willing to pivot. The walls were supposed to be City Loft by Sherwin Williams (SW 7631), but my painter later told me that he ran out of that color and instead went with Lunar Surface by Behr, which was the color that was leftover from when he painted my guest bedroom. No worries, I’m used to having to adapt to the unexpected.
With the paint done, I moved forward with ordering my washer and dryer. Now I did measure the space to make sure that it would fit, but I underestimated how far off the wall it would sit once the dryer duct was put in place. So now I could no longer close the doors. Instead, they hung awkwardly off of the hinges, which didn’t make for a great experience when walking into the bathroom. At that point, it became even more vital for the area to be aesthetically pleasing because unless I got a curtain, I had no choice but to see this space every day.
After playing around with some ideas (at one point I was considering cabinets to hide my potential “junk”), I landed on butcher block shelves, which I would decorate with baskets and thoughtfully selected decor items. That meant pulling in my contractor to cut a 6-foot piece of butcher block in half to fit my measurements and mounting the shelves to the wall. While there are more cost-efficient ways to get this look, I was pleased with the final result. Just that change alone transformed the space.
I added fake plants and poured the liquids into bottles that were both functional and visually appealing. I also took an existing container I had grabbed some months before at HomeGoods and placed dryer sheets and other small items inside.
Adding baskets and interior design books was the chef’s kiss to the space. This look is easily achievable (and budget-friendly) if you have some existing items lying around. You’d be surprised at how a bit of creative thinking can revamp the use of a piece.
With the final decor touches, I finally had a laundry room that made me actually look forward to my weekly cleaning and organizing routine.
No longer would it simply be a dumping ground for my mess, but a space that represented cleanliness and renewal. And whenever the sunshine from my bathroom skylight peaks through, it also becomes a small area of my home that exudes peace.
Shop the Look //
Supplies
Lunar Surface - BEHR Kit (1 Gallon) - $50.35
1 in. Matt Black Shelf Bracket - $4.98 x 4 - $19.92
TimberLOK 2-1/2 in. Structural Wood Screw - $30.27
6 ft. L x 25 in. D Unfinished Butcher Block - $249
Decor
Homebody (Hardcover Book) - $20.53
Establishing Home (Hardcover Book) - $19.49
Laundry Detergent Dispenser - $24.99
Horsehair Laundry Stain Brushes Set - $11.99
Wool Dryer Balls - $11.99
All Purpose Spray - $13.99
Garment Spray - $18.99
Faux Lavender Plant (similar) - $13.99
Faux Green Plants (similar) - $11.99
Dryer Sheet Box - $19.99
Laundry Basket (similar) - $20.99
Hyacinth Box w/ Liner and Lid - $19.99 each (x2)
Laundry Labels - $9.99
PROJECT TOTAL: $588.44
Quick Tip: When I want to save some money, I buy the supplies on a credit card (and pay it right back off with the money I’ve set aside for a project) and use the points to purchase the decor items.
What a lovely transformation!