I know I’m supposed to be showing you guys my completed laundry room makeover (especially after revealing the painted laundry cabinets almost two months ago), but I still haven’t finished the space. Instead I’ve put my own house on hold so I could turn the attention on my parents’ laundry room. Best daughter ever, right?
So I’ve mentioned before that almost every Sunday my family gets together for dinner at my parents house (and not forced to attend, we actually enjoy it!) and my mom goes all out with a theme for each dinner… I’m talking a set of dishes for every holiday or family event like Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Mardi Gras, seafood, Mexican, Cardinals baseball… A LOT of dishes!
Hoarder? Maybe. Adorable? Yes.
OK… so what does the laundry room have to do with Sunday dinners? Well since the laundry room is along the hallway between the dining room and kitchen, it seemed like the perfect place to add some storage for her growing collection. Enter the laundry room makeover.
I started this laundry room makeover by giving the entire laundry room a quick coat of paint to freshen up the space. We chose Latte by Sherwin Williams, a great neutral brownish color. I also tore down that chalkboard… tons of fond memories playing school with my sister in this laundry room when we were little!
To finish off the space, I sketched out some cabinet layout ideas for my mom in Photoshop and we took some measurements. She had some weird little wall niches in the laundry room and we tried to work out a cabinet plan around that; mostly upper cabinets along 3 walls with some base cabinets on the left side with a small countertop.
We then took our laundry room makeover plan up to Lowe’s to buy the cabinets. They were really helpful in tweaking the cabinet sizes & measurements to fit the space and helped us create the perfect plan. We ordered all of the cabinets and Lowe’s came to install them a few weeks later!
And here’s how the room looks today!
On the left side is the base cabinet with countertop. Very small and narrow (only about 12 inches deep) but still a great space to have. The countertop color is Belmonte Granite by Formica, same thing I have in my old kitchen and current kitchen!
I created a new Laundry Rules printable for my mom’s laundry room and hung it on the left side of the laundry room above the countertop. I’ll share it for FREE with you guys on Wednesday!
Then on the other side of the countertop is some greenery and a cute little wood sign I found at Hobby Lobby.
In the base cabinets we put a bunch of my mom’s servingware and smaller kitchen appliances. Trust me, ALL of these cabinets are full to the brim! So glad we purchased so many. Before she was storing all of this stuff in the basement so it’s very convenient now.
Above the washer and dryer she keeps a bunch of cleaning supplies. I could have straightened these cabinets up a little but showing true life here ;)
On the right side of the laundry room you can see that little weird niche I was talking about where we stopped the cabinets. Just to the right we put some hooks for the grandkids’ aprons and random things that my dad hung up in there. And my mom found that laundry room vinyl and put it up herself. So proud of my little DIYer!
You can see above we kept the fluorescent lighting. I wasn’t really looking forward the work or cost with replacing them and repairing the ceiling so we left both lights as is. Luckily they fit perfectly in between the cabinets.
And I should have taken a photo of the washing machine open so you could see that it clears the cabinets perfectly. We measured and marked the walls before we had them hang the cabinets. Smart, huh?
The last thing we did to the laundry room was add a colorful rug. This one is actually from our first house’s laundry room. Luckily it’s still in great shape and needed a new home, plus I love reusing old décor pieces in new spaces!
So here’s the before and after side by side…
Love the storage we added to her home and the amount we were able to add considering the room is pretty small. Now I guess it’s back to working on my own laundry room again, huh?
Toni says
The laundry room looks great! I would like to do something similar to my laundry room, which is also a small space. Would you be willing to share how much the new cabinetry cost?
Cecilia says
Nice! And you are a great daughter to put your space on hold to do your mom’s! ;-) I’m sure she appreciates it and the storage she gained is fantastic. So what’s the next themed dinner? :-D
howtonestforless says
We’re doing a real Italian dinner this coming Sunday since they just returned from Italy two weeks ago! Definitely looking forward to that one!!
Heather says
Wow, that’s incredible what you fit in there. Really maximized the space! Great job.
howtonestforless says
Thanks Heather!
Betty says
Hi Erin,
Very nice laundry room. I love the white cabinets. Do you plan to attach knobs and/or handles? My mom saw this and has a similar layout.
howtonestforless says
At this time we have no plans for knobs. I think because it’s a small space and she was worried about accidentally knocking into them, especially on the lower cabinets. She told me bruises don’t heal as quickly when you’re a grandma!
Shawn says
Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of the laundry room? I would love to make my laundry room look just like your mom’s!
howtonestforless says
5’7 inches wide by 8’6 inches deep (but the bifold doors cut into it a bit). 8ft ceilings too!
KimB says
Great makeover! So great to have all the extra cabinets and it looks awesome!
howtonestforless says
Thanks Kim!
Flavia Andrews says
Wow, Erin! It looks incredible! I am making over my laundry room too at a very slow snail pace. But, getting there! This inspires me to get moving! I love your printable :) – I think it’s wonderful that you gather together once a week. I love that!
howtonestforless says
Thanks Flavia! It’s definitely my favorite day of the week!!
bonnie says
That’s so awesome that you did that for your mom. I love the storage and the counter. I’m sure she’s so grateful that she doesn’t have to trek back and forth from the basement when expecting company and preparing a meal.
howtonestforless says
Yes she is! I told her she has to step it up a notch now though since everything is right at her fingertips ;)
Pam Cates says
Good daughter! I could always use another daughter in Oklahoma. Just saying…….Pam
howtonestforless says
Hahah! My co-worker said the same thing to me today ;)
Jenny says
I totally have to get some cabinets in my laundry room!
howtonestforless says
YES YOU DO!!!
Diane STL too! says
Thank you for this post and the pics!! The side cabinet/counter is EXACTLY what I have in mind for my mudroom. Now I can show my husband so he can see I’m not crazy!!
howtonestforless says
Haha! Glad you can use this to talk him into it ;)
Erlene Amat says
It looks amazing! What a HUGE difference a coat of paint and some new cabinets can do. Fantastic job and I bet your mom is so happy to have extra storage.
Julie @ Logger's Wife says
I really love this. It’s so perfect! I’d just be happy with flooring in my laundry room instead of cement with the old linoleum glue. ;) Perfect inspiration for when the laundry room finally tops the renovation list. #InspireMeMonday
howtonestforless says
Thanks Julie!
Kate says
Wow – you created such an inviting space! Your parents must be thrilled! I love how much storage you packed into a small room, without it looking crowed.
howtonestforless says
Thanks so much, Kate!
Crystal Green says
This is quite the transformation! I love how simple it was to make this room look totally different. I love having extra cabinets to store things.
Thank you for sharing this with us on the #HomeMattersParty. We hope to see you again when we open our doors at 12 AM EST on Friday.
Wendy says
What a great change for the laundry room … that’s so nice of you to help your mom plan this! It reminds me of my mom’s enviable “utility room” in her old house. It was a good sized room off the kitchen that was lined with upper and lower cupboards and a full counter all around. The washer & dryer were in there along with her sewing machine. She too filled the cupboards with dishes, dishes, dishes!! Moms are the best ;)
Christine says
Beautiful. Gave me ideas. We are planning a laindry room.