Maximize the design potential of a small space by increasing its usability.
Small laundry room Resources
Industrial Laundry Shelving
Laundry room cabinetry
LG Washer & Dryer
Our Small Laundry Room design ideas!
Or I should say in our case, the laundry, office, storage room and drop zone!
Living in a small space takes some thinking...
For those also living in a condo or town home, you know what I'm talking about! We have been living here just over 10 years, and now with a full family, space is one of my most valued desires. Making this small space function better has been on our list of things to do for a long time. This space was long overdue for a makeover. Time to maximize it's potential.
I could hardly take any good photos of this room as it is deep rather than wide. A lot has to go into this space so although we made some serious improvements, it will not likely make the top #10 in pins for sure :) However we hope it may trigger and inspire some great ideas for you and your small space!
Finding new life for a mess of a room!
We began with a cluttered space. It wasn't always this bad, I am just terrible for remembering to take before and after photos so this was taken half way through emptying the space.
In reality however, this is a classic example of an overly cluttered storage and laundry room area. No love here! Not even paint.
The left side of the room hung an old bookshelf that doubled as storage for laundry soap and cleaning supplies. An ugly mess of a space that eventually held a lot of other items that never had a proper home. Sound familiar?
The Second Act - Paint!
I LOVE contrast. I am a huge fan of black and white and use it throughout our home. I love the look of wood tones on black walls, so I was planning on repeating that love in the laundry room as well.
I particularly love the colour "Boundry" by General Paint, but I had recently seen a photo in a design magazine of lower kitchen cupboards painted with "Cheating Heart" by Benjamin Moore so I jumped into that instead for a slight colour variation from my go to "Boundry" in our home.
Cheating Heart by Benjamin Moore
The lighting in this shot makes the paint colour almost look a metallic matte charcoal however it is a gorgeous midnight blue/black. The rich dark hue makes white jump out and look bleached bright!
I love how black just makes white even more gorgeous and makes everything look so much cleaner!
We used the remainder of this paint in our master bedroom!
Master bedroom diy renovation on a budget
Up next - A handy man
Yup! Gotta have one around sometimes! Luckily my brother-in-law is a finishing carpenter so in return for a few big home cooked meals he reluctantly offers his hand and expertise;) I really wanted a wooden counter despite the risk I run on wear and tear especially in a laundry room, but hey you cannot let practicality get in the way of beautiful design ALL of the time. I may live to regret that statement but for now I don't care.
How to make an inexpensive wood counter!
Best trick ever! "Uncle Pat" first built a frame out of 2 x 1's with two supporting cross frames as well which support a single sheet of plywood 37.5 x 77 inches. To make the counter top look like a solid piece of heavy wood he purchased an oak 2 x 1 and attached it to the front! After some stain and several coats of poly we were left with a gorgeous "solid" wood counter top.
Industrial Laundry Shelving
I love the look of industrial shelving so although Uncle Pat would have preferred to build us shelving that matched the counter, we weren't patient enough to wait and went ahead on our own! It's a great look and is incredibly easy to do.
Take a visit to your local Home Depot and drop into the plumbing department. The staff are all too familiar these days with plumbing design techniques! Before you head to the store, measure the length of your wall and try and find studs so you know how many support pipes to purchase. There is an entire section available for galvanized steel pipe. Choose your shelving and measure the appropriate depth for your pipe. Remember you will need to cap the pipes and that will reduce your depth.
We simply purchased reclaimed wood shelves from Home Depot which were inexpensive however they were an unappealing colour so we used the remaining stain from the counter to darken them up a bit.
Open shelving allows for creative storage to hide unsightly items.
Read more on clever laundry room organization, decor & storage
Laundry Room Cabinets
We opted to use Ikea kitchen cabinetry for our laundry room instead of using Ikea laundry room cabinetry to maximize space. They are large and we could add more shelving within if needed!
We made sure to leave enough space between the ceiling and the cabinetry in order to store over sized serving platters and bowls that are difficult to store in traditional cabinets and shelving.
Happy Functional Results
Pay attention to the items you have, what needs to hidden and what can be displayed. This will allow you to maximize the space you have. Take some time to really think about it, the result will be worth it.
Clear the clutter and clear your busy mind.
Small laundry room Resources
Industrial Laundry Shelving
Laundry room cabinetry
LG Washer & Dryer