We’ve never had an official room for our laundry before so you can imagine how excited we were to find this space in our new house. With that being said, this one was really really UGLY. I mean zero design interest. I think it was an afterthought because the stairwell to the basement is within the footprint of the room. Instead of building cabinetry to hide it, they built cabinetry around it, so a big ugly diagonal piece of wood was jutting out in the room. Don’t get me wrong, this house was phenomenally built, but this weird detail left me scratching my head…
Anyways, the washer and dryer looked original to the house, about 2001, so being a clean freak, I was grossed out. When we moved in and went to go use the machines the mildew smell was overwhelming. I cleaned both the washer and dryer over and over with bleach as well as machine cleaners that run through during a cycle but quite honestly, they were just old. Not only that, since they were so old, they didn’t have the capacity to wash things we normally would, king size blankets and comforters, dog beds etc. So when I washed 3 towels and I had to run the dryer 3 times just to get them semi dry, we knew it was time.
It wasn’t a planned renovation as we were thinking of our mudroom and maybe a bathroom before we got there. However, we welcomed this renovation because frankly; I was grossed out to wear my own clothes. I couldn’t justify it before because it’s one of the spaces you can just close the door when company is over, but now that we don’t have a choice, I’m so excited to make the most out of designing this tiny but functional space.
We ordered the very sleek new LG model washer and dryer and plan to stack them for more space. Luckily our local Home Depot had them in stock so we gave ourselves two weeks to renovate the room before they would delivery and install everything. Since this whole renovation had to be super fast, I didn’t have the luxury of ordering products with long wait times. I had my eye on some beautiful marble from Bedrosians but since I don’t live locally to one of their shops, I will save it for another project!
I always go for matte or honed natural stone and I know most big box stores carry polished as it’s a little more mainstream. So a little bummed and discouraged my Husband and I took a trip to our local Home Depot and low and behold, the most gorgeous 12x12 Grecian white marble with just the right amount of veining was awaiting us. And guess what, it was polished and I still loved it! I think because the space is so small, the polished look will add more luxury than a honed. Must work on staying open minded! To add interest, we plan on laying it diagonal and using a very subtle alabaster grout as to not take away from the marble.
My paint inspiration is Benjamin Moore Accessible Beige. There is a reason why it’s all the rage on Pinterest and Instagram right now. I put samples up in 3 different rooms with 3 different types of light and they all look fabulous. Since the laundry room is in the middle of the house, there is no natural light. Bummer, I know, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how great it looked even with the ugly builder florescent light. You know the ones that look like you’re in a dentist office. For me, this paint color is the perfect combination of warm and cool. When you hear the word beige, you automatically think saturated warmness, this color however toes the line between the two. I love a moody room as much as the next gal but this room needed a hue other than white that still kept it bright and airy and Accessible Beige, fit the bill.
In terms of the overall aesthetic I find myself constantly inspired by modern English country fixtures and styles for things like kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms. Design groups like DeVol do this today in the most elegant and modern way but also making the space feel livable and cozy. Since I’m taking so much inspiration from their designs for my future kitchen reno, I want there to be a cohesiveness between the two since they are somewhat close together in terms of layout.
I plan on hinting a lot of elements since the space is quite small. I want to bring in a bit of luxury with the polished marble and an elegant light fixture with polished gold accents. To tone it down, I think I’ll add a vintage runner, cool vintage accents and a nice warm color to make it feel approachable and cozy. After all, I’ll probably be spending a lot of time in there!
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