Here are my challenges in this room right now:
1) It’s not a large enough room to sort laundry in – solution: can’t fix that.
2) The one shelf in the room is too high to store daily used items – solution: take shelf down, add a new shelf just high enough to still open the washing machine lid and add two shelves above that for more storage space.
3) There is unusable space between the wall and the dryer – solution: a rolling laundry storage caddy. Move the dryer toward the wall, and place caddy in between the washer and dryer.
4) Wasted space under stairwell – solution: shelves to make use of space.
5) Ironing board hanging on the back of the door is a nuisance – solution: wall mounted ironing board and iron hanger…they do make those right?
6) It’s really dirty in there – solution: roll sleeves up and start cleaning.
Here is what I like and want to take advantage of:
1) I have a laundry room. I’m really grateful for that fact alone.
2) Though the room is small, it has adequate space to move around in and I am not banging my booty against the wall every time I open the dryer. Been there, done that.
3) High ceilings. I can go up with storage and place those items that I only use once a year or so (like my pressure canner) up high and out of the way.
4) I love that there is a cut out space under the stair well (yay builder!). It measures 24″ deep by 27″ wide and though it is somewhat wasted right now, with shelves it will be a very sufficient pantry space.
So here’s my before pictures…it’s difficult to photograph small spaces.
I will be getting more crates and the shelves on the wall will be deeper than the 12″ shelf seen here.
Next, a photo of my first step toward a renovated laundry room:
My next step is to nail down a date with Kris when we can move the washer and dryer out enough to paint that wall behind them. That’s a big step.
That color looks like the retro avocado that Trav bought last year. It’s probably not, but it looks like it.
Love the ideas. We have a rolling laundry sorter and I just love it. To say that I don’t know how we lived without it is a bit dramatic but I really do love it.
The color: I was going to go more light and “apple” as I said, but I really liked this green and when I got home I saw that it matches the crates and boxes I have from Target EXACTLY. I guess I’m drawn to this color. 🙂
Looking good so far.
I really appreciate the way you outlined your challenges. I tend to just get “overwhelmed” by some things, and don’t know how to form a plan. This might work for me- just going ahead and writing all the complaints or issues down and then, one by one, getting creative to tackle it.
Looking forward to seeing that color up. Hopefully you’ll avoid “biohazard green”- remember that in Grant’s old room???? 🙂
LOL. Yes, I remember “biohazard green” and I never hated it as much as you guys did. However, I didn’t have to look at it every day either. 🙂 The guy at the paint store commented on how bright this is, but I am counting on the fact that there will be so much on the walls that we won’t notice it as bright. We will think of it as broadening. 🙂
I am jealous of your laundry room. My washer is in the kitchen and my dryer is in the den. I long for a laundry room!
Cathy – It always surprises me how older houses were not very homemaker friendly even though there were more homemakers during the time they were built. We’ve come a long way baby. I suppose women’s liberation didn’t just give women more opportunities outside the home, it probably helped women have more of a voice inside their home too. That, I cannot mock. It should have been that way all along.
Love the color!! Can’t wait to see the “after” photos 🙂