twelveOeight

Creating a home + life you love

Decorating· DIY· Dollar Store Projects· home decor· How To Decorate· Spray Paint 101· Thrifty Finds· Thrifty Living· Wreaths

How To Update Your Laundry Room For Less Than $100 {REVEAL DAY!}

By 20 Comments

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin36
36 Shares



Before…

I am so excited to finally share the before and after of our Laundry Room Makeover.  As you
may remember, we were up for a good challenge.  It was a total mess, full of stuff that we were
figuring out what to do with, a room that has no windows and it’s under the stairs to top it all off!
And the board I made for inspiration:

I have been trying to ignore this space for 4 1/2 years now, and I just could not face another
load of laundry in a messy dumping ground.  Below you can see what I did to update this
space for less than $100 and how I did it.  Ready? Here we go…
The first thing I did was completely empty the room of all stuff.  This was a wake-up call to how
much “stuff” I am able to collect.  I chose the same paint color I used in our playroom, a light
grey.  I painted all of the ways except the wonky angled wall because I was unsure how I would
climb back there and do a decent painting and edging job.  I like it.

Next I made some no-sew curtains (I will have a DIY on these soon as I am making some
for the kitchen next.)  I chose an outdoor fabric to cover the ironing board and it is very sturdy.

I used this tutorial to make a new ironing board cover, super easy!
I found some fabric that closely matched my grey and white damask from the inspiration board
and made two curtains with a row of bright yellow ric rack running across each to pull it all
together.
What’s behind the curtains you wonder? A few pipes, and the water shut off.
Plus this pair of beauties.  Both the same model but one a bit more “vintage” than
the other.  But with a pretty curtain hung, who cares right?

 

I used some flat black spray paint on two wire baskets I already had and distressed them
with a bit of sandpaper.  They hold the cleaning supplies on the top shelf.  On the lower
shelf I used two yellow Dollar Tree bins for laundry supplies, and a couple Mason Jars to
hold my dryer sheets and magic-erase sponges (I love, seriously love those things.)
I pulled in the Industrial Sofa Table that I made earlier this year from the living room.
Some bright yellow thrift store plates and this corner is a big improvement from the
plastic shelving unit that was here before.  I added a chalkboard, and some of my frequently
used craft and sewing supplies are on the wall (more on that later, I am in the process of moving
many of my supplies here as it is right next to the kitchen where I am usually working during
the day.)

 

I picked up a little basket for clothes pins, and this plastic jug with a lid which is actually for
dry cereal for your pantry.  But it works perfectly for laundry soap too! I have been repainting
all of our vent covers in each room as they were the original white from when the home was
built and beginning to look gross.  I used a hammered metal spray paint in a dark graphite color.
(Update: these spray-painted vent covers are holding up very well, not a scratch or chip on them!)
Here is my cost breakdown for this project:
Paint (I used about 1/2 gallon) so total paint cost was about          $18.00
Fabric, curtain rings, and supplies for curtains & ironing board    $30.00
ironing board and misc. accessories                                                           $32.00
Dollar store bins and spray paint for baskets and vent cover            $ 9.00
                                                                                                                Total cost $89.00
And I still have some of the supplies left over for my next projects as well.  I brought in
a few accessories from other areas of my home of things I had in storage so I was able
to keep the makeover under $100 and stay pretty close to my original inspiration board
too.
I am so happy with this space, and while I don’t love laundry yet, at least it’s a pretty room
to enter that makes me happy even if I am in there folding towels.  Do you have a space that
you would love to makeover? I would love to hear about what your pet-peeve is in your
home and how you would (or are) changing it…
Until next time,
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin36
36 Shares

Comments

  1. Libby says

    I absolutely love your laundry room makeover! I have lots of spaces in my home that need a makeover, including the laundry room. I'm putting the finishing touches on the "living room turned craft room" and just finished gutting out and cleaning the master bedroom. Seriously. Love your new space! #Inspiring

    Reply

  4. Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap says

    what a lovely space you have created!!! I really like the fabric and the colors in your laundry room. Amazing transformation on a budget. We owened 2 dryers in the last 7 years…one was vintage like yours (a Kenmore) who was FREE on the side of the road. When that died, we found an exactly younger sister (but still vintage) on Craigslist for $30. Older appliances last a lot longer than newer and

    Reply

  5. Jamie Austin says

    Beautiful Tanya! I love everything about it and I can't wait to see the next sofa table you come up with! Pretty much every room in my house needs a makeover. I have always hesitated to do anything since we rent, but I'm tired of my house looking so boring! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  6. Denise Stain says

    Very nice, Tanya. As I knew it would be! I really do like the gray with just a bit of yellow in there. Very cute. Especially for a laundry room! Love the fabric for the curtains and the ironing board cover. Can't wait for the no-sew tutorial, you crazy, DIY-ing fool, you! Of course, I mean that as the most sincerest of compliments 😉

    Reply

  7. Bronwyn says

    Wow! Excellent work, girl! You've done so much with so little! I loved the yellow plates and the way you used the stools. Very cool and very thrifty!!

    Reply

  8. Jeanette@Creating A Life says

    It turned out great, Tanya! What a pretty space for a not-so-fun chore. Such a happy color combination, and I love all the little touches like the basket with the clothespins, too. Great transformation!

    Jeanette

    Reply

  11. Louise Oakes says

    Your laundry room almost looks to good to use 🙂
    It's becurtains too. I love the fabric you have used for the curtains. You have put our utility room (that's what we call ours in the UK) to shame!
    Have a fab week.

    Reply

  15. Nici @ Posed Perfection says

    I love how your laundry room turned out! We, too, have a laundry room tucked under the stairs. It makes for extremely awkward storage. It seems to be the dumping ground for things we don't know what to do with. Anyway, I love the color scheme you chose and all the wire baskets. Great job!
    Blessings,
    Nici

    Reply

  19. Jenny Young says

    Did you ever get your tutorial up for the no-sew curtains? I tried searching your blog & couldn’t find anything.

    This is the first idea I’ve seen that might work for hiding the hook-ups in my laundry area.

    Reply

  20. Peg says

    We have exact same wire shelves in our laundry room (& they’re staying!) & have been searching for way to hide our hook-ups too!
    We use washing machine/dryer as bar for our Christmas open house (I pretty it up with tablecloth & candles!) & now I know how to!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *