Make your small laundry bright and pretty

itty bitty laundry

When I purchased my new Samsung front loaders I measured carefully.... or so I thought.

The thing that sticks out of the door that goes in the door jamb to keep the door closed barely brushed the front window of the dryer.... sigh

I promptly taped the door closer flat against the door until I could figure out what to do. 

Options:

Take door off

Send the pair back to the store and choose top loaders

Have a plumber come and shorten the gas pipe that causes the pair to jut out into the room

Order doors two doors that fit the opening.

I decided to order the doors and had them installed to open into the hall. It worked out well.

Here is the set up so far. I need handles for the cabinets and I think I want to get rid of the bases so I can use the top of the machines for folding.

I may try to use them under the white cabinets on the wall under the stairs in there. They provide excellent storage. I just cannot reach into the cabinets above them anymore without a step stool.

 These cabinets make nice storage, but I think different handles would give them a better look?

 The bottles hold my laundry soap.

 The cute metal bide has my swifter stack and the other cubbie holds the dusters.

 This is a utility room. Various floor cleaning tools hang here. aprons, battery storage and electric screw driver stay here. Those little baskets hanging on the wall are used in the summer months to guard our food from bugs when serving outdoors. I think they make cute wall art in the mean time. :)

 I found an old bushel basket like my mother used to use and put extra pool towels in it.

 The colorful bins hold raffia that I use to tie herbs or gifts, the next one holds swim diapers for our "wee guests" pun intended. And the bottoms has string, jute, burlap ribbon that I'm always using for something.

 This sign is so colorful and matched my color scheme completely. Love the thought.

Here is the view walking in. Any suggestions or comments welcome. This is a work in progress.

Related articles

• Beautifully Organized: Laundry Rooms
• 5 DIY Laundry Room Ideas

Kitchen cabinet makeover, before and after photos

This view is of the island prior to trimming it out.

As you can see the tower that houses the microwave and oven stand off the other cabinets, this gave me the idea that I could paint it to look as if it were built separately as a single unit. The lowers on the dishwasher side were also to be designated as dark.

The doors were removed and everything got a prime coat.

The island trim pieces I picked out at Lowes. My island does not have much of an overhang on the lip of the counter so I had to be mindful of that fact when choosing trim.

At the base of my cabinets all I had was shoe moulding. It was very scuffed and blotchy from years of mopping and very scuffed up. We trimmed all of the cabinets with moulding followed by shoe moulding on top. I remembered thinking how tiny the island looked when it was in this stage.

I ordered my knobs and pulls from Lowes. When we attached the knobs they were too big, so I exchanged them for these lovely ovals. Love them so much. As you can see the old white cabinets are slightly distressed. The knobs have a lovely beading detail on them. I am very pleased with how they look.

The pulls add such charm to the drawers. I had already installed an oil rubbed bronze kitchen faucet by Delta and these match perfectly. I also have the oiled bronze look on the ceiling fan, which in Texas you cannot live without. (I have a fun upgrade to the fan I will share soon).

I hoped to capture the dark cabinet look. I think my painter has the knack, don't you?



I am so very pleased with my two-tone design look. I think the dark makes the white appliances pop! The new color on the wall is Sherwin Williams Virtual Taupe. I usually stay away from Taupe because of its tendencies to lean pink, but I really love the rich tone this color has. It matches my Corian counters, grout and tile perfectly. The counters look amazing without going to the expense of granite.

Finished island close up.
For me, the contrast of the dark against the white appliances makes all the difference. I don't think I would have been near as happy with the cream next to them.

I love being in my new space. Now I have to begin on my windows and bringing back some accessories and adding in a few new I have picked up as the kitchen was underway.
I hope if there are those of you out there thinking about whether or not to paint your cabinets that mine will serve as inspiration to help you make up your mind! :)