I really, really wish I had a picture of our laundry room {before}. It was bad. It was really, really bad. It was so bad, I didn’t even want to take a picture of it when we first moved into the house. I looked through all my old pics, all my old backup CDs and external hard drives and nothing. I couldn’t bear to take one single picture of the laundry room! I took pictures (and posted them right here on this webpage) of our bathrooms & toilets for cryin’ out loud and I wouldn’t even post pics of the laundry room. Apparently I had to draw the line somewhere. :p
But! I do have do have a picture of our laundry room from the apartment. And it looks really similar. Same plain wall color. Same washer/dryer we had before. Same wire shelving. Same small space. (Although actually I think the apartment laundry room was bigger…) But you get the idea. So for the sake of this laundry room before and after makeover, let’s pretend this is my laundry room before…
The Laundry Room { BEFORE }
Can you see it? Are you visualizin’? Okay and now…
The *real* laundry room…
The Laundry Room { AFTER }
The Washer / Dryer
We got this LG washer and the matching dryer from HHGregg. We were on our way to Lowes & Home Depot to look at washer/dryers and someone suggested HHGregg to us. It was right on the way, so we decided to pop in and look. And I am so glad we did! :) It was a Saturday afternoon, but someone was immediately available to help us. And let me tell you. That guy knew every single thing about every single washer and dryer they sold. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted, so I told him what features I thought I needed, what my current machines didn’t do that I really wish they did, and stuff like that. He made some suggestions for us and we walked around the store looking at the machines. I had never owned a front-loading washer before so I had to ask him practically what every single button did! LOL. He answered every single question and didn’t even have to stop and think.
After tons of questions and looking at all the different models, we were pretty sure we wanted the above LG pair. But we did want to go check Lowes & Home Depot just in case. Well, on Saturday afternoon, Lowes & Home Depot were packed and we couldn’t get anyone to help us. They both only had one salesperson on the floor and there were about 5-6 customers ahead of us. We walked around and looked, and price checked, but then went home. We looked around on the internet and read reviews and price checked the machines from HHGregg. HHGregg had the best price, we couldn’t even find it cheaper on the internet!
We went back to HHGregg later that afternoon and ordered the LGs. I think they had some kind of shipping deal that most places have these days- you pay up front for shipping and delivery and they give you a mail-in rebate to make it “free”. Well, I hate mail-in rebates. They never seem to come. LOL. So we just asked- Hey, we don’t like mail-in rebates- can you take the shipping/delivery fee off our total? They said “Sure!” and didn’t even blink. And guess what- they still gave us the form for the mail-in rebate, and said we could mail it in and still get our “money back” for shipping even though we didn’t pay for it. Neat, huh? But what was really cool- like I said, we ordered it on a Saturday afternoon- and they delivered it the next day. On a Sunday! Isn’t that weird?? But cool! It would’ve been awesome if our old washer and dryer were broken and we had a laundry crisis and had to do laundry right away. lol
After using the new washer and dryer for a couple of weeks, I’m very pleased. I really wanted to be able to wash our huge, fluffy, king-sized down comforter. It just wouldn’t fit in our old machine. The middle wouldn’t even get wet. lol. It did great in the new washer and came out so bright and clean. I can also wash all 5 of the dog beds in one load- compared to 2 at the most in our old machine- and that Sanitary cycle sure comes in handy! LOL
Pedestals
I originally thought I wanted pedestals. I didn’t want to do all that bending down. lol. Plus I really liked the extra storage space. We shopped around for the best price on the LG pedestals and found them for about $70 cheaper on Newegg.com than what HHGregg was selling them for. We printed out the shopping cart page from Newegg and brought it into HHGregg. We told them we were very pleased with their service and would like to buy the pedestals from them too, but found them for a better price online. The guy took the piece of paper, went behind the counter and got the price down to within $7 of the Newegg price. No questions asked!
We ordered the pedestals from HHGregg, and they too were there the next day. My dad came up that weekend and he and Kevin spent the better part of a Saturday afternoon installing the pedestals… But after seeing them in my laundry room… I didn’t really like them. :\ It made it feel more closed in… I guess because the washer and dryer were higher? And also, I couldn’t keep laundry baskets on top of the washer and dryer anymore- the cabinets were in the way. And I had a harder time reaching items in the cabinets. As far as bending down? Well, I found I actually prefered it! See, I would take the clothes to the laundry room in a laundry basket. Then when it was time to move them to the dryer, I just opened the door, scooped all the clothes in the the basket, slid it over and scooped the into the dryer, all in one big scoop. If the clothes were up high, on the pedestals, I would have to pull each item out of the washer separately to make sure it wasn’t attached to any other article of clothing- because I’ve done that before and it always falls on the dirty laundry room floor. Fun! lol
So my poor dad and Kevin spent the rest of the afternoon taking the pedestals OFF the washer and dryer and returning them to HHGregg for me. *sigh* :)
The Cabinets
These were just pre-made cabinets that we bought at Lowes. They were a perfect fit, and such a huge improvement over the wire shelving!!
The Baskets
I got these from Target. They were originally a lighter, honey color, but I wanted them dark so I spray painted them. Worked great! :) And for those wondering- no, I definitely can’t reach them without some kind of vertical assistance! ;) But Kevin has freakishly long monkey arms and can reach them easily without a step ladder. So I keep things he normally takes care of up there- like extra light bulbs. :)
The Rug
The rug was the “inspiration piece” for the room. ;) I saw it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and *had* to have it. I knew it would be perfect to liven up the laundry room! I took the rug to Home Depot and they color matched the blue in Behr paint for the wall color.
Oh, and btw… This stuff is *awesome*
I wanted the rug so bad, but didn’t think it would work in the laundry room because of the two doors- there wasn’t enough room to put the rug down without the doors catching on it and flipping it up every single time- annoying! So I bought this tape from Target and it rocks! It’s strong enough to hold the rug down- the doors don’t get caught on it and I can even vacuum it! But when I got ready to throw the rug in the wash before taking these pics, it was easy to get up.
The Laundry Tower
Since I didn’t get the pedestals, I decided to splurge and get this Whirlpool laundry tower (special ordered from Lowes). I had one of those little cheap, plastic rolling carts there initially, and it worked fine, but this one is nicer. :D I love the drawers, and I love that there’s enough room to fit a little mini-trashcan down there for lint. It holds all the essentials- detergent, bleach, fabric softener and dryer sheets all right there. Btw. Yes. That’s indeed Cascade you see in there. It’s my secret for whitest whites. ;)
Thanks so much for looking! :) Whew- I don’t think I’ve left anything unsaid, but if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comments! :)
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169 Comments
I LOVE IT!! it is SOOOOOOO pretty!!
OK. I am not sure if I am doing this right. Here’s a link to B Johnson’s fab earrings: http://bjohnsonjewelry.com/store/item/206321.xml. I like the white :freedom” birds! I can wear them with a sparkly new turquise outfit I purchased on sale! Woo Hoo.
Next, I am soooo envious of your new waher-dryer combo. Saw an add for them. Wouldit be tacky to register for them for my wedding?
Happy 4th!
Toodles.
Hey,
Love your blog and not to mention your home. Thanks for sharing! Question on that cascade…is it the kind w/clorox or not? I’ve so been wanting a remedy for sparkling whites ;-)
Thanks for all the tips :)
I *~LOVE~* your laundry room! It was the very first thing that drew me to your site. I was searching for laundry room makeovers and was blessed to stumble on to your blog. I got great ideas for my laundry room and my mom immediately ran to Target to get the rug gripper, which she loves. I visit your site all the time and even my dear old husband has been on here looking at all the info you have posted about your camera (he has the same camera). You are an awesome photographer, I LOVE the free fonts, and I have enjoyed your recipes as well. I found a gold mine when I found your website!
hey Amanda! I emailed you a few weeks ago about blog design but now I am back wanting to know the size of the rug you used in your laundry room makeover. LOVE your room!!! ♥ Was it the larger version of the rug? I have to say the room is gorgeous and I must get mine looking better. My first step was to buy the rug from Bed Bath and Beyond today. I bought the smaller one but I think I may need to go back and get the larger one. So if you have a minute could you share the size you used?
Thanks so much!
Is your entire house this organized?? I bet you dont even have a junk drawer do you? Im exhausted just thinking about it :) The Virgo in me wants to be organized…the mom in me just wants to rest…hhaa.
Love your blog!
Beautiful!! Also thanks for the tip I have an 18 month old and I’m trying out the Cascade!
Abfab laundry room! We have a sort of laundry closet, with stackable washer/dryer and the other half consists of two of those wire racks, which we need for our clothes (we have a big, old house and it only has TWO closets! Insane.). There really isn’t any room for our detergent, bleach and so on, I’ve been trying to come up with some sort of solution. Anyway, our laundry “room” is in our (HUGE) bathroom, behind louvered doors, and I have really been wanting to paint that area a different colour from the bathroom, which is a restful, inobtrusive light sage green. I have to ask…do you dry a majority of your clothes? If I didn’t have so many of my clothes that I hang dry (to prevent shrinkage), I could ditch one of the wire racks…maybe I should go back to one of those wood drying racks that fold up?
Ok so I’m a little tardy to the party…but WOW! I love the way this looks! I’m currently hunting for laundry room ideas and this is totall what I have in mind. Great work!
You’re my inspiration for everything I want to do in life! I’m so glad I found your blog. I came across it on TCBOTB! I love your house! I hope I have a home as adorable as yours someday!
I absolutely LOVE your laundry room! It is such an inspiration.
that is such a cute laundry room! i will be getting married and moving into an apartment house while we redo our real home. the apartment house laundry room is the basement so its not possible but my real house would look amazing if it came close to yours! were your washer and dryer expensive?
Hey! love the udated laundry room…. my husband and i are in the midst of fixing to redo ours. Ours looks just like your before so adding the cabinetry in looks fantastic! I was going to ask where do you hang your clothes when you get them out of the dryer? my husband sais thats the only downfall is that theres no wheres to put dry clothes at…..
My dryer broke and I found myself buying a new washer and dryer this week. Of course, now I am thinking the whole room needs an update. I love what you did and you gave me some great ideas! Thanks you so much.
we are puting in a new laundry room.i have all natural chestnut woodwook that i am not painting.the walls will be a pale yellow and the ceiling will be an even paler color of yellow.almost white.
my concern is the floor.we live an in old vitorian home and the floors are not level.we don’t want to make this into a major porject.we have a panited floor in there now.i’m thinking of painting it a dove gray and sponging or feathering one(or both) of the yellows on to it(very sparce though).what do you think?and……do you have any sugestions for colors?washer and dryer are white,ironing board on wall will be white,shelving will also be white.not sure what color the counter will be but the room is not very bright.only one window.so i wanted a broght room.i also going to have a murel of something painted on the back wall………….
any advice?
i fogot.we are using a spare bedroom.it already has a closet……….so we are putting shelves in there along with the shelves above the washer and dryer.also a laundry sorter several baskets and what-nots!it should be nice when we are done.
I absolutely love your blog! Your home is beautiful, I hope you guys live many, many beautiful years in it! You have great ideas that I would like to use in my place as well, maybe I’ll start with the crate bumper/padding for my puppy! :)
So cute!! So clean and fresh! My laundry room is almost the same exact design as yours and I recently redecorated the whole thing.
I really want that laundry tower! Great job on the project!
http://frillydetails.blogspot.com/2010/01/laundry-room-redo.html
Thanks Amanda for showing and telling your laundry room. It is lovely! I searched online for ideas and yours was the very best. I think many of us are updating to frontloaders and older homes are not made for them- the plugs and hoses show.I have a handyman coming to fix that. I plan to use a restful spa teal and cream floral wallpaper behind and on one side, and order matching fabric for the curtain/shade on the door. You helped me make the decision!
Um…love everything!!!
Was curious how much the laundry tower was…and where it was purchased? Thanks!!
Fabulous laundry room! LOVE LOVE LOVE the cabinets, baskets, washer/dryer! Laundry sure can be fun!
AMAZING!!! I think I’m going to talk my husband into letting me paint our laundry room!!!! :)
Hi Amanda,
I just found your site today and I love your writing style and personality. The laundry room is gorgeous and could be in a decorating magazine! Awesome!
So I have a quick question about using Cascade. Do you only use it with whites? Or does it make other colors look bright too? I am excited to try it! Also, does it work if you wash whites in cold water (with Tide cold water detergent?)
OMG, Amanda. You are so creative and I’m so jealous of your Scrapbook Room. I <3 your website because it gives me so many creative ideas in which I can decorate my house all beautifully. I really wish I can just steal your house and beg you to let everything in it stay. Thanks so much for the wonderful ideas and I love what you did with the laundry room. You certainly made it much more than just a laundry room.
I love your laundry room. It is beautiful. The rug is great. I think I might get it for the baby room :)
So, you say cascade works for your whites? Do you just pop in 1 tablet with your white clothes? Does it work for front load washers?
Thanks!
I just came across your website today while looking for a desert recipe…but I got hooked and couldn’t stop exploring your site! It’s so cool! And your house is amazing! It’s giving me alot of ideas :) Love the inspiration! Thanks
I love your laundry room but I have one question for you. What do you do about “hang up” clothes? I have a bar above my washer and dryer so that I can hang up the closes as I take them out of the dryer and then after I finish a load I take them to their respective closets. How do you manage without a bar? Just curious because I love the idea of the cabinets too!
It looks wonderful. Just got a new LG washer myself, and I’m beyond thrilled with it. I LOVE, love, love the laundry tower. Lowe’s, you say? I’m going to have to look into one of those.
Love it! If my laundry room looked like this instead of a dark, scary corner in the basement, perhaps I’d be more inspired to wash clothes! :) And, I can’t wait to try out the Cascade!
Hi Amanda . I am so inspired by your laundry room makeover I love it , I show my husband a picture of it every week ,we even went out and bought the new washer and dryer with storage risers. Now sinse I am coping your room I need to know the name of the paint and brand so hopefully I can make my laundry room look as pretty as yours. Thanks Cheryl Ps I would hire you come to to my Home in EAST Tn to come and decorate my home for me….Thanks Love reading your blog. Cheryl
Love your laundry room makeover! It is so inspiring. I would also like to know more details on the cascade for whites. As the mom of three littles, I love new laundry tips! :)
I (heart) your laundry room! When my little family stops moving around and finally settle in one place, I have my fantasy laundry room. Having a beautiful place to wash clothes actually takes away the “chore” of the task. Big Thanks. Mig
Hi Amanda! I just found your blog and I AM IN LOVE!! It’s like I found a creative soulmate! lol So, I was wondering…where in this laundry room do you store your extra hangers? I just inherited my mom’s house & she has one of those wire shelves above her washer & dryer. This is where she keeps all of the extra hangers because when she’s doing laundry, she puts all of the hang-up clothes on their hangers and then puts them away. I’m not sure if everyone does this, but I’m wondering… =)
LOVE your laundry room make-over. Serene colors- and so organized! Beautiful.
Amanda,
Hello, I really like your laundry room make over. So how do you like your LG washer & dryer? Do you have any mold issues that they talk about? Any feed back would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Marlena
So, I’m totally addicted to your site & totally jealous of your entire home. You’ve given me so many ideas for my own home I’m excited to begin my redecorating. We just finished remodeling about 6 months ago and I had no clue where to begin with the decorating, the only room I managed to get complete was my living room. You’ve also inspired me to create my own blog showing my progress on my rooms, but I’ll definitely have to link to your page so that others can see where a lot of my amazing ideas have come from.
What color of paint did you use?
Your laundry room is simply magnificient! I feel depressed about ours! lol There’s nothing to it. It’s in the cold basement, nothing special about it at all.
I have to go ahead and admit it…I am like so jealous!! No…not in an ugly way..but, I look at my laundry room and want to cry. Ugly brown panelling, tacky vinyl floor…one worn out cabinet above the dryer and some shelves on the wall that are made out of at least 25 year old pressboard! Like you…there is no way I would EVER take a picture of it! lol! I have to say you have inspired me! I absolutely love what you have done with yours…thanks for showing me what actually is possible!
Hugs :-)
AMANDA…..I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this laundry room design!!!! My room is almost identical to what you had; the wire racks & dull boring color, but instead of blue & brown, I think I’m going to incorporate green & brown. It will flow well with the rest of my home. Question, do you have any pics of the other side of your wall. I’m still trying to figure out if a tall cabinet would be suitable for that area.
I NEED YOU IN MY HOUSE….ASAP.
This is beautiful, yet practical. I’m curious to see your system for organizing the laundry before it goes in the washer…
Fabulus make over!! I love that little cart next to the washer but I don’t think I even have rrom for that! All my supplies are in my cabinets now. In fact I just took pictures TODAY to post about my laundry room! I lived with those horrible wire shelves for almost 20 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t figure out why now, cause I HATED them. Your laundry room colors are beautiful. XO, Pinky
Love the makeover. I am curious what size your cabinets are?? My area is 60 inches across but I don’t have room for a tower.. ;-)
i’m fascinated by laundry rooms…and your makeover looks good!
this inspired me! i use to hate walking in my laundry room now i cant stop thinking of what i want to do with it lol. thank you !
This post inspires me to create a cute Laundry Room of my own! What a fun and calming environment….almost makes you want to do laundry. We’re in the process of trying to find a house, so I’m hoping to try it out as soon as we find one and move! :) Thanks Amanda!
I enjoyed your laundry room makeover post. We just made over ours, though I spend way too much time in there :)
Love the look! What size rug did you go with?
Okay, SUCH a cute room!! But I have to know how to handle the cascade in the laundry. Are there any specific directions or tips? I’ve been dying to know. . . . .
What a great laundry room! We are planning to convert a linen closet to a laundry closet and this is exactly what I’m picturing. **Could you please provide the dimensions of only the space where the W&D, cart, and cabinets are located? Thanks! :-D
Love your laundry room! We are currently redoing one as well, and I love yours.
Looks great, worth the effort I congratulate you upon Bzltah
Hi,
I am another admirer, you have done an amazing job it just flows so amazingly well. I am hoping you would tell me the color of your walls. I am currently doing my laundry room right now and your color just sticks out. I have also stole your ingenious of adding extra storage with a set of laundry baskets. I finally have place for lightbulbs and in reading your blog I see you have done the same…so I must be on the right path to bad creativity doesn’t come as easily for me, as it does from some of you. Kudos to all for just having the vision and be kind enough to share with those like myself who need a little help!!
Amanda, laundry room looks awesome, i could be in there all day doing laundry!!!haha… you’ve inspired me to redo mine…its almost the exact size and dimensions as yours! just wondering what the paint colour is?
I just want to tell you what an inspiration you are to me. I guess I thought I’d have to live with my dull laundry room forever. I thought I might have to get someone in to redesign or reconfigure it for me. I was really at a loss at what to do. One of my biggest problems is my basement isn’t easily accessible and so the laundry room becomes the place where everything that doesn’t seem to have ‘place’ gets tossed. I’m a new widow with less confidence to tackle the ‘big’ projects myself. But after seeing your photos and catching your enthusiasm, I am in the middle of taking my laundry room from being the dungeon of the house into the bright and beautiful place it will become. I might have to hire a plumber to install a surgeon’s sink, and some local boys to hang the cabinets, but besides that, I can say I did it myself!
Just gorgeous!! Please tell me the color of your walls and what size the rug is!!! :)
Hi Amanda!
I love the look of your laundry room. I am currently redesigning mine and am wondering what the depth is of your wall to front of the machine. Thanks!
I re-did my laundry room this last weekend as well. I never got the pedestal for my whirlpool duet. My back was aching reaching down and in for the clothes. I knew I didn’t want the ones that come with the washer/dryer because 1. theyre very expensive and 2. They raise up too high. Like you, I still wanted to keep my basket on top or be able to fold. So my husband built me one! I had him build it 10″ high vs the 151/2″. He did a beautiful job, making it look like a piece of furniture. Also, I don’t know if LG sells something like this, but whirlpool has this nice Worksurface topper you can get that sits over the washer/dryer. It saves them from getting scratched up and makes it all one solid surface. Check it out!
Hey There! Beautiful transformation! I was wondering on the front loader machine. Have you had any problems with it starting to have a musty odor? So many people I know that have a front loader complain about a smell after a while. I wonder if they are just not cleaning them and leaving the door open to air out. Have you had a problem with this? I have a top loader. Do you feel like the clothes get just as clean with less water than when you used a top loader? Thanks! :)
Are you still happy with your LG washer and dryer? I’m buying a new house and need to purchase a washer and dryer for it.
Hi I just found your site, I was wondering if you could tell me what model number is your washer by LG, and do you like your washer & dryer, any problems, as I was thinking of purchasing a LG washer & dryer, and wanted to make sure that the one I chose could was a king size blanket….if I could get by with a 3.6 capacity v.s. the 4 or 5 which are higher in price, but if they are the only ones to wash a large blanket, guess that the way to go…..do you notice any extra noise with your machines, and are they hard to load and unload, since you took the pedestal out….I see that they wanted $500.00 for two which I thought was…..Thanks for any information….Jen in northern Wisc…. JenLeeFarm@centurytel.net