One of the things that sold me on our current home was the location of the laundry room. “Room” is generous – it’s an over-sized closet conveniently located in the loft and by the bedrooms. In addition to location, it also boasted a full-sized washer and dryer set that almost made me weep with gratitude after having left behind a very small, stacked unit in our former townhome.

While it did have location and size going for it, it lacked function and style. It was the design equivalent of pleated khaki pants – functional, but not something most people feel good about wearing. At the time it seemed frivolous to want something more for the space.

How pretty does a laundry room need to be?

Well, it’s been a year since the makeover and it still makes me happy every time I throw in a load.

Sad Space

Before, the single long wire shelf above the washer and drier was filled with stuff and always looked cluttered. Even more cluttered because not everything wanted to stay upright on the wire shelves.

Laundry RoomI was always losing things behind and between the washer and dryer as I tried to fold on top of the machines. It was disheartening to fish a newly washed shirt from behind the washer and see a family of well-fed dust bunnies clinging to the fabric.

My husband knows I crave functionality almost as much as chocolate. He encouraged me to make whatever improvements we needed. Bless him. He’s not handy, but he was very willing to hire someone to make my laundry room dreams come true!

Laundry Room Transformation

The wire shelf went and instead I got a couple of cabinets from a big box store. Because my washer and dryer are front-loaders, I put a surface over the top to create a large folding space. Be still my heart! No more clean clothes falling behind the machines!

To get a surface large enough to fully cover the washer and drier, I bought an island-sized countertop from Ikea. Once it had been cut to size, there was enough material left over to create shelving for between the cabinets and off to one side. Beneath the shelf on one side is a rod for hanging clothes.

To make it prettier, I swapped out the light fixture for something with sparkle. Then, I added some peel and stick tiles to create a sort of backsplash. It turns out to be the perfect place to put my wine and painting-night treasure, as well!

Laundry Room 2Absolutely Worth It

It sounds silly to be so excited about a laundry room, but honestly having a space that actually makes doing laundry more efficient, and is pretty to look at, really has made it less of a chore to keep up with the laundry.

What odd little space in your home could you add function and style to?