Laundry Room and Entry

Moving into a new house gives you a chance to design and organize from scratch.

This laundry area and back door entry is a wide hallway divided by a hot water heater closet.  Overly bright with white walls, the owners decided to minimize the glare and opted for a darker paint color. Curtains that filter the light were added.  A matchstick curtain is easily adjusted for the season.

The color palate was based on rugs and fabric from Pier One.  The homeowners love their childhood 70s color scheme, so the paint is an avocado green from that era.  Colorful cloth napkins were used to create curtains. Two place mats were used along with a matchstick curtain, also from Pier One.  Aside from a new hanging ironing board organizer, everything else came from existing furniture and accessories.  Scrap wood had been used to create a shelf over the W/D and it was painted over.

COST : LABOR + Less than $200 for paint (1 gallon), fabric, rugs, coat hooks, place mats, and an ironing board organizer


A long hallway, the laundry is at far right (above) with a hot water heater closet extending into the space. The hallway to the left became a space to hang coats, hats, gloves, toys and more.

Because the space is limited, functionality became a priority.  A system for doing the laundry was created using the space and existing materials such as laundry baskets and an extra shower curtain rod.

The washer and dryer rest in an alcove between a wall and the hot water heater closet. An extendable tension shower rod provides great space for clothes that air dry or need ironing. Hung from hangers or draped across the rod, it works great for the limited space.
The picture (a gift from the MIL) was found at a garage sale for $2. Visually a mix between Grant Wood and her mother-in-law, it makes a great reminder to do the laundry.  The mother-in-law could visit at any time!

At the extreme left is a wall mounted ironing board unit with a shelf above for misc. The ironing board covers the unsightly electrical box for the home.

The shelf over the w/d can be pulled out when the machines need to be serviced. The yellow basket at the far right is home to sock orphans. The basket has dryer sheets and lingerie bags.  The containers have scissors, buttons, threaded sewing needles, and a catch all for loose change found in the wash. Detergents are stored in smaller containers.  Economy size boxes are above for refilling. A cloth napkin divided makes a nice shelf cover.

The cabinets have detergent and spare linens.  The bottom shelf towels are old towels recycled for washing cars.  Attached to the door interiors are laminated stain removal guides, washer and dryer manuals with warranty info, and misc laundry odds-and-ends like fabric clips.

A stack of laundry baskets rests on the dryer.  Putting away laundry is less of a chore if folded clothes go immediately into personal baskets. Each person has their own laundry basket which is carried to their room, laundry is put away, and the empty basket is left on the dryer empty.

For this family, hampers are in each bathroom.  Laundry day means taking hampers to the laundry room.  Clothes are sorted into the washing machine and the laundry room hamper holds the other clothes. Empty hampers are returned to the bathrooms. The laundry room hamper is also a great place to toss clothes being treated for stains between washes. When in use there's just enough room to sort, load and unload in the walk space.  When not in use, the hamper and basket stay on top of the machines.

Though narrow, the hampers line the space in front of door going towards the window for sorting.  Quickly emptied, they move back to the bathrooms where they are used daily.

The window is topped with fabric napkins.  We used cafe clips and hardware already owned. A small trash can sits in a corner. On the window sill a row of succulents enjoy the sunshine.  These low water plants are great for warm spots.

On the other end of the hallway, the odd shaped corner became a coat rack and an old shelf was used for hats, mittens, recycling and much more.  A smaller cabinet hides sewing supplies, flashlights and emergency weather gear. In the odd corner between the shelves seldom used archery gear awaits the children.

The lower hooks were added for book bags. This didn't work well with the kids, so an old ottoman was put in the corner.  Inside are flip flops and sandals.

The laundry wall meets the wall of the library, so for now, there is an unpainted wall. The baskets were reused from the former home's laundry and they store everything a back door area needs. The bottom shelves have crates to hold recycling. Old chess pieces sit between the baskets. The wooden bowl is a catch-all for keys and change. All the accessories are things already owned.  Nothing new was bought for this corner.

To the right of the mirror is a clever little addition.  Why buy a key rack when you can make one easily? Looking for things to top the cabinet, we found this little wooden box that once held Exacto knives. The wood is so thin that the cup hooks that hold the keys screw through the back and into the wall behind.