I have been dreaming of a completed laundry room since day one. 

You see, at the very beginning of this adventure, the laundry room was actually located in the first floor bathroom.

It was the 70’s.  Crazier things happened.  A bathroom/laundry room was probably not a bad idea back then.

But today?  Yeah.  It works as much as Lindsay Lohan. 

So our basement was voted as the ‘it-place’ for our new laundry-doing space.  But since the room would also have access to the outside, we wanted to be sure that it appealed to any future home-buyer as a multifunctional room.  And that is why we decided that this area needed to be part mudroom/part laundry room/part storage (with a bit of “could-also-be-converted-into-a-kitchenette” for fun). 

First we moved the washer & dryer:

Then we upgraded to a new washer & dryer:

And finally we have watersealed the space (thanks to our friends at TrueValue!) to prep for the master plan:

What is the master plan? 

 So glad you asked 🙂

Here it is folks:

1.  A new door.  We found this supplier on Craigslist that provides new exterior doors on the cheap.  Since I knew that this space was void of natural light (there’s no windows!) I voted that the door must have windows.  Jeremy voted for a solid wood door and then a storm door.  But since I am carrying the baby – I get two votes.  Jeremy felt better about this craftsman-style door because the windows were higher and invited less intruders into our home.  I felt better because I won 🙂

2.  Our color choice for this space is called Smoky Blue by Olympic.  Remember how those folks created a low-VOC and low-odor formula?  Perfect for preggos like me. 

3.  I love the random wovenness of this Ikea hamper.  Especially since I don’t own a hamper.  And I have been dreaming of one. 

4.  Matching glass jars would add such a classy touch to a laundry space.  And not only do they look good – they would function perfectly for clothespin or bleachpen or powder detergent storage containers. 

5.  Woven yumminess in the form of a light fixture.  Ikea does it again with a little texture and a whole lotta affordability. 

6.  Do those Scandinavians ever sleep?  Ikea has these fold out drying racks that would be perfect for this space.  Pull em up for hanging hand wash items.  Put em down for additional space.

7.  We plan on putting the nursery in the office.  The office has quite a few of these shelves.  Since we can’t do upper cabinets (not enough head room!) – open shelving will be just the ticket for a snazzy (and free) storage solution.

8.  My new washer.  Drool.

9.  My new dryer.  (thud)  I just fainted.

10.  We are on the prowl for a easy to clean, chipless, cheap and durable white countertop.  Let me know your votes.

11. The boyfriend and I love these simple white cabinets from Ikea.  They come in a variety of sizes and styles…plus we figure we can invest a little moolah here since we will only need a handful of base cabinets. 

12.  Tile.  Yum.  I want a tile that has a little grip to it – no mudroom needs to be slippery, the color and appearance of dirt – to hide the real dirt, not too many pits, nooks or crannies – so that it will be easy to clean, and it has to be cheap.  Cheap sounds like a resounding theme here, doesn’t it?  And I want to lay it on a brick pattern 🙂

13.  White frames would be perfect for creating a gallery space in the laundry room.  That way my little Picasso’s creations can inspire me while I fold the socks.

14.  Love this rug.  It’s actually indoor-outdoor.  And it is bleachable.  BLEACHABLE.  Check out the others at Dash & Albert.  

15.  A little bench/storage ottoman next to our door would be the perfect perch for a kid (coughmecough) to take off those muddy shoes and rest my tired dogs. 

 

So there you have it – a moodboard for our future laundry room.  Anything tickle your nose hairs?   Any brick-pattern-tile-layers out there with some tips?  Anybody out there with a mudroom must-have?  Do tell.