To have a large walk-in laundry room was nothing but a dream to this recent client (and for many of the rest of us!). More of a closet, the 'room' is large enough to house a washer and dryer side by side, and not much more. The space was not functioning to its best potential, so the client brought us in to see how we could assist. After seeing the space and discussing vision with the client, we knew exactly how to make this laundry closet organized, spacious, and glamorous. And yes, laundry closets should be appealing, because who really likes to do laundry?!
Our number one priority was to make use of as much vertical spaces as possible, as that was the only usable space we had to work with. And to being, just like every other project, we took everything out of the space, to include the wire shelving and washer and dryer. Upon doing so, we discovered just how dingy the walls were, mostly from lack of paint when originally built 10+ years prior, but also from use. Every space we have had the pleasure to design and organized looks 100 times better with newly painted walls. I mean, what doesn't look good with a fresh coat of paint? We agreed on white walls to keep the space airy and fresh, and got to work.
Upon returning the washer and dryer back to their original places, we decided to move the long wire shelf up higher within the closet and add an additional half wire shelf above the washer. The thought process behind this was the longer shelf could house overstock items, cleaning materials, and hangers. Plus the shelf would be high enough above the machines that the client could still hang air dry items without them getting in the way. The lower half shelf would sit right above the washer, housing detergent, dryer sheets, clothes pins, and other frequently used household/laundry cleaners.
Being an organizer, I love when clients allow me to take full control of design and function in a project. Nothing makes me more happy. Where this laundry closet lacked in size, it sure was not going to lack in beautiful containment. I was not going to allow any distinguishable product packaging back into this beautiful space. Like I said earlier, it needed to have the allure of glamour.
A few simple switches helped to lighten up the space. Cleaners into Casabella spray bottles to add a sense of conformity, glass bottles for abrasive laundry cleaners, all tied together with handwritten paint pen labels, housed in an acrylic InterDesign turntable for easy access to all items. Stackable acrylic office trays were used for lint rollers, clothes pins, dusting cloths, and dryer sheets. A glass beverage spouted jar from Target's Threshold line, repurposed for a laundry detergent dispenser. All items fit perfectly on the lower laundry shelf, their decantment giving the extra sparkle to the space.
On the higher laundry shelf, we reused 3 white metal baskets the client already owned for items such as an iron, speciality cleaners, overstock of lint rollers and laundry items. We also added a white rack for hangers, allowing us to neatly stack and contain the client's slim line hangers. Last but not least, we hung a large photo of clothespins to give the space a little whimsy.
Not only does this space function better, but the aesthetic of it is drastically different. Nothing like an inexpensive makeover to help make a space like new. All items will soon be listed on our products page, helping you to upgrade your laundry room as well.