Monday, August 16, 2010

Before & After: Laundry Room

Happy Monday everyone! Did you have a fun weekend?  I sure hope so.  My husband was back in town over the weekend and we hung all over each other all weekend.  It's like we were in college all over again.


I had a short list of honey-do's for him and it included helping me hang a couple things in our laundry room.  About a month ago, I mentioned how I was going to paint my laundry room.  And by golly, I did.

Here is the before picture.


The paint was an unwashable flat paint that wasn't tolerating my 2 year old and boxer dog very well.  {On a side note, did you know that Sherwin Williams makes a washable flat paint?  Genius, I tell you}.

In choosing a color, I knew I wanted something subtle and refreshing.  I started thinking some some blues would be nice, but in trying to keep a halfway consistent color palette throughout the house, I leaned towards a green color.

Here is the after picture:


You'll have to excuse my flashy pictures, but they were taken late last night.  The paint color I choose is Sherwin Williams Grassland {SW 6163}.  As I was painting, I feared that I had gone too minty, but luckly I stuck with it as I think it has a very calming character to it - which is the exact thing I wanted!


A couple of details on the wall hangings.  I found the mirror at a local thrift store for $10.  This is what it looked like when I bought it:



As much as I love a touch of gold these days, this was a little much so I spray painted it white.  As you know, I have a tendency to paint everything white.


And when we were shopping at Target this last week, I found this coat hanger on clearance for $9.



Only, when I checked out, it rang up at about $3.50.  Don't you just love it when that happens?  I knew the blue color wouldn't work, but I could easily spray paint it white, and save a few bucks.  {The competing coat hanger was $20 and it had a shelf above the hangers}.



A couple simple changes and my laundry room feels brand new!  All for a reasonable cost of about $40!


9 comments:

Andie said...

I love it! You're "before" laundry room looks almost identical to mine and I was needing some inspiration! Did you paint the cabinet as well? Mine needs it badly.

deb said...

Andie- So glad to hear it! I really wanted to paint the cabinets white and I think that would truly complete the entire space. However, painting cabinets is not something my husband and I agree on so I just let them be. :)

Tammy said...

The makeover looks great, but I really like the green bag on the hook. Can you tell me who makes it? Thanks!

Clarissa said...

In trying to find a spot for a print (printed on cardboard, fortunately) in my there-is-hardly-any-wall-space kitchen, it landed (minus frame and glass) on a cabinet front when I realized it was just slightly larger than the inset panel part of the cabinet door. It works nicely to break up a long wall of cabinets and to get some of the rest of the room's Italian feel onto that wall. Maybe a print in mostly white would do the same for your spot. The painted wall accents look excellent; do you find that the spray paint holds up OK? What brand do you prefer?

Donna said...

What a great thrift find! I love the details of the mirror and especially love it white. I am Spray Paint addict! In my boredom I will color change items around in the house in just a few strokes of spray paint! Great change on your laundry room. Kudos!

deb said...

Tammy- This is a diaper bag from LLBean that we found on clearance. It's still available here (http://bit.ly/a3uMVQ) and we purchased it in moss. If you don't like the color options, they have the same bag in different colors for a slightly higher price.

Clarissa- What a great idea! And I use Krylon spray paint... I feel it holds up the best. I always use Krylon's sealer- Make It Last! that prevents chips. I haven't tried it, but you could also try their Krylon H2O Latex that is to protect against nicks and chips to save yourself doing an extra coat.

Donna- Thanks and glad to hear I'm not the only one! :)

Terri said...

Wow! It's amazing how much a new paint color can change the look of a room. I love the new color; it looks so much brighter and fresher.

Flooring Lady said...

I LOVE before and after photos, it's like my thing ;) who knew that you can make your laundry room look so much warm and inviting, buy adding paint and a few decorative touches? I think that you chose a beautiful "clean" color, that goes perfect with the room, and contrast the flooring as well. Also great job on the budget finds!

deb said...

Thank you so much, Terri & Flooring Lady! I definitely like doing laundry a lot more these days!