An “Afterthought” Laundry Room Gets a $400 Makeover with the Cutest New Color
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Laundry Room
STYLE: Colorful, Organic Modern
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
There is, of course, no urgent reason for a laundry room to look as beautiful as say, a wallpapered entryway or a gorgeously tiled bathroom. But if you’re a serial DIYer, you might tackle a laundry room on your to-do list eventually. That was the case for Tarah Trammell (@tarah.tr) and her husband, Cody Baker, who have renovated several rooms in their house.
“This was the final piece after the rest of the home was updated,” Tarah says. “I didn’t want it to feel like an afterthought anymore … it was just really plain. Nothing noteworthy or interesting! It did have great light, though!” A $400 makeover (excluding appliances) took the room from just fine to fabulous.
The walls got a coat of rosy pink paint.
Immediately one of the biggest differences you’ll note is the wall color, and Tarah says she initially wasn’t sold on the pink. (It’s Behr’s Soft Pink.) Now, she loves it. “Laundry is never exciting, but this room feeling so much brighter made it so much better,” she says.
(For more vibrant color inspiration for laundry rooms, check out this bold red room and this vivid green makeover.)
The new flooring was budget-friendly.
“The paint color … is definitely one of the first things you notice, but the flooring completely changed the space,” Tarah says. It’s a laminate option from Lowe’s that looks similar to the hardwood floors in other areas of her home — and cost about $1 per square foot.
“This was my first go-around with any type of laminate flooring,” Tarah says. “While I don’t think I would use it for the main areas of my home, I couldn’t have been happier with how it looked in that room, and it kept things very much in budget.”
Lighting and efficiency are key.
Tarah’s advice for planning out laundry rooms is to “plan for efficiency,” and that “lighting is so important.” She upgraded both in her space. The very ’90s wood-framed box light from before was replaced with a more modern, low-profile round overhead light, and Tarah built a ledge shelf over the washer and dryer for even more storage, in addition to the cabinet and folding table combo that Cody built.
“The shelf is just an untreated piece of wood with brackets that I sanded and sealed,” Tarah says.
For more laundry room makeovers, check out this wallpapered beauty and this pink-tiled utility room.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
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