I was told, “We want to keep the floors, countertops, and cabinets the way they are, but I want something fun. I want a fun room.” This means all I had to work with in this client's laundry room were rust, gray, and dark blue countertops; rust and dark gray flooring; cherry cabinets; and literally no items in the room except one laundry bag. Check out this week’s blog post to see how I transformed this room. It’s flippin’ cool and beachin’!
BLOG POST BY:
Carla Gentle with Design Realign, Inc.
AN IMAGE HAS STUCK WITH ME FOR DECADES AND WAS MY INSPIRATION
I do not remember if this image in my head all these years is from a dream I had or if I saw it in a commercial or magazine, but for as long as I can remember, I always visualized a lady hanging linens and light clothing on a clothesline on a breezy beach similar to the picture below. I know there are images out there like that, but this has stuck with me for decades; so when I was told to make the laundry room fun, the first thing I thought of was to have a beach theme because I make that connection to laundry. However, I wanted it to be a sophisticated beach theme.
LEFT: Sus Blanco on Flickr MIDDLE: Design Realign RIGHT: Pinterest
WHAT I HAD TO WORK WITH AND HOW I INCORPORATED IT INTO A BEACH THEME
I was told by my clients to keep the existing countertops, cabinetry, and flooring in their laundry room. Below are before and after pictures of the laundry room and a close-up of the dark elements they wanted me to keep. So how do you incorporate those dark elements into creating a beach-themed laundry room? After all, everything about the beach is light and airy; and when you see beach-themed rooms, you see a lot of raw wood / light colored wood being used as well as white, light blue, and beige colors throughout the space.
In all honesty, I wasn’t concerned. I was so determined to give them a beach-themed laundry room (with their approval, of course), that I didn’t allow their dark elements to intimidate me or scare me into not proceeding with that theme.
What better way to start than by changing the wall color to reflect more of the beachy outdoors. Three of the walls were painted in a light blue gray (had a strong light blue undertone) and the accent wall was painted a heavenly blue with deep slate gray undertones. This rich blue accent wall was the perfect color to complement the cabinetry color.
Where Form Meets Function
The second thing I did was look for raw wood elements to help lighten the space and balance out the effects of the dark wood cabinets. I shopped for and purchased all the items you see in the after picture.
My client had surgery on her spine and hip in the past year, so I knew I wanted to have some sort of rolling laundry sorter to make this space as functional as possible for her. And, when I found this one on wheels in its raw wood form, I knew I found the right one. It is so beautiful and functional! It can be purchased through Wayfair by following this link.
ABOVE: I found this beautiful rolling laundry sorter at Wayfair.
The two suspended shelves were purchased at Dollar General for $15 for the set. I had already purchased these for my client when we saw the same exact set at Kohls for $50! Yes, $50. I also later saw the same set at Home Goods for $20. The filler items on those shelves were all purchased at Dollar Tree. Yes, Dollar Tree for $1.25 each. I did, however, purchase the tiny plants at Home Goods. The beautiful round rattan hanging was purchased at Burlington Coat Factory for $20. Another steal!
The Absolutes
There were certain items that were absolute must-haves for this room; so, the next thing I did was to find the right rug. NOTE: I normally buy the area rug first (and before painting), but I’ve done this long enough to know I would have no problem finding the right rug.
My clients had no rug before, and this was an important element for me to bring into the room to brighten it as well as bring some softness to the space. I purchased the reversible rug on clearance for only $14.99 at Home Goods. It is a high-quality rug.
Next, I wanted to highlight the empty space above the cabinetry. I pulled the large rattan vase and basket from another room in their home (these were the only items not purchased for this design) and purchased a beautiful white woven basket with cherry handles to match the cherry cabinets. They all worked well together and were the perfect items to anchor that large space above.
The Temptation is Real
I then found a raw wood vase, which took all my might to not keep myself! That is one of the hardest things for me as a designer is resisting the temptation to keep items I buy for clients. This vase is so beautiful and organic, and I got it on clearance!
The Shopping Continues …
I coupled this raw wood vase with a raw wood natural-looking clock and the perfect beachy, grassy arrangement in a clear vase (the clear vase gives a clean-looking vibe perfect for this space). So pleasing to the eye.
The last of the shopping included greenery above the sink and a fun clean/dirty laundry sign/stand.
CONCLUSION
Even though I was given orders to keep the dark cabinetry, flooring, and countertop for this laundry room, I was still able to completely transform this space simply by purchasing the right paint colors and accessories. And, yes, knowing how to put it all together helps! I had a vision from the start and the ideas just flowed out of me making this a very easy project. My clients love their new laundry room and so do I!
Design Realign Blog ... A Blog About All Things Home
Comments