Laundry Room Makeover

Do you happen to have a room in your house where you simply shut the door instead of dealing with the disorder? Well, sad to say for me it was the laundry room. Below is a before picture. You will see in the picture the complete disarray of items! The shelving contained light bulbs, cleaner, hardware, laundry detergent and a hanger with swimsuits and underwear to air dry. Obviously, this wasn't working.

The tricky part about this room is that it's basically a closet with a washer and dryer on the bottom with the water heater suspended above the dryer on the right hand side. There are only two shelves to store everything and not much wall space.

The total time this project took me was about 30 minutes.

Step 1: Remove Everything - To get a really good idea of what needs to be put back in the laundry room, let's just start with a blank slate. In the picture below you can see I have taken everything off the shelves above the washer. Also, I removed items randomly strewn on top of the dryer. I gave everything a good vacuum and wiped all of the surfaces down with a damp rag.

Step 2: Sort and Organize - I bought these four containers from the dollar store. I highly recommend purchasing one color and buy labels from an office supply store. Make sure each container is labeled, that way you (and family members) know exactly where to locate an item. My containers are labeled with four categories

• Cleaning - Windex, wipes, new sponges and a scrub brush are located here.
• Lighting - For light bulbs
• Towels - Hand towels, washcloths and cleaning rags
• Washing - Detergent, oxyclean, stain removers, and dryer sheets live here.

Step 3: Label - I bought Avery Labels from CVS. They are about $2 and I use them on everything.

Step 4: Change Jar - I took an old tomato sauce jar, wrapped a piece of scrapbook paper around (secured with double sided tape) and then added another label.

 

Step 5: Hooks - I also added a hook for the dustpan. I figured this would be a good idea for quick and easy access.

Step 6: Decorate - I used decorative plates in the same color scheme to create order and cohesiveness. I love this cobalt blue color, so I hung three to the left and then, placed one above the dryer (in picture above).

There were a few items I removed and found a new home for to include, my drill and hardware, additional storage containers, a wicker basket and TV cables. I also put away all of the miscellaneous laundry items. This is now the perfect apartment laundry room!

Which room do you keep avoiding because you need to organize?

Heights Home on Larkin Street

5122 Larkin - Houston, TX

Located between the historic Heights and up-and-coming Midtown lies a house just south of the Bayou. On the corner of Larkin Street is a house with history. My husband, baby and dog moved there a few years ago. This house was appealing with it's natural light, updated finishings, and convenient location. I work in the Galleria/Uptown Park area and could drive to work in the heat of traffic in just 15 minutes. Yes, this is possible in Houston! Live near you where you work.

So, here we are in 1000 sq feet of house. With a yard for the 70 lb dog named Paws. It felt like heaven. We later found out, that the house came with its own set of history. None the less, although it was a beautiful place, we soon out grew its accommodations. Here are a few pictures of the living room.

Meet the living room. We will start from the far left and work our way clockwise.

Tan Window Shade- Came with the house. It's a simple tan roman shade.

Tan Art- Future tutorial coming soon! Tan frame contemporary fabric! (Frame from Target)

Red art- Freehanded using acrylic paints

Sofa and arm chairs- Ikea

Coffee table- Ikea with a smoke grey glass top (bought from a glass/window shop)

Mirror - Ikea

Small wall mirrors - Ikea

Red scroll painting - Freehand

Slipcover - Ikea

Mirrors - Ikea

Painting - Free hand, red acrylic paint

Here is the desk I created. The entire house was 2 bedroom and only 100 square feet. I made a desk by taking a wood shelf (belonging to an armoire) laid on top of the sewing table. The table's sewing ledge was extended and supported by a bookshelf (from Walmart).

The art was done by me! It's a watercolor with black ink!

Chair and lamp - Ikea

Vase - Target

Round lava rock - Brought home from Hawaii-yes, my bag was filled with rocks. 

Try explaining that to the boyfriend!!!

White coral - Cozumel

Cup (used to hold Prisma Colored Pencils)- Libby glass, Target

Desk- Sewing Table (opened)

with a piece of wood (formerly a shelf) 

to cover where a sewing machine would be placed.

Vases - Ikea

One filled with unity sand from the wedding

One filled with Nagchampa incense

One filled with champagne corks

Shelving unit - Ikea

DVDs - my own collection

Bowl - Ikea

Small wicker accent balls - Target

Lampshade - Target

Zebra accent pillow - Target

White Pitcher - Hobby Lobby

One of the strangest but coolest parts of this cottage was the random hexagonal window. Anytime someone knocked on the door, you could peek out!

Oh, in this shot you can see the base of the end table. It's actually a light blue leather square ottoman (from Target) with an Ikea end table topper.

Pillows were from target.

Tips for small space:

1. Use small furniture - By taking advantage of Ikea, I could easily sit 5 people with 2 chairs and one sofa. Bulky furniture would probably allow only 3-4 seats. Also, I could pull chairs from other rooms and comfortable sit 8 people (5 on couch, arm chairs and 3 in dining room chairs).

2. Keep accessories minimum - Table tops and surfaces must be kept tidy. Also, choose 1-3 items per surface. Any more than that looks cluttered in small spaces.

3. Work with what you have - Yes, there is a hexagonal window and beautiful antique yellow pine flooring, but I wasn't afraid to keep it modern. The deep low profile espresso leather, white canvas slip covered barrel back chairs and hand painted red swirls are juxtaposed with the same light colored wood flooring. It works because it was edited and specifically placed. 

4. Don't be afraid to paint - I'll be honest, I like wine. When I drink wine, I paint... on the walls. Yes, I am no better than my daughter, just a little more skilled with the hand eye coordination thing! If you are going to make a change, paint is always easy. Whether you use craft paint, acrylic paint or actually buy canvases and just paint them, you need to first draw the design. No, I do not actually use pencil, because I have been painting for years. However, for those of you who are less experienced, use a pencil. After you lightly draw onto the wall, start painting. 

5. Pick 4 colors for a small setting - I used espresso - on the couch, lamp bases, and mirrors. Red- on the wall as an accent. White- Side chairs and Tan on the window shades, accessories and floors.

6. Pick a shape - You will see that I repeat the idea of a square. Look at the pillows, couch, end table, vases, shelving units and wall decor with mirrors.

7. Use multiples - I duplicated lampshades, lamps, chairs, wall mirrors and vases.

9. No curtains - Roman shades are a good choice for a small room.

10. TV - You may be wondering about TV. We have a huge Dell plasma screen mounted onto the wall. It's very heavy, but the mounting equipment allows the TV to be pivoted. The TV was mounted above the lateral shelving with square vases and DVD collection.

Well, there you have it! The little cottage house on Larkin Street. Hope this inspires you!