Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Laundry Ideas and help please

I would love to give our laundry a mini makeover and I'd love some ideas or feedback from you if you wouldn't mind.

Here are some of the laundry rooms in my inspiration file (now I know this is not possible until/when /if we rebuild) but this is to give you some eye candy and inspiration.

Gorgeous! And I love the table

I like the idea of the ironing board and shelving hung like that.

I think this is the other side of the laundry in the first photo. How pretty do the jars etc look!

This one is a laundry/craft room which would be great when we 'loose' the study to a 3rd bedroom one day.

Nice to have a featuring light and the cupboards and storage are great.

But here is my FAVOURITE laundry ever...
It's the laundry of my lovely blog friend Rachael of A Room for Everyone and don't you just drool!?!
Look at all the clever storage on the right hand side too - you're a decorating/renovating expert Rachael!

Now here is our laundry, we don't have too much to work with and the walls are asbestos so I don't really want to mess around too much.

But I'm thinking of painting the faux wood panelling either white or Dulux Hogs Bristle Half.
Then making a little roman blind to match the kitchen one for the window.
And then put a white shelf with baskets above the sink.
I think I'd also put new tap cover thingies on, you know the ones that are/look like chrome, instead of the off white plastic ones.

I've recently started hanging my apron on a hook behind the door and I'd maybe think of putting some more hooks on the wall behind the door, maybe mount the clothes drying rack behind it? and maybe a shelf or two above the door for more storage.
And see the massive hot water heater? I'm thinking of building a timber screen type of thing to enclose it so it doesn't look so messy. And putting a more attractive hook contraption up (or is there a way you can think of hiding the dustpan and mops?

Oh and that's our recycle bin, that would have to stay.

So what do you think? Any good ideas you can give me? I don't want to spend much money on the makeover but just make the space more attractive and efficient in terms of storage etc.

First five pics via decorpad.com

Thanks lovelies,

14 comments:

  1. I think you need an Ikea catalogue, and one from Howard's Storage World! Good luck... :-)

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  2. I'd build a cupboard around the hot water service AND your brooms etc - that way, it's all hidden. You could always have a really sweet wire and fabric door put on the cupboard for ventilation too.

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  3. Ooooh! Those laundry spaces are definitely drool worthy! I love the first & third pics. I've seen them a few times before. My laundry is such a poky little space :-(

    I love all your ideas for your laundry. Definitely pain it white I reckon!

    ~ Clare x

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  4. yes I'm looking for laundry ideas/pics atm, there's not heaps out there... I would paint your timber paneling white, or a lovely colour you like to update your laundry.

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  5. Hi, the first and third pic are two of my all time favourite laundry pics. I adore them..and the gorgeous Rachael is truly talented in the art of renovations. I am having a similar problem in my tiny laundy and am also looking to give it a spruse up without major work. I think the Hog Bristle paint would be ideal as would the baskets and shelves. I would build in the HW service and those brooms as well. A blind and some artwork... can't wait to see what you do ~ Kym

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  6. If you could move the hot water heater outside you'd have some lovely space for shelves or cupboards.

    Painting that wood paneling sounds like a good idea, and a roman blind would pretty it up a bit.

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  7. Hi Janette,
    I'm not that clever to help, but can't wait to see what you do. I love them all, but particularly the first one! Hope you are having a great week. Emma.

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  8. Love the pics, especially the first one and Rachael's laundry. This post is right up my ally at the moment as we had a laundry guy come over yesterday to look at ideas for our new laundry that hopefully will be built in a few months. The ideas you have are all good ones and I can highly recommend small cane baskets on a white lak shelf from Ikea. Also Bed Bath and Table have some fantastic different hooks. G

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  9. I was going to suggest a glass door like the one Rachael has but it would make more sense to use the current door to hang things off.
    I'm looking forward to a laundry reno this year too - yay.
    Angex

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  10. You lovely, lovely girl! I was enjoying reading your post and then I saw my laundry and your generous words! Thank you, you have just made my day. I would move the hot water heater outside but I understand that may be too expensive. The alternative would be to surround the heater and brooms etc,. with cabinetry. Surely Ikea would have something reasonably priced and perhaps shallow enough for the brooms. Your ideas are perfect and I have no doubt you'll come up with a terrific solution. Rachaelxx

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  11. So funny you posted this Janette as yesterday, as part of my beginning of the year clean-up I was working on our laundry and was trying to think how I could spruce it up a bit. I think painting yours white is a great idea -will definitely brighten the place up a lot. A shelf with some pretty things on display like powder or pegs in pretty jars above the sink will look great too. Not so sure how you can hide your cleaning supplies, a cupboard might make the room feel a lot smaller (hard to tell the size of things from the photos)- will put my thinking hat on for you...

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  12. Thanks for the eye candy, Janette! The things that make me swoon nowadays ☺. I'm a bit like Emma re ideas but do agree that Ikea's Lack shelves are brilliant - they're so streamlined and stylish, the way the mounting fittings are concealed. Here they are: http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/20186182. Lucky you - Rhodes isn't far away. Alas, we still don't have Ikea down here. J x

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  13. Ok, if this was me, I would: have semi-deep (to fit storage) white shelving all around the top of the wall (above the door frame) and put wicker baskets (Kmart) on it to help store things. Paint the panels a mid-royal French blue (aka Carrie's flat in SATC film) and find some pretty hooks for the back of your door, I would sew (haha-once I start using my machine) a pretty cover (like your draw string bag) for your long/larger cleaning items – but something which is practical to use I guess. I would also make some pretty curtains to match :-)

    Let us know how you go!xx

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  14. i love them all... if i had a laundry like that i would want to do washing all the time...the first pic is my fav..

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Thanks! I love reading your comments! Jxx