9.08.2018

laundry room reveal

The project I thought would never end! Only because my tile backsplash sat incomplete for months because I kept waiting to order more tiles knowing...just knowing they'd go on sale. Well, they eventually did- and I missed it. So I just kept putting it off and then they went on mini-sale so I put on my big-girl pants and clicked "buy" so I could check this room off my list! 

When I started my mudroom makeover, I wasn't entirely sure I'd update the laundry room as well- but we all know how house projects go...one thing spills over into another. And whereas these two rooms are basically connected it just made sense to do both! 

I didn't take many "before" shots, because again I didn't realize how much I'd be changing (have I learned nothing about myself yet?!)...but I'll tell as I go!
 One of the most annoying parts of the whole project (and that's including stripping down that door and adding a piece of glass) was changing the swing of the door from an innie to an outie. I bought a wood chisel and watched a few Youtube videos and went at it. It definitely didn't turn out perfect (turns out chiseling hinges is actually quite precise)- but as always, thank goodness for spackle to cover up all my mistakes! But in changing the swing we opened up a lot more space in the laundry room itself!
The whole project started with needing more functionality in the mudroom- give me organized space or give me death, I say. You can read more about that on that post

 Time to get into the details of the laundry room! Gah- I really wish you could see the before! Basically, there was a big open space where the built-in floating wood shelves are now, no backsplash, silver knobs, and a weird metal countertop on the sink (and of course that awful peach tile on the floor you can see from the mudroom before pictures).
 I debated between going with light or dark tile in this room, but I'm 100% happy I went darker! I love the contrast it adds to the white walls and cabinets, but is warmed back up with the wood tones in the stain. I think it also helps tie in the darker bits in our granite tops you can see a peek of in our half bath (which is also in the kitchen). We got it from Floor and Decor and also got enough to replace the tile in our master bath (I'll eventually be rid of you peach tile!)

The wall color in the laundry and half bath (and Olivia's room) is Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. It has my heart. Can paint colors do that? Because I think my love language is somewhere between blue/green paint colors and shiplap.
 Our same friend who built our mudroom cabinet also built me the floating shelves to install between the two sets of white cabinets. I'm obsessed with the stain color I used- "weathered" by Old Barn Milk Paint. 
The countertop is stained the same color. I put it together with a few pieces of wood and cut out a hole for the sink with the help of my uncle! I did want to also replace the sink, but when push comes to shove I didn't want to financially commit to that kind of cost in here. ;-) But just being rid of the previous metal countertop makes me happy enough!

 The backsplash I used is actually peel and stick glass tiles from Wayfair. It doesn't end up being too much more cost effective, but definitely less messy since you don't have to mess with thin set and grout. I was able to use a manual tile cutter to cut the length up until I realized I'd need to trim the pieces width wise once I got to the top row of tiles and had to borrow a wet saw. Probably also why I put it off finishing so long...

 I love walking back in from the garage door seeing this! Some people have asked me if I'd be worried about having a glass laundry door and people seeing the mess inside...but honestly it doesn't really get messy. Don't roll your eyes- keep reading. I'm NEVER caught up on laundry, but I take it out the drier and dump it on my bedroom floor. So the laundry room ends up staying clean- it's MY room that always has the endless mounds of unfolded clothes! Needless to say, that room will never have a glass door. ;-) 

Onto the next!