The Laundry Room Renovation
Before we toured our house, we were drawn to a set of three doors on the main level. I assumed one was a closet, one led to the stairs and one was a full bathroom since the house was listed as having two. When we were walking through, we realized that both bathrooms were upstairs and that the door on the first floor led to what was originally a tiny servants’ quarters or nursery of some sort. The previous owner has used it as a sewing room and apparently feared no color scheme too bold.
The space was too small to be an office but too big and unnecessary as a closet (there are two giant closets on the main level already). When we made the offer on the house and began thinking through what would need to change, we thought it’d make a great 3rd full bathroom since there was enough space for a tub. But then, does a 2000 square foot house with 2 full bathrooms need another full bath? We knew we wanted it to be a bathroom so that our home was more accessible to guests who wouldn’t be able to use the stairs easily—and it would be more convenient to have a bathroom off of the living space—but we didn’t necessarily need a bathtub on the main level. Making it into a laundry and bathroom combo was going to be the most functional use of the space.
In my initial designs, I was really drawn toward the idea of front loaders side by side with a counter over the top. It would make for a tighter squeeze between the toilet and the dryer though. And the window would be partially covered by the appliances and counter. I tried for way too long to get that design to work somehow. It wouldn’t. Stacking the front loaders was the way to go.
We moved forward with our electrician and plumber to get the room prepped for water and safe outlets. To save money, Austin and his dad did the demolition to the walls and ceiling that our contractors would need access to.
It was actually pretty fascinating to see behind the walls in this room. Even though our home is 118 years old, the original plaster is still perfect so it can be deceiving with how old the house really is. The original stack, chimney, wiring and pipes.
Goodbye random orange wall dresser! This is where the toilet would end up.
Once the new plumbing and electrical were done, Austin and Roger closed the walls back up with sheetrock and matched to the plaster walls as closely as possible.
After mudding, Austin added extra support to the floors from the basement where the appliances would go and then he and his dad tiled the floor.
We painted the walls, ceiling and trim and it finally felt ready to be put together.
The toilet and sink were installed first and then the appliances. Installing the Whirlpool front loaders was easier than we anticipated. All of the adjustments we needed to make were simple to do and clearly marked. We had been worried about vibrations and things not being balanced but a few minutes after we started, we were done with perfectly set appliances.
The dilemma I had with the laundry machines impeding the window was going to be true of a standard base cabinet but I really wanted a surface to fold laundry and storage to hold detergent and cleaning supplies. We found a stock cabinet at Lowe’s that was the perfect width for the space. To make it clear the window, we cut a few inches of the back off and attached a new back.
I really wanted the appliances to feel incorporated and for the storage to feel custom so we installed an enclosure around the laundry units that gave separation from the cabinet. From there we were able to install shelves about the cabinet and used a piece of stone counter top scrap we had picked up at the Habitat ReStore. The cabinet was painted and the room was done!
The view behind door number #3.
We picked up this tile from Lowe’s. We loved that it has a historical feel of penny and hex tile but the scale felt a little more modern especially in white with dark grey grout.
Since finishing the space, people have commented that stacking front loaders is just too heigh to reach. I’m 5’7” and have had no problem at all using the controls at the top of the dryer.
The cabinet clears the window and still gives plenty of storage and surface area to be helpful.
The shelves hold cleaning supplies and toilet paper.
Our house came with a washer and dryer in the basement. Once plumbing work started on our house a few weeks after we moved in, those units were out of commission which meant we didn’t have the ability to wash our clothes for two months. It felt like such a luxury (and still does) when I got to wash the first load of clothing in this laundry room.
Is that the tiniest sink you’ve ever seen? Most likely. I ordered it from the Lowe’s website. This wall was the only space we could put a sink but this corner isn’t very big. I was excited to find something modern to go here.
SOURCES
Wall Paint - Polite White by Sherwin-Williams in satin
Cabinet Paint - Likeable Sand by Sherwin-Williams in satin
Trim Paint - Pure White by Sherwin-Williams in satin
Washer - Whirlpool 4.5 cu ft Front Load Washer with Load & Go in Chrome Shadow
Dryer - Whirlpool 7.4 cu ft Front Load Gas Dryer with Advanced Moisture Sensing, Steam Refresh in Chrome Shadow
Sink: Elanti White Wall-Mount Square Bathroom Sink from Lowe’s
Faucet: Danze Rouge Chrome 1-Handle Single Hole WaterSense Bathroom Faucet from Lowe’s
Tile: White Honeycomb Mosaic Floor Tile from Lowe’s
Cabinet: 24″ White Shaker Door and Drawer Base Cabinet from Lowe’s
Table: Target
Light Fixture: Sculptural Glass Geo Flushmount (Large) from West Elm
Mirror: Decorative Circular Wall Mirror from Target
Vases: West Elm
Canisters: World Market
Tray: Target
Building Materials: Lowe’s
We worked in partnership with Whirlpool and Sherwin-Williams on our laundry room project. We’ve been so happy with how clean our clothes come out and how durable/beautiful the paint is. All designs, ideas and thoughts are my own.