The Laundry Room

Finally. My last day of vacation was a rainy one. Perfect for staying inside and finally take some photos of the projects I’ve been working on.

 

 

Remember this? This is the laundry room and it’s changed a bit since this photo was taken.

 

 

Tadaa! Apart from the plumber minimizing some of the pipes etc and switching out some taps it’s a DIY job and one on a budget. Nothing fancy, just a nice clean place where I can drop a laundered sock and not worry about the feeling of having to re-wash it.

 

I chose a stacked set of washer and dryer because of the existing plinth and butted an IKEA kitchen counter top against them using the Antonius system for support. I was so lucky I didn’t have to cut the counter top, it was the perfect size already. I did have to cut a hole for the sink though and a notch to allow for the kitchen drainage pipe and boy that thing is HEAVY to maneuver on your own.

 

When I got the chevron fabric for the shower curtain I also got the same in green. I hadn’t planned to use it in here but I ended up sewing a curtain for under the counter top out of it. I’m using elastic curtain wire to hold it up and if you think it looks a bit weird at the bottom it’s because there’s a huge slope in the floor towards the drain. I tried a version with a straight bottom edge but that looked too short.

 

There’s not much behind the curtain as I don’t really need the storage space but I do keep a couple of buckets for cleaning there.

 

Oh, and here’s the view towards the laundry hampers with my lint can. Those pipes above it what the plumber minimized. There where unused pieces from the old boiler jutting out all over the place and it looked a bit like a mad scientist’s laboratory. Now only the necessary ones are still there.

 

And here’s the stuff I use daily. Glass containers for different laundry detergents, a tin one for oxy bleach and a jug for water for the iron + hand soap. That tap that you can just make out is the one from the old bathroom upstairs. Like I said, on a budget. EDIT: You seem to love the poster :) I won it and It's from here http://www.isa.nu/shop/eng/laundry-p-51.html.

That’s about it. There’s one corner I haven’t shown you yet, I’ll save that for later. Nothing super exciting but I need to edit some more photos first.

Things I like about this laundry room; It’s clean and practical, I have a dryer for the first time in my life and a sink.
Thing I’m not so happy about; No natural light so it’s a pitch black space unless I turn on the lights.

Comments

[Jill]

I think it looks great! I wish my laundry room was this big. Mine is on the small side. I really appreciate how you integrate beauty and function.

[karen the californian]

Love it! It looks so bright and cheerful. What a huge improvement from what it was before -- you're right, I'd want to rewash anything that fell on that old floor in that old laundry room. Ick.

So a few questions -- it looks like there's a showerhead above the faucet? Do you use it or is it just part of the faucet that you can't get rid of?

What does the print say above the laundry detergents? It's so cute. I think I remember seeing it in your old house, right?

And congratulations on the new dryer! How exciting! Your towels will be super soft, and so will your jeans. One secret: I never use dryer sheets or laundry softener. I heard it's not very good for the dryer as it can leave a buildup. It also leaves a buildup on towels, preventing them from being as absorbent as they truly could be with their naked native fibers. My family's clothes are mostly natural fibers, so I don't have any issues with socks sticking to the t-shirts sticking to the skirt sticking to my bra. Just wash and toss into the dryer. And everything is still soft.

[Sarah]

Oh yes, please tell us more about the hanging clothes print! We're in the middle of doing our laundry and I'm thinking about what kind of artwork to put in there!

[Robyn]

It's all good, clean and fresh! I notice you seem to be going with more colour in this house but still keeping most things white. I wouldn't worry too much that it's pitch black, it's not exactly the kind of room you want to spend too much time in ;-)

[elisa rathje]

you have art in your laundry room! now you've got me thinking!

the transformatiion must be such a pleasure. x

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

It is a shower head. I acutally bought a new one and attached it to the old tap thing. I'm thinking it will be good to be able to hose off really dirty stuff like wellies etc.

The print says translated "Mrs Larsson launders here". It's by Isa Form and I won it :). http://www.isa.nu/shop/eng/laundry-p-51.html

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The print says translated "Mrs Larsson launders here". It's by Isa Form http://www.isa.nu/shop/eng/laundry-p-51.html

[Petra from NL]

The fabric is so cheerful! Adds a nice splash of colour in the laundry room. I am always envious of laundry rooms. Our washer/dryer are in a closet in the bathroom just big enough to fit the appliances themselves. Iron and ironing board in a closet in the bedroom. I really enjoy looking at your pictures. The worktop is super practical! Great job Benita.

[G.Sims]

Benita you've put in a great trick there I will be telling my friend about for her first home, the plumber minimized the unused number of pipes. Your laundry is my envy.

[Kim H.]

It looks so nice and fresh now! I like it. It seems a lot brighter in there, did you change the light fixture?
We haven't done our laundry room yet but maybe this year.....thanks for the inspiration.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I didn't, I just changed the bulb to one with higher Watt. Made a world of difference!

[Zosia]

Oh, I miss my Canadian dryer. You can get them now in Poland, but most of the living spaces do not have room for them and where we currently live we would not be able to fit it.
Great transformation. Just goes to show what a bit of white paint can do :-).

[Kirsi]

I love the poster of the washing line? Who is it by/where from? Lovely clean and fresh laundry room! Perfect.

[MacLeod House]

I love your laundry area. Especially the idea of decanting your laundry detergents etc into glass containers. I also *LOVE* that picture in the frame in there. So often we forget that we CAN decorate a room that we spend time in (with two boys - yes, I spend *quality* time in the laundry area) - where did you get it?

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

It's from here: http://www.isa.nu/shop/eng/laundry-p-51.html

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

From here : http://www.isa.nu/shop/eng/laundry-p-51.html

Haha, I've answered that question four times already this morning so I think I have to edit my post and add the link :)

[Nina's Apartment]

Lovely! I wish I had a big laundry toom like that! You must be doing the washing all singing and dancing now :-)

[alekat]

oh i really like laundry rooms. i even decorated mine and my friends thought i was going overboard with the decorating. even though they're the room you spend so little time in, i think they can look fun and refreshing. your one is so funky and clean. I love it!

[jja]

It looks great Benita :-)

http://chezlarsson.com/.a/6a00e55224287c8833014e8a72bfba970d-pi

blackpipe is white later, it ist new our just repainted? The shower head is super practical for really dirty sneakers...

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The before shot is actually somewhat of an after shot because they had already changed the pipe to that grey plastic one. It used to be an iron one. I spray painted the plastic one white. Wasn't sure how the paint would adhere to the plastic but it went well :).

[Dru]

We had a pitch black laundry room..my husband changed the light switch to a motion detector..that way when you walked in carrying laundry or left with hands full there was no stopping, dropping..just enter and lights on exit and lights off all on their own..took a bit of hassle out of a never ending task!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

The thought crossed my mind so I'm going to ask my electrician about it. Happy to hear that it's working for you!

[Jennifer S.]

Beautiful. Makes me wonder what you would do with my dark and dingy laundry space.

[Pine Tree Home]

Really stunning. Clean and functional. Reminds me of my grandma's basement cause her floor was so clean you could eat off it.

[devil]

Benita...Where did you get that great print?!?! OMG!!!!

I kid, of course. ;)

Such a clean, inviting space. That chevron fabric sure catches the eye, doesn't it?

If there has to be one room in the house w/out windows, I'd choose the laundry room. It needs to be lighted, but not necessarily naturally.

[Michelle]

Benita you need to have your own show on HGTV...seriously! I have NEVER seen anyone accomplish more than you do - hats off - your laundry room is amazing!

[celia]

Usually I'm envious of the way your Swedish lifestyle seems much more environmentally sustainable than most people in the US. But I imagine that living without a dryer in such a snowy climate must have been tough.

I thought of you this weekend. I had a wonderful time in a friends beautiful yard but couldn't help thinking to myself that the gravel was too big and hard to walk on--probably wouldn't have noticed if not for your post last week. :)

[Danielle]

I never thought I would say this about a laundry room, but how gorgeous! Everything looks amazing - it's hard to believe the 'before' shots are from the same room!

[Rochelle]

You may have already addressed this but... what type of paint do you use to paint your pipes?
Thanks,
Rochelle

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I just used the same wall paint as for the walls.

[jenny]

Wow, I've never seen a basement laundry room look so inviting and cheerful. GREAT job, love it.

[foo]

It looks fantastic in there, Benita. I would love to do laundry in that space. I have one question though, and I don't know if anyone above already asked, because I am too lazy (should really be working)to read them all. Did you do a how-to for painting the concrete floor? I didn't see a link to one on your main page and was wondering if you would/could do one? I had to pull up wet carpet in my hall after a water heater leak and I want to paint my floor but right now am chicken. Just wondering what kind of paint you used. Did you prime it? And with what. Thanks!

[Messy]

I love to see the print again. :-) And of course, the whole room is amazing... Well done!

[Messy]

Hi! :-) I thought I'd answer your question...

There is a post here: http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2011/05/painting-the-concrete-floors.html

My experience is, by the way, that you need to do a couple of layers, and there is special concrete paint. I was always lazy and used ordinary paint. WHen you do that in a room that's used a lot, you get spots where the paint comes off.

[Sandra]

Du är helt fantastisk!! Wow! Det ser superfint ut!
Jättebra jobbat!!

[Ali]

Amazing makeover! I love your laundry room! It turned out feeling so clean and organized and stylish! Way to go! You must enjoy doing laundry there! I'm so impressed (there I go again using that word about you) that you were able to figure out how to get rid of useless pipes and install that wonderful countertop for folding laundry! The paint did wonders for the space and I love that chevron curtain you made! The art is terrific!

~ Ali

[Teresa]

I agree wholeheartedly with Michelle!
Lovely lovely job, Benita

[Kathia]

So beautiful!!! You're an artist. Congrats!!!
Kisses from Brazil
Kathia

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Thanks :)

[shana]

What a happy-looking Iron to go with your beautiful new laundry room :).
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing staycation transformations with us!

[margaret]

I would love to know about what you did to transform the floor. It looks great, clean and easy to maintain, as opposed to before. Thanks!

[the spectator]

A wonderful transformation on a budget.

You have given me some inspiration on how to decant my detergents/oxy bleach.

[Camille @ The Vintique Object]

Wow! It looks so fresh and happy in there. A very nice place to do laundry. Thank you for introducing me to the Antonius system!
Camille

[vita_margarita]

I do love all your hard work. It inspire me to do stuff in my own home.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Tere's some info in this post http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2011/05/painting-the-concrete-floors.html and I'm sure they can help you out with all the details in your local paint store.

[Noga from Israel]

Perfect planning, Benita! It looks so convenient...
I love your combination of white and green. I have a new studio, it is rented, and all painted in a shade of cream, including the window frame. Which colours, to your opinion, can go well with cream? Thank you...

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I think pinks and blues go well with cream. Not necessarily together though :)

[Noga from Israel]

I think shades of blue to cool the cream would be very nice. Thank you!

[foo]

Thanks, Messy! I will go look at the right now!

[Pat from Western NY]

Love your Laundry room! What did you use to cover your pipes? My laundry room also has my furnace, duct work and all my water/sewer lines exposed. Would love to camouflage them! Did you paint it? What about copper pipes?

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I painted it all in the wall paint. The white on the copper pipes turns a little greenish but only very slight.

[christine e-e]

how clean, refreshing & tidy! why you could probably drop a whole load of wash on the floor & it wouldn't get dirty! I love that you recycle / repurpose (faucet) ---- love that about you! thanks for sharing, Benita.

[banner printing]

Oh my goodness the before and after is really fantastic. I didn't expect that it turned out to a beautiful and very clean laundry room. This is a great achievement. I think I'm also going to work on my laundry room.

[Edit]

really nice!
Love the Idea having the laundry baskets on a wheel pallet

[Barbara]

What a wonderful transformation! I am wondering about "elastic curtain wire". I have not heard of that before. Do you know if it is available in the US? How do you attach it to the countertop? Do you need special attachment pieces? Your blog is quite an inspiration to me to clean up, organize and lighten up!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

This http://www.jysk.se/140/516/5201997/a/catalog is what it looks like. All you do is screw the hooks into the ends of the wire after you've cut it to size and then you screw the eye hooks in and stretch the wire in between. Not sure if it's available in the US. I know Anna @ D16 had problems fining some...

[Sandye]

I use dryer balls to prevent static cling and to make clothes/towels soft. They work great as long as we keep them away from the dog!

[Notablogger]

Your spaces are always beautiful, but the more I follow, the more I appreciate how practical you are. A dedicated water container in the laundry room - of course! I'd be the one running up and down the stairs every time to grab a cup from the kitchen. Making your container a pretty one is a great bonus.

[Meri]

Renoverar precis tvättstugan (dina gamla byggare verkar det som!) och undrar varifrån stödbenet till bänkskivan kommer? Har köpt ett tjockt som jag gärna skulle vilja byta ut mot ngt tunnare.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

Det är Antonius från IKEA. Inte bara ben utan en skena på väggen som håller fast benet. Kan dock tyvärr inte hitta den på deras hemsida.

[Jen]

What kind of paint I'd you use for the cement floor? We get a bit of water during flood season.....

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I usd a water based paint made for concrete/cement floors. Not sure it would stand up to flooding though...