Creating an Inviting Laundry Room Entryway

This week, we’re helping a family organize and dress up their laundry room to give them a clean entrance into their home.

Ed and Sarah have their hands full with their three children, so organization in their laundry room has gone by the wayside. Their laundry room off the garage is the main entrance into their home. We’re here to help them make their space functional and appealing for their house guests.

The Projects

Clear out the clutter

First, we clear out all of the cleaning supplies. Next, we remove the wire shelves on the wall above the sink and washer and dryer. We use putty to fill the holes left behind from the shelf’s screws.

The dryer door kept hitting the door to the kitchen, so we switch the placement of the washer and dryer to keep the doors from bumping into each other. We use a special dryer vent attachment that lays flat so we could reduce the space between the wall and the washer and dryer. We were able to push back the washer and dryer more than half a foot and create more space for the walkway to the kitchen!

Adding shelves and cabinets

To create more storage, we install cabinets and shelves. The kitchen doesn’t have a pantry, so we want to make sure we added some space for extra snack storage. 

Sarah is our carpenter’s helper in building the shelves. We show her how to use a miter saw to cut the pieces for the bookshelf.

When we start to layout the shelf, Sarah has a really great idea. She uses a box of snacks that she purchases frequently for her kids as a guide for how much space to leave between the shelves. 

Once all of our pieces are cut and spaced out, we nail the shelves and use Titebond Original Wood Glue to attach the trim. 

To add some color to the cabinets and shelves, we used Woodcraft General Finishes Milk Paint in Westminister Green and applied it with an Earlex Super Finish Max HVLP Sprayer. When using a paint sprayer, evenly apply using a steady sweeping motion and always start with light coats. Spray beyond the edge of your surface so you don’t get any buildup on the outer corners.

We install a shelf above the guest bathroom door to make use of the vertical space. On the right side of the door, we add a bookshelf for pantry items. On the left, we put a beadboard drop-down space with storage hooks for the kids’ bags.

Next to the washer and dryer, we install store-bought cabinets and a butcher block countertop for folding laundry.

The wall cabinets are up at the ceiling to make the room feel taller and larger, but it’s not practical for daily use. So, we add some cubbies under the wall cabinet to give some easy-to-reach storage space. 

Fix the sink plumbing

The plumbing leading to the sink protrudes far out from the wall, taking up way too much space and forcing the dryer out into the walkway. To fix this, we cut the PVC pipe and place a 45-degree PVC fitting on the pipe closest to the wall. We run the pipe along the back of the wall and place a 90-degree PVC fitting to reroute it to the sink plumbing. This saves about 5-6 inches, and every inch of a space backs a big difference in a small laundry room.

We also:

• Installed a butcher block countertop
• Placed a sink curtain to cover plumbing
• Made wall art using the kids’ handprints

Post-Production Thoughts

Ed and Sarah’s laundry room has plenty of space but most of it was not well utilized. The location of the washer and dryer was awkward, and the vent hose and the afterthought plumbing forced them out further into the room. All of the items stored here were in full view making the whole room feel like the inside of a kitchen sink cabinet. And because everything was white, the space lacked any personality at all

Now, the room feels like it has a purpose and a lot of personality. The green cabinets and shelves create contrast and interest while they provide plenty of useful storage that’s out of sight. The butcher block countertop adds warmth and as well as much-needed countertop space. The beadboard drop zone makes the room feel more like a library than a laundry room. In fact, with the washer and dryer now tucked away further, you might even forget it is a laundry room and assume it’s just a cozy little entryway.

We did all this for about $1,200.

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