Here are 10 before and after laundry room remodels to inspire you.
After: Fresh Forest Green
Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess chose to saturate the walls in forest green paint that adds a fresh feel and provides contrast to make white appliances, ceiling, and window paint and added shelving pop. Elsie says that the kitchen and laundry room had an open door that felt a bit too exposed, so she chose to add a veil of privacy in the form of a beaded curtain. Instead of a door, which would have had to swing into the kitchen to open, it adds interest and preserves an easy flow from room to room. “It felt a little unconventional to me,” she says,“but the function worked so well that I went for it anyway.”
After: Streamlined and Sleek
Orlando says he learned some important lessons from the laundry room makeover. “In a small space that lacks personality, go bold with wall color,” he says, in order to give a dark space vibrancy and personality. Here Soria chose Annapolis Green by Benjamin Moore. The interior designer also notes that adding counter space to create an area to fold laundry is “crucial to the room’s functionality.” Since this particular laundry room doubles as a food pantry off the kitchen, he chose locally sourced walnut for open shelving lined with attractive storage containers to hide clutter.
After: Pretty in Pink
xFor this striking laundry room makeover, Thalita Murray moved and painted the original cabinetry; added shelving in between the cabinets to create a custom built-in look; created a countertop on top of the machines; and added a place to store laundry baskets. She painted cabinets in Lichen by Fusion Mineral Paint and walls in Peach Rose by Behr. She also installed a farmhouse sink and added cheerful wallpaper with a lemon motif (Lovely Lemons by Walls Need Love). Decorative touches include a faux fiddle leaf fig from Afloral, a letterboard, a large clock, and a braided jute rug to keep bare feet warm while socks are in the wash.
After: Pretty and Functional Laundry Room
Floors became the focal point for this dramatic makeover from Jenna Sue Design with a whimsical custom penny tile design that she created and refined in Photoshop for weeks until she got it right. She lightened up the dark wood ceiling with HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams Softened Green to maintain a light and airy earthy feel, introduced butcher block counter top shelving and botanical wallpaper for a touch of the organic, added dark modern appliances and a mix of open and closed storage.
After: Modern Utilitarian
“I really wanted to test out some dark paint and knew the utility room could take it,” says Claire. “With light coming from both ends of the room, white tiles, and white cupboards already installed, there wasn’t that much wall space to paint so I thought I would just go ahead and give it a go.” She chose Down Pipe by Farrow and Ball, which she says changes with the light, appearing black one hour and green the next (and gray in the photo above). The dark color plays beautifully against the crisp white tiles, sink, and appliances. To ensure the mostly monochromatic room didn’t feel too cold, she added decorative objects, pictures and oak accents like wooden slat blinds on the window. “The utility room now somehow looks brighter and bigger with the changes,” she says. “It has become a stylish destination rather than a scruffy afterthought and I am so glad I took the risk to go bold and brave!”
After: Light and Fresh
“I love how wallpaper pulls together a room like nothing else can!” says Ashley. For the dramatic laundry room transformation, she chose a fun pattern that blends traditional and modern aesthetics (Euphemia 5 Wallpaper from Milton & King). “The wallpaper absolutely makes the space,” she says. “I love the circles of botanical art that are inspired by an Australian artist from the early 1900’s!” Subway tile is a timeless classic that works well in her period house, and she chose gold Schluter for a modern twist, tiling the three walls surrounding the washing machine. “The space feels so clean now with the walls of tile!” she says. “Which seems perfect for a laundry room!” Finally, adding millwork—baseboards, crown molding, shiplap, casing and wainscot cap—gave the room depth and character. “This used to be a porch,” Ashley says," But with the beautiful trim, it definitely doesn’t feel like one anymore!"
After: Crisp White and Navy Blue
For this laundry room makeover from Bre Bertolini of Brepurposed, she painted cabinetry navy blue (Anchors Aweigh by Sherwin Williams) and added an IKON sink from Blanco. “I wanted a pull down since the sink is so big,” she says. “It makes it easier to wash it out and it will be nice for getting out stains.” Open wood shelving above the washer and dryer and black brackets spray painted in gold for an inexpensive, high end look and an old door slab repurposed as a countertop creates a butcher block effect. Succulents, a letterboard, and a vintage rug add a decorative touch.
After: A Dedicated Space That’s Stylish and Functional
Anita decluttered the space, added epoxy flooring, wallpaper, a countertop, a utility sink, and open shelving. She chose a metallic rose gold finish for her washer and dryer, a fiddle leaf fig, wallpaper from Rebecca Atwood, open shelving, and baskets to store laundry essentials such as liquid detergent, dryer balls, and cleaning supplies. “Since transforming my garage into a laundry oasis,” Anita says, “I seriously have been meditating in here while I do a load of laundry.”
After: Rustic Farmhouse Touch
“This space was inspired by my vision of what laundry must be like in heaven,” says Jenna Sue of Jenna Sue Design. To turn the dark basement into a dreamy laundry room space, she added a recessed washer and dryer that allowed for the addition of a full wall of cabinets, plus a DIY barn door, floating reclaimed wood shelf, custom butcher block, a farmhouse sink and subway tile. “Removing the ceiling drywall and leaving the joists exposed was a design risk that I wasn’t 100% confident about in the beginning,” says Jenna Sue, “but it’s absolutely one of my favorite things we did. It not only makes the room look and feel so much taller—it brings such personality and interest to the space. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
