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Note to self: I might be in need of a new exterior shot of our house…this is slightly dated and taken when the Lace Cascade climber (rose) was not in bloom. Still, you get the idea of what the front of our house looks like.
We have lived in our home for 33 years. Hard to believe that I’ve lived in this house longer than in any home I’ve ever lived in, even though I was in the same home from preschool through high school. Hmmm, don’t do the math on this, okay?
Anyway, anyone one who has owned or rented a house understands that things age and break, or they break for no reason! Just about the time you think everything has been upgraded and looks great, something will gasp for its last breath, and die. A couple months ago it was our washing machine.
The good news is that the old machine lasted 12 years without a single repair call. So we decided rather than calling for a repair man we’d simply shop for a more energy efficient model and start fresh. The state of California is offering a rebate for energy- efficient appliances, so this helped with the sticker shock. {If you’re interested we bought an LG top loader and after 2 months of use, I love it}
The point of this post…I want to share some dream laundry rooms with you. Our 1968-built tract house happens to relegate the washer and dryer to the garage. I’m sure to some of you that’s like saying we have outdoor plumbing! {I guess technically the garage could be considered “outdoor”} It’s always been okay for me since it keeps the hot air from the dryer in the garage during the warmer months, and our house is a single story so it’s not much work to haul the laundry out to the garage to wash and dry our clothing and linens. I’m always looking for the silver lining in any less-than-ideal situation. 🙂
I want to start with a laundry room makeover that made me wish Mr. B. and I were more handy than either of us are!
Jenna Sue Laundry Room Reveal — if you love before and after stories, you’re in for a treat.
Isn’t this dazzling? If you read the list of what she and her Mister did to accomplish this, you’ll be even more impressed. Love the barn door!
If I had an actual indoor laundry room I’d be tempted to get a front loading machine and put a smooth surface across the top. This example (below) is great and with an utility sink centered between the washer and dryer, you’d have everything you need.
The beauty of this laundry room is it does double-duty as a mud room. I like the fresh flowers to soften the tedium that laundry day can sometimes be.
I’m guessing a large family lives here…why else would you want two washers and two dryers? Still, such a pretty room with the wall sconces and fresh plants. I could love laundry-day in this space.
From my first visit to my friend’s house on Bainbridge Island (Linda), I have loved the idea of a stacked washer and dryer. Such a space saver and in this instance, the black and white contrast is very pretty.
If your indoor laundry room was somewhat out in the open, this would be a cool idea. Cupboard doors designed to accommodate/hide the washer and dryer.
This would be essential if I had the option of a utility sink in a laundry room. The sink has jets so that you can do delicates in a controlled washing arrangement. How great is that?!
The last thing I wanted to share with you on laundry day is this clever way to dispense your liquid laundry soap. If you buy your liquid laundry detergent from the big box stores, you know it’s a little like weight lifting to put detergent in your washer. This would make things not only look pretty, but you can save weight lifting for the gym!
Do you enjoy doing laundry? What about ironing? It would take more than a pretty room to get me to the place where I could state without perjury that “I love to iron”
Anita Rivera said:
Oh Karen, these are super ideas! I really love that barn door…wow, and that was a DIY project! I also love the utility sinks and I’d really love to have a farmhouse sink in my kitchen! I look forward to seeing what you come up with for your laundry! And your house is so beautiful, very California; I remember those days. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and lived in the Whittier area for our first five years of marriage, then moved to Boston for school and now have lived in Minneapolis for 18 years. Our beautiful brick home is perfect for us EXCEPT that I do the laundry in the basement. UGH! It is not conducive to any of these designs you share, so my laundry duties are rather boring!
HAVE FUN! See you on IG! Anita
Karen B. said:
Hi Anita, You know, I’m okay with doing the work in the garage, but its still fun to imagine what it would be like to have a light filled laundry space with fresh flowers on the counter, right? 🙂 I guess laundry in the basement is the East’s equivalent to laundry in the garage. Thank you for sharing your early years in California. I lived in the Whittier school district growing up. Orange County has been my home for the bulk of our married life. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 3:05 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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msshe said:
Love the laundry room with the barn door! Sheila
Sheila E http://www.mykentuckyliving.blogspot.com
apologies for strange words from auto complete …Sent from my iPad
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Karen B. said:
Sheila, Thanks for stopping by. I love that laundry makeover. I’m always impressed by the talented folks out there that can achieve beauty doing it themselves. 🙂 I hope your summer is going well. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 6:19 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Karena said:
Karen I cannot say I will ever love to iron; however these laundry rooms are so light bright and enticing that I WOULD enjoy doing laundry in them!! Beautiful!!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Gratitude
Karen B. said:
Karena, I agree, it could certainly make laundry day fun to enjoy an outdoor view and fresh flowers on the counter. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 6:58 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Karena said:
Gorgeous, light and bright laundry rooms!! (Not that I will ever love ironing, ha!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Gratitude
Amy said:
Hi Mrs. B,
I LOVE the sink with jets!!! With little kids, I am constantly dealing with stains and bins full of (pre-wash) soaking clothes. Not to mention the delicate sweaters, dress-up costumes, etc. that I’m never sure about whether to hand wash or throw in the machine. A sink with jets would be great! For now, I am going to keep searching for my laundry room floor. I know it’s in there somewhere!
I adore your posts – but I adore you even more!
Amy V.
Karen B. said:
Hi Amy,
Thank you for stopping by, I miss you! Yes, the sink with jets would be so handy to have…it might cost a fortune but with us being on water conservation it could save water, right?
You’ll find the right floor for your laundry room and it will be well worth waiting for what you really want. I learned that from your mom!
xo,
Karen
Victoria • Restoring our Victorian said:
Ours is in the basement… which is a fine use of space, but will never approximate the feeling of doing wash in a beautiful sunroom.
I’m pinning that jug of laundry soap, (even though I know if I bought it, I’d fill it once and then abandon it forever.)
Hope your summer is fun! Heading to the beach next week for a much-anticipated vacation!
Karen B. said:
I loved the dispenser idea, but in our garage it would probably get knocked over and shatter into a zillion pieces and I’d be out the detergent and in charge of clean up! 😊 xo, Karen
Summer is good and fairly cool so far, fingers crossed it stays that way.
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 10:36 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Linda Coble said:
Karen,
Thanks for the mention of the stackable appliances in my laundry room. I’ve always loved them and since space is at a premium in my laundry room, they’re perfect. I loved the rooms you highlighted – what great cabinetry, lighting, and detailing. I’m motivated to go home and clean my laundry room like crazy, get some new plants for the windowsill, and spiff things up. Thanks for the motivation!
Karen B. said:
Linda, Your laundry room is such a nice space, I can only think it doesn’t need a thing, but I know it will look magazine worthy if you add anything. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 11:38 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Vicki said:
Hi Karen, Love all these sunny spaces- they definitely would make laundry more pleasant. The room with the marble counters and utility sink between is pretty spiffy.
I have front loaders and enjoy the folding surface on top, but maybe I’d put the clothes away faster if I didn’t have that? 🙂 Don’t even bring up the subject of ironing….
Karen B. said:
Vicki, I knew we had a lot in common…I’d rather clean bathrooms than do ironing! This time of year I can’t escape it if I want to have clothes to wear! 🙂 xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 9:45 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Michelle said:
I would take any of these gorgeous rooms in a heartbeat. Our laundry room is little more than a glorified closet, but after having it in the garage and basement in previous homes, it’s good enough! My biggest complaint is the front-loader I insisted on, thinking only of the folding space on top. The smell is terrible, and we’ve tried everything to get rid of it. As soon as the budget allows, it’s outta here! Love your blog!
Karen B. said:
Michelle,
I’ve heard that the front loaders are sensitive to moisture in the seal around the door. I didn’t know they could develop an order. Dang.
I’m happy with our new top loader except for one thing…the top is slightly slanted forward (probably a design decision) and as a result you can’t easily fold laundry on top of the machine.
Thanks for stopping by.
Karen
Chronica Domus said:
I now have laundry room envy – the photographs to this post have convinced me it is time to do something about my basement laundry area, which is quite dismal to say the least.
I rarely use the dryer nowadays since investing in some sturdy wooden racks to hang my wet laundry upon and dry it outdoors. If the towels dry too stiffly, i just pop them in the dryer for a touch up and they are back to fluffy normalcy again.
As for ironing, I love it! However, the pleasure for me comes in the fact that most of the ironing I do is “happy ironing” – a shirt for my husband, which means we are on our way out the door for a fabulous evening of dinner somewhere – or tablecloths and napkins, which means we’ve just shared a fabulous dinner at home with friends. When I feel particularly happy, I iron my bed sheets because is there anything nicer than getting in a clean bed with freshly ironed sheets? One of life’s little luxuries to be sure. Most other clothing nowadays does not require ironing, thank goodness, otherwise I’m convinced my love of ironing would cease.
Karen B. said:
CD, Leave it to you to make ironing something of a pleasure! I will try to adjust my attitude towards this activity and remember the good times while ironing napkins or several summer linen blouses. 🙂 I have yet to iron my sheets, but mom always did. In fact, I think once old enough, she had that on my list of chores. xo, Karen
On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 1:47 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Taylor Greenwalt said:
Hi Karen, I have a small laundry room the size of a closet…in southern Calif your lucky if you have a room bigger than a closet for laundry! I had to pin some of these great inspirations…
Karen B. said:
Julie, You’re right, especially with these older SoCal houses. I’ll just have to hope the next house, whenever that might be, will have an indoor laundry room. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 6:59 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Gretchen said:
Karen, after viewing these beautifully designed laundry rooms I realized I had been missing an opportunity to make doing laundry more appealing. My space is little more than a hallway on the way to the garage – so much greater the challenge! Utilizing some of the ideas from your post I’ll see what I can come up with to improve it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Karen B. said:
Gretchen, Your laundry room is very efficient and I love that its indoors. California homes, especially those built a few decades ago, seem to design around the idea we wouldn’t be indoors doing laundry anyway! We’d be outdoors enjoying our weather. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 10:15 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Design Chic said:
What gorgeous laundry rooms – love the white and blue one with the stripe runner…gorgeous!!
Karen B. said:
I think I could enjoy doing laundry in a couple of these rooms. 😀 xo, Karen
Sent from my iPad
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kristywharvey said:
Hi, my friend! So, I’m not a huge fan of laundry. But I’m a huge fan of laundry ROOMS–especially these gorgeous ones!! I love your house too. Every time I see it I want to come visit! xoxoxo
Karen B. said:
Kristy, You would be so welcome. 😀 I’m hoping your second book will be so huge, you’ll need to have a few book signings in California and I’d get to meet you in person. I agree, laundry in general and ironing in particular is not my favorite pastime, but some of these sunny rooms, complete with fresh bouquets could provide some encouragement. xo, Karen
Sent from my iPad
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D'Arcy H said:
All of these laundry rooms are nicer than any room in my house! I have a nice space for my front-loaders in my little mudroom … but the top of the washer and dryer have been taken over by our cat, Fred, who sleeps in the laundry basket while I juggle clothes in my arms and hope they don’t drop into Duke’s water bowl!
Glad your summer’s coolish … we have your heat (please take it back!!) 🙂 –D’Arcy
Karen B. said:
D’Arcy, That sounds like our house with the adventures of our furry family members. The big dog (Winnie) has never understood that she’s not the lap dog we thought we were getting when we rescued her as a puppy. We have to step over her because she doesn’t think she takes up as much space as her 90 lb frame manages! I do love some of these beauties, but I’m not sure they would make me like to iron. *Sorry about the heat, we now have a true Houston humidity hanging around. * xo, Karen
On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 9:34 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Dawn said:
Karen, I just love peeking into all of these dreamy laundry rooms! Maybe your laundry area could be combined with a potting bench, too. That might be fun! Our laundry area is in the basement. It’s not fancy, but I hung my collection of vintage washboards around our new LG top load washer and dryer. It makes me smile whenever I see the contrast of old and new! I always listen for the little LG tune when the dryer stops, so I don’t have to iron very much at all! Hope you can hear the tune from the garage! Since I bought all new appliances when I moved here 28 years ago, I have started replacing them all over the past two years. I only wish the new appliances could last that long!! I will think of you each time I do laundry, Karen! Hugs! ♡
Karen B. said:
Hi Dawn, LOL, well fortunately I have a potting bench outdoors, but the garage is light thanks to some windows at the top of the door, so with artificial lighting and natural light, it’s not so bad. Yes, I can hear the little tune from inside the house…one of my favorite features. Mostly, I’m thrilled that the water usage is so much lower. I agree, it seems that once one appliance goes, there’s a domino effect and no, they don’t make them like they used to! 🙂 Enjoy your upcoming weekend, my friend. Karen
On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 3:46 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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