Have you ever said to yourself, “What was I thinking? When we added on to our home more than 12 years ago, we moved the laundry — which was right off the kitchen — to the back new part of the home. I was trying to save both money and a tree, so I decreased the size of the room to half of what was specified.

Distressed beams by Segreto Finishes

After finishing so many laundry’s I wanted to give mine the character and charm that this one has.  With a built-in coffee bar and custom tiles from ADR, builder Patty Barnett and client did such a wonderful job with the design!  We took new beams and applied a finish to make them feel reclaimed!

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With only a 6×10′ space, I was never going to have a dream laundry room like these! Before this recent renovation, my washer and dryer were side-by-side and there was about one foot of folding/counter space and very little storage! I felt as though baskets of clothing were everywhere!!

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I found this laundry room on Pinterest to illustrate the size of mine — because I failed to take “before” photos. Originally, I was going to move my washer and dryer to the back wall like the configuration above, but that left me with even less workable space. So, we took out all of the existing cabinetry and rebuilt in the most efficient way possible!

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Starting from scratch allowed me to include as many ideas as i could fit! See my Pinterest board for all my many laundry room (and mudroom) inspirations!  I definitely wanted to incorporate baskets into the cabinetry rather than having them sitting on the floor. Tip: buy your baskets first before the carpentry begins so your sizing works!!

An ironing board in the wall — awesome!!! Previously, we were ironing in the hallway and blocking access the exercise room and my home office! After searching the web for all sorts of space-saving ironing boards, I settled on this one from Iron-A-Way. Although I bought the brand, I found it cheaper on other websites. I purchased it fully loaded, including the iron (which fits in the shelf), the outlet, and the built-in light. In using the ironing board, I found the light to be so bright and hot that we disconnected it. Do your due diligence: How much space does the ironing board it take up when fully extended? Are you ironing right- or left-handed?  Our ironing board did not fit where I intended it, but I found another spot that worked!!

I saw this idea at a client’s home: cleaning storage in the space on one side of the refrigerator!  I thought this would be awesome next to my washer and dryer, giving me floor-to-ceiling storage on both sides!  Unfortunately, my laundry room was too small; maybe you can use this idea in your next redo!!!

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With little surface space, I thought having an extra shelf in between the washer and dryer was ideal!!  But I found this feature is not available for all washer and dryer models. My existing appliances — too good to replace — have an accessory that allows them to stack but not a shelf accessory to go in between.  We contemplated building boxes around the washer and dryer with a wooden shelf in between; however, city code does not recommend this!

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We used to hang drying clothing on our window casement and laundry room door: so beautiful! Ha. Ha. I was not going to forget this small detail this time!!

I really liked the concept of using a commercial hamper that we could roll in and out for dirty clothes. This one that I found this on Re-Modelista by Whitmor was heavy duty (suitable for commercial use). When I looked at the hamper’s dimensions in my limited space, I had to forgo this option. However, I built a hamper into the cabinetry (photo coming up)! And so, the construction begins!!!!

Well, you can see I was checking the progress after work — look at the wine glass!!

All built and ready to paint!  I used Taj Mahal quartzite for the counters and a concrete tile back-splash from Materials Marketing. I originally bought these tiles for my kitchen, but decided to use them in my bar and laundry instead.  I have a lot left over — any takers?! With the washer and dryer stacked, I gained so much more area to fold!

 The ironing board was built into the back wall!

Pull out laundry bin for darks and lights!

Now I have a pull-out hamper — much like a hidden trash can in a kitchen. It is divided into two sections: one for light clothing and one for dark clothing!

Built-in drying rack!

I also designed this cool drying rack into one of the drawers. This is new to me, so I’ll let you know if I actually use it!!

Cabinets glazed by Segreto Finishes.

I love all the finish colors together!!  I painted my cabinets SW 7043 and then glazed them, adding silver leafing to the small bead detail and a gray inking to all the creases. I am loving the hardware I purchased from Acero Bella.

The walls are plastered and then stenciled!!  I love this fun Wallovers stencil design; to it we added a silver highlight in some places to give the pattern more dimension!!

Now, how to get the most usable space inside the cabinets?  Trusted organizational guru, Hilda, was up for the task! These lazy susans and labeled containers from The Container Store were perfect space-gainers and allowed much easier access to all items. See Hilda’s tips on my closet organization blog and pantry redo blog.

For a renovation of a small space, I know I now have so much more room to sort, fold and iron. Thanks to Goodchild Builders for helping me create a beautiful and better organized laundry room!!

The redo certainly didn’t make me love washing and ironing, but I do enjoy it more!! Send me a comment on what is your favorite feature in your laundry room!

Acessorizing with things from The Segreto Boutique,  I chose this wonderful clock, basket from Aidan Gray, and these pomegranate vases.

Segreto Boutique & Gallery!

Segreto Boutique and Gallery!

If you are near by, do come by Segreto Boutique & Gallery! We would so love to see you and there are so many new items Have a great week!