A beverage bar in the laundry room sounds like a strange combination, but stay with me, and I will explain……..
I think we will all have to agree laundry is a chore we probably don’t enjoy doing. We might enjoy the smell of clean clothing, and the soft warm touch of a fluffy towel, but overall the chore itself is mundane, and frankly never done.
We might think we have the laundry done, but the people we live with are out there, wearing the clean clothes that we carefully washed, dried, folded and put away! They are out there getting dirty, only to create MORE laundry to do, so you see my friends it is never truly DONE!!
You know the kind of laundry rooms we see in magazines, or on design shows that are spotless, and perfectly appointed, not a stitch of actual dirty laundry in sight, only prettiness to look at………..
I must admit I am just a slight bit envious of the size of these laundry rooms. I have a little laundry room, just wide enough for a washer and dryer. I am not complaining because it is in the house, and not out in my garage. I love that feature.
Since I love pretty things to look at, and I am also somewhat of a practical lady I felt the need to make my laundry room more of a pretty space rather than the , “PIT!,” that is what I use to call it.
Last year we painted the laundry room a pretty blue, in fact it is the exact same blue as my bedroom, but appears slightly different due to the lighting. I chose blue because it is a soft soothing color and I think it is just down right pretty!
First I tidied up the shelves that held useful household items……..
![toliet paper 012 (460x800)_thumb[2]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ntY0ZiJBM_ysLpRhSv6QA0UWoyHabBDNezKaomtbwUjpe3E58f9AElpJwbKFzM6VM-2BqAlpP2t33EeAsGcjq_AYqwltdOzokRK4taGeJ36a-HcSlx27PnYxAw9tNSDqxXK3u9MKxto/s1600-h/toliet%252520paper%252520012%252520%252528460x800%252529_thumb%25255B2%25255D%25255B6%25255D.jpg "toliet paper 012 (460x800)_thumb[2]")
I have a thing for stacked toilet paper, as you can tell from this image.
Then came the blue paint!! I decided after the room was painted that I wanted to make it look even better. At least better to myself.
Did you notice how pretty all the laundry rooms look in the above images? Did you notice that you don’t see one single bottle of fabric softener, bleach or laundry detergent?
I know that some of them are hidden behind the cupboard doors, but what about the people that don’t have cupboards in their laundry rooms? What about we gal’s that have shelves?
Martha Stewart has a solution………
I started looking at more laundry rooms to get more inspiration……
Cute idea but not very practical for me. I would never close the curtain, so what is the point?
Getting closer, but not quite right for me either. I use liquid detergent and I don’t want to see the softener, or bleach bottles. Keep looking Kathysue!
Love the idea of matching bottles, but I would have to be filling these up every day. This would only add to my list of things to do.
This is getting closer to being a bit more practical, and also attractive. I have to be honest, I don’t think I want to bend over to get the softener, and the heavy bleach bottle with each load. I have a shelf above my washer and dryer to put all of these items.
What is a girl to do?
I put on my thinking cap, and came up with my own remedy to make my functional, small space a bit more pleasant to my eye!!
This is where the beverage bar comes into play……
The large beverage dispenser holds my liquid detergent.
Two wine carafes hold the softener and the Oxy-Clean. The juice pitcher holds my bleach. Keep in mind you need to have a vented container for bleach because it has to release chlorine gasses.
It is surprising how easily the liquids pour out of each container without drips.
One important thing to mention. Laundry detergent is very thick so in order to make it come thru the spigot more easily I fill the jug up half with warm water, and then add the detergent. To allow for the diluted solution to do its job properly I just double the amount I put in the washer. Voila! problem solved.
Granted this will not work for everyone, but for those of us that need a little pretty in the practical parts of our lives I think this is a fun and attractive solutions.
I hide my cleaning supplies in two baskets that have blue and white striped fabric on them. You will also notice the white dish on the dryer, that holds my laundry dryer sheets.
I like it's industrial look, and the metal echoes the metal on my shelving unit that holds the laundry baskets.
I still have some tweaking to do in this room. I purchased a stencil for the walls several months ago. I have not applied it yet.
I got the idea from my friend Terri from La Dolfina blog. She literally has a closet laundry room . I think she has shown that size does not mean you can not get creative. Here is the image of her laundry room and also it shows the stencil I am using………
Another picture of the same stencil…………
Mine will also be in white. I think it will be soft and fresh on the blue wall.
So now you know what I mean when I said,
“ Beverage center in the laundry room!” I have beverages for my washer!!
I hope this gives you all some inspiration on ways to make your functional laundry space a little bit more pretty.
“Enjoy the Process!” Of:
Thinking up your own solutions for your design dilemmas!
I am so impressed! You are completely organized, and the room looks beautiful. You would absolutely shudder if you saw my laundry room!!!
ReplyDeleteStacy
Nice job, so neatly arranged and organized. I now have a laundry room, however, my kitchen is smaller in this new home so I will need the extra shelving in the laundry room from the kitchen....Perhaps a cupboard to hide some things.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the inspiration!
I love it! what a great idea for your laundry liquids. I use powder for mine & its in a large glass jar I got from walmart- I hide my dryer sheets in a little basket with a lid and then open baskets for my bleach & spray n wash. It does make a difference in how you approach laundry when things are pretty. You can see my laundry room here: http://www.amandacarolathome.com/2011/03/evolution-of-laundry-room.html
ReplyDeleteVery pretty, Kathysue! I like your solution for your liquid products. Do you have any problem with not having caps on the wine carafes? I use Oxy tablets and store them in a pretty box. For my liquid detergents, I purchased two jugs of Woolite (white with pink lids), and used them until they were empty. I then filled one with my regular liquid detergent, and one with fabric softener. I removed the product labels and replaced them with my own pink and white labels. The containers sit on an open shelf above my washer and blend in perfectly with my existing colour scheme. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who goes to such lengths to make everything look pretty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect solution, and I already have a beverage dispenser that I rarely use...definitely need to work on my organization!!
ReplyDeleteTne laundry area in this house is pretty good sized but I must say it is the one area I have not decorated in a manner that makes it inviting. It is on my list for "to-do" in the Spring.
ReplyDeleteBack two houses ago we built a house on Lake Michigan and we used to host some big overnight gatherings there for a program we were part of. The laundry room was off the front foyer and it was a "pretty" room-garden style. I had a small undercounter fridge in there and when we had a group I used to set up a pre-brunch bar with coffee/orange juice & mini-muffins that people could grab and nibble until breakfast was ready. They brought their morning towels with them and threw them in the washer for me to run later in the day. It kept them out of the kitchen while I was doing last minute preparations and worked out great. That is one thing I did miss about that house when we moved. xo Diana
When someone has solutions for an icky dreary low ceiling mini basement I will be thrilled to see what can be done.
ReplyDeleteI miss my townhouse little closet wash room more then ever it was cute!
Totally and thoroughly impressed!! Wow...what a great and stylish solution and who would know? Just make sure they don't have their low ball glass ready for a "swig"...lol. Love it!
ReplyDeleteWe are the same wavelength! I too have been prettifying my laundry room. Just finished painting the mudroom bench (Simply White BM -- no yellow cast!), added some new hooks and ordered a sweet, bright ironing board cover from etsy.com -- making the old new again. Can you imagine a real bar in the laundry room! love your take on a beverage cart.
ReplyDeleteWow, Kathysue, you have me thinking about the laundry room more than I ever have! I keep the laundry room clean, but nothing looks great. I will try this weekend.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas.
Teresa
xoxo
i am pretty sure you have tons of inspiring laundry room images in this post, but i am fixated on how much i loved stacked rolls of TP just like you. that could be my house!!
ReplyDeletebest to you, lovely lady.
michele
You are just a girl out to beautify the world...even the laundry room!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was thinking about our laundry rooms in the house we were building, all of the images I found were 'dolled up' laundry rooms that seemed very impractical! I like that you add a dose of reality to laundry rooms - after all, they are meant to be functional spaces.
ReplyDeleteMy main requirement was not the high end countertops (and I refused to put in limestone or marble countertops, like my design team was suggesting), or the fancy cabinets - my main requirement was functional spaces - enough room to put an ironing board, so I wouldn't have to iron in the bedroom, and enough space so I could hide a laundry basket or two, store the laundry detergents and paper towels.
Your laundry room looks great!
A beverage bar in the laundry room, that'd be one way to encourage getting the laundry done! Janell
ReplyDeleteGreat laundry rooms...inspiring! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are way too organised for my liking - you should see my laundry, apart from the fact that the new laundry tap is leaking all over the floor - it's a complete disaster. I can only dream of having something like this.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty and practical, Kathysue. You are a very clever lady. Thanks for the suggestions.
ReplyDeleteBest...Victoria
Seems like I come live in one of these laundry rooms. They're gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathysue, I love this post--of course I always say "Less Laundry!" The images you found are very inspiring but you have come up with the most ingenious ways of storing the liquids! I have shelves over my machines and cupboards on the other wall, but I am considering removing the doors because they are just in the way. I also have all my paper goods stacked neatly--in the laundry and in the bathrooms. Great post! Linda
ReplyDeleteLove your ideas! Just moved into our new house and WANT to have open shelves in the laundry room. I'm headed out today to find a clear glass/plastic beverage dispenser for the liquid detergent. I already have a couple of vintage milk bottles for bleach and softener. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGlad my laundry room inspired yours!
ReplyDeleteAnna
Your Little Birdie