Laundry Room Reveal

I'm SO happy with my laundry room. It functions like a dream (finally), and rather than being the blight just off my dining room, it is now a space I can allow my eyes to linger on rather than rush past. Ha, I no longer have to be embarrassed if I forgot to close the laundry room door when guests take a seat for dinner! I call that major progress. 

Remember what it looked like before? That ironic dingy mustard paint color on the walls... I mean c'mon, who wants to think about dingy mustard yellow when trying to get bright clean laundry?? Here is the laundry room right before we moved in, and my original plan (which clearly got tweaked a bit!):

Like most spaces in my home my laundry room has been a bit of a process. My first update was painting the walls and bringing in front loaders, then nothing for a year-and-a-half. Until that glorious day a month ago when I saw my dream flooring on sale at Home Depot! Travertine-like flooring I could lay myself? Uh, you should have seen my giddy dance right there in the Home Depot aisle. 

Then everything just seemed to fall into place...from finding these sparkly chrome frames, and prints at 25 cents (total...not each!), to finding the perfect accessories and that gorgeous Kichler light fixture.

The Practical Side of the Laundry Room

I like a beautiful space as much next decorating junkie...but this mama lives here, and I am all about the practical side of decorating! 

The best part of this laundry room is the oodles and oodles of storage! After all, where else am I going to store all my household cleaners?

Swapping out the old cabinet knobs for these modern pulls helped update the space without removing cabinetry.

 A row of medium sized cabinets across the top hold detergent, cleaners, and everything you can possibly need for the healthy home. I also have four large baskets that sit atop the cabinets to store extra tissue, toilet paper, and paper towels.Then the small pantry-like cabinet to the left of the dryer houses brooms, mops, my vacuum, and other cleaning tools...that is an entire post in of itself! 

The only items I keep out are frequent use items like these spray bottles containing ingredients for stain removal. 

The kids know that the moment they get a stain, they are to spray the stain and place the soiled garment into the laundry utility sink for soaking.

Having a utility sink in the laundry room is FANTASTIC! We clean everything in there... muddy boots, paint brushes, you name it... which is why I installed a trio of hooks right over the sink; it makes the perfect place to allow rags and paint brushes to drip dry.

Atop the washer and dryer I keep my regular use sprays inside a sleek porcelain tray. This is my catch all for miscellaneous items found in pockets, or that need immediate attention on laundry day.

I also a trio of small white dishes for the items that may not need immediate attention, but can house those small items often found in the washer or dryer. Buttons that are discovered in the dryer, but I'm not sure which item of clothing they belong to stay here until the needed.

I also keep three small baskets atop the dryer to store common use items such as a mesh bag for delicate's, rubber gloves, and the all important chore checklist sheets! When the kids come to collect cleaners they also grab the appropriate checklist for the room. By the way, these checklists are a lifesaver! I provide free printables here for you.

So are you wondering where my laundry baskets are? That little green basket can't possibly hold all our dirty laundry, so what's the deal? *grin* Here is my tip for keeping a tidy well-decorated laundry space, and keeping it practical as well!
I use pop-up laundry baskets for dirty clothes, and smaller ones to carry my clean clothes. They are brought out on laundry day and we all bring our hamper/baskets from our various rooms and sort them into these pop-up baskets

At the end of laundry day, I simply fold them flat, and tuck them into the space by the dryer. Safely in their slot until next week and another laundry day! It keeps the floors in my small laundry room clear...very important since this is my indoor path to the garage and I often lug furniture (and tools) through here to be worked on.

The only basket that stays out at all times is this stylish little green basket I got from Home Goods for $12. It collects the dirty rags used to clean windows, wipe up spills, etc. throughout the week. It is allows them to air out, and dry between laundry days. 

I store my clean folded rags under the utility sink in this beautiful white basket I embellished with gold spray paint. Chrome may be the main finish in here, but my new favorite thing is to bring in hints of gold or copper in to each space! 

I was overjoyed to find these hooks at Target, marked down from $8 to $1!! Adding a couple hooks to temporarily catch the hubby and kids belts, hats, and unwashables they forget to remove before tossing in the laundry hamper.

My mom gave me this nifty little hanging doodad. It hooks over the door, receives hangers (for clothing that needs to air dry, or be hung up straight out of the dryer), then folds down when not in use.

I hope you enjoyed my laundry room tour! I'm lucky to have a space of this size to commit to my laundry, 9'x6' to be exact, and I'm making the most of it! However I have learned that if all I had was the space above my washer and dryer, this is the layout I would go for... open shelving is desperately beautiful, but I love being to adequately store household items and enjoying stylish decor at the same time.

Installing a Light Fixture - My Laundry Room Lightup

I have one final project to brighten up my newly updated laundry room, and it is installing the beautiful new light fixture I just got from Westside Wholesale!
Isn't she a beaut? Replacing the lighting in a room can be a quick and easy update that makes a big difference! So today I'm sharing how to install a light fixture and giving you a sneak peek into my laundry room makeover.

The old fixture seems to be having a bit of a tough time keeping this room well lit. With space for only a single bulb, and a low wattage bulb at that, it left much to be desired.

The new fixture I've chosen for this space is a Kichler Transitional Semi Flush Light Fixture, and it has a bit of sparkle that really adds a streamlined glam I'm looking for in this room. It was really important for me to find a fixture that made a subtle statement, so the size was very important...this particular Kichler fixture measures 15" x 11.5" making it perfect for my 9' x 6' space. It will stand out, yet not take too much attention away from the rest of the space. Ever the practical decorista I also made the number of bulbs a criteria for my search. 3 bulbs were perfect to brighten up the space!

While looking for the perfect light fixture I learned that not all lights are created equal. Here are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing the perfect fixture:

• Decorative lighting vs. Bright light: Sometimes we get sidetracked by style...remember that if it is the primary source of light, you want to choose a fixture designed to adequately illumine the space. Look for something that supports a higher wattage and/or has the specs for multiple bulbs. Sometimes you can find the same style fixture in a variety of sizes to suit the task at hand. 
• Size for the space: Consider visual weight. If the fixture engulfs the room, or alternately appears significantly dwarfed by the space, you need a new fixture. Lighting should not be overlooked as a decorative element, it is equally important to help pull the entire space together.
• Directional Lighting: From ceiling mount, to wall sconce, to floor lamps and everything in between, your choices will come in a style that directs the light up, or down. Occasionally (such as with a shade) the light will incorporate both an upward and downward glow. Consider the location of the light and its purpose; If you want an item in the room to be illuminated (such as art, bookcases, the stairs in a stairwell, etc.), look for downward illumination. If your needs are more for general lighting to brighten up the entire space, up-faced lighting bounces off the ceiling and tends to flood a room more adequately. 
• Mix & Match: The different types of lighting you can bring into a space will lend itself to a variety of important elements. Mood lighting, task lighting, general lighting...each have a part to play. Remember that there is no need to choose one over the other, you can combine general lighting with a companion for mood lighting as well! Go on, have your cake and eat it too!

One final tip...before shelling out the big bucks to install your new fixture, why not give it a try on your own? Notwithstanding random quirks such as massively high ceilings, it is a project that can usually be done in a short period of time, and just about anyone can do! 

Watch my youtube webisode here on installing my new fixture in this space:

Here is that sneak peak into my laundry room I promised, but don't miss out on the big reveal! I'll be sharing all the before and after's, as well as tips to decorate for the practical needs of the laundry room. See you there!

Last Year's Deck Garden

Are you enjoying gardening season? After a long frigid winter, I am positively reveling in summer weather! Our deck garden is coming along nicely and I can't wait until everything fills in and plants start really producing.
A reader emailed asking if I gave a garden tour last year. Well it turns out that I didn't share one... Strange, I don't know how I missed that. So I thought I'd share what my deck garden looked like last year, then later when this year's garden is producing I'll be sure to share so you can see what I've done differently. 

What my deck looked like last year...

We have a lovely forested view off of our deck. It is very a lovely area to lounge, and I'm hopeful I'll have to to update it this year. I've been dragging my feet on this project...every time I go outside I end up plunking down on my lounge unable to get up. *grin*

This is the view from inside my living room to one part of our backyard deck. I love being to look out and see the beauty of the great outdoors. 

I was happy to find this little fold-up bistro set abandoned by the previous owners in the attic. It is a nice spot for an outdoor breakfast or evening tea. 

Last year I built deck beds and made them sub-irrigated so that I would only have to water once every few months! I also upgraded the container garden to be sub-irrigated.

My kids love sugar snap peas... I mean they REALLY love sugar snap peas. They would eat most of them, then collect just a few in the basket to bring into the house. The hubby and I barely had any peas last summer, so this year we're planting twice as many!

I love the color of cabbage...oh I love the taste too, but I really enjoyed watching them grow. 

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my deck garden. I'm looking forward to sharing the upgrades I'm hoping to make to this year's garden!

New Cabinet Pulls Are On!

Uuuuuuhhhgg. Nothing is worst than reaching a hand out to open a cabinet and pulling it away sticky. Well, it's one of the unavoidable messes of having kids...sticky pulls, and dirty fingerprint smudges along wall edges. Clorox wipes are a constant staple in this house for wiping up walls and cabinets knobs & pulls.
That being said, the old knobs were pretty shot, and not just by sticky fingers. The finish was cracked and peeling, and for once the gold of the knobs weren't doing anything for me. Considering the pretty reflective silvery frames I have just put in the laundry room, I thought perhaps chrome pulls would be in order. 

I removed the old cabinet knobs, and filled the holes with wood filler. These old knobs were located rather high up, and I'd like those same little sticky fingers to (ironically) be able to reach out and open the cabinets without having to claw their way up the side of the washer or dryer. My kids end up inadvertently pressing buttons, and often I come in to switch the clothes over from washer to dryer to find a paused load, or have to start a washer cycle all over again. The new pulls will strategically be placed as low as they can go without looking strange!

Thanks to my young photographer-in-training for capturing her mommy in action! My 8 year old has an eye for the artistic *proud grin*. 

I'm breaking in my brand new drill to make holes for my new pulls.

I decided to go for interesting rather than safe and installed the pulls horizontally rather than the typical vertical installation. This allows the girls to be able to grasp the entire pull, and an unexpected ancillary benefit is the ability to hang cloths that need to drip dry off the pull. 

It is a small thing, but taking 20 minutes to install new pulls was a nice simple fix that adds quite a bit to a space.
Wahoo! We're in the home stretch people!! After hanging those gorgeous pictures last week, installing new flooring, and adding pulls this week, all I need is a new light fixture and some accessories and this room will be ready for use again!

My Rather Alluring Floors

Whooohoo! Happy birthday to me! I just scored 3 boxes of Traffic Master Allure Ultra in Aegean Travertine at $58 a box, down from the regular $78 per box. I walked into Home Depot (my 2nd home), and there they were...right in the middle of the aisle with a big sign that might as well have said "hey Carmona, buy me". Then a Home Depot sales person walked by, saw my longing doe-eyed stare, and told me I should buy them because it was a good deal. Well, how could I refute her incredibly convincing logic? *grin* Yeah, they were coming home with me. But seriously, there couldn't be a better 32nd birthday gift! I've wanted to redo the floors in my laundry room for a while but needed something I could lay myself to save some $$. 

I have no idea how to lay tile or hardwood flooring (although I intend to learn!)...now, a utility knife I can wield with some skill, so Traffic Master's resilient vinyl tile flooring is just my speed. 
First I have to rip this nasty old carpet up. It is glued down to the concrete, and I'm afraid some patched concrete is breaking up.

I was hopeful I wouldn't have much more work besides pulling up carpet, but now I'll have to scrape off and level any areas that look like this. Thankfully there aren't too many!

A project is never as simple as it seems. I'm always so optimistic that occasionally I fail to properly estimate the time frame and amount of work that will go into a project. Today was clearly no exception. The padding from the underside of the carpet decided to stay glued to its happy place...of which I was determined to part it from. This party is over Monsieur Carpet, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!

Thankfully it scrapes off easily without putting up too much of a fight! *sigh of relief*

5 hours later my floors are ready to receive new flooring! Now somehow I have to lay flooring avoiding the washer since I couldn't move it. The dryer was light enough for me to "walk" it out on my own, but this washer is a beast! I wasn't sure even my husband and I together could move it out of the room and then get it back in (apparently we are very weak and may need to start lifting weights). Well my crazy plan is to lay as much flooring as I have space to, then move the washer onto the finished part and complete the rest of the of the installation. Honestly I'm not sure this is a recommended course of action, but this is an interlocking floating floor, so if a few completed rows can't withstand a washer then I'm going to have to question this floor's integrity. (FYI, it passed the test with flying colors!)

If you decide to purchase these stunning Allure Ultra interlocking floor tiles, there is one thing you should know; they are harder to attach than you think. I have installed the non-interlocking ones that stick together easily without incident in my old house. However these travertine-like tiles were a bit of a challenge. 

After carefully reading several pdf instructions online, and utterly failing to get the second row properly clicked in place, I played around with techniques until I learned what worked and what didn't. I started with a single completed row, using quarter inch wood spacers near the wall as required.

Then I created a full second row and attached the entire 2nd strip to the 1st strip of flooring. This eliminated what I'm calling "the angle paradox", where the flooring experts somehow expect you  to angle both strictly horizontal and strictly vertical at the exact same time to interlock the tiles (really ???).  My method worked smashingly well until I reached the cleaning closet impasse, then I was forced to use the angle method. Those particular tiles definitely attached, but the tiles don't hug perfectly snugly as the rest.

To cut tiles to size you simply score with a utility knife, bend and snap. It is really very easy to cut! I may have also cheated a little by using shears to make small cuts and angled cuts, this little trick worked like a charm. 

It only took me 2 hours to install all the tiles, compared to the 5 it took to prep the floor. 7 hours later (and quite a few "aah, my back locked up again" breaks), I was ready to add 1/2" trim around the 1/4" gap required by these floating floors.

9 exhausting hours later I'm finally done! Despite my very red hands, and aching back, I am head-over-heels in love with this flooring. Exhausted I plunked myself down where I could sit and admire my work for a good 30 minutes. 

I wouldn't want to have to install this particular flooring in a room any larger than this one (or with too many weird corners), but it was well worth the effort in my mostly straight-shot laundry room. 
These floors are waterproof, beautiful, and feel great underfoot! It was worth it, wouldn't you say? These are my floors before, then after.

If you missed it, check out the details on the art in this laundry room makeover here.

Who Needs Art In a Laundry Room? Me!

"Oh for the love of mercy, I'm the daughter of an artist!"... yep, that was my retort to my husbands quizzical eye-brow arch at my desperate search for wall art for a laundry room. I could read the question in his eyes, why did I have need for art in a room I barely spend time with my head up in? 
Seriously? It's art, it's pretty, it makes me happy, I want it absolutely everywhere, oh and I'm the daughter of an artist so what do you expect. *grin* But there are more reasons to display art in unexpected locations; remember that it completes the feel of any space, as if the room were dressed. So don't be afraid to add that finishing touch (the yummy icing on the cake) to any space!

Prints for Less
I was busy bemoaning my poor luck at finding laundry related prints when a thought hit me... Now, I confess this thought should have hit me years ago (I had quite the "uh duhh" moment), but I suddenly realized that if I just searched for a photography book I might actually have prints to put in the myriads of gorgeous empty frames I'd been collecting over the years, and not just for my laundry room but the entire house! 

I promptly planned a trip to my local library's monthly book sale, and imagine my glee and sheer joy to find two fantastic photography books for 25 cents a piece! Well, I didn't find laundry related art, but for a quarter I think I'll get over it. 

Finally the stars were aligned...or something. That same week I was looking through Burlington's home goods department when I spied these silver frames at $3 a piece!! It was a 70% markdown! At $3 a piece I couldn't very well leave them behind, they were just begging for a home.

My trick to fit the smaller pictures from my newly acquired photography book into a medium or large sized frame? Double matte! I'm using inexpensive smaller sized mattes under the mattes that came with the frame so they will "fit in" nicely. 

I love the bit of silvery sparkle these frames will bring to my laundry room. They will go perfectly with the brushed chrome pulls I've purchased for my cabinets!

At just the right time of day, when the sun is pouring through the back laundry room door, the light bounces off the frames and all over this room casting the prettiest reflections!