Timothy and Laura are busy folks - they have a blog (make that two) to run and a new baby. A secret to their "do it all" success? They know that one key to handling new challenges is to plan ahead and do what you can when you have the time to make life easier when you no longer have the luxury of that time. Case in point: prior to their son being born, they totally renovated and upgraded their outdated ultility room, so they'd be ready for the extra laundry loads that were sure to follow...
Here is a visual overview of their journey from a not-so-pleasant, not-so-useful dark paneled space to a light, bright laundry area that functions well and looks great:
According to Timothy's post on the project, while many of the changes and improvements were tackled to up the aesthetics of the space, they did it all with an eye on increased efficiency as well, both for the family and for the environment. The old room featured units that were older and not optimized to save water and energy as new models are.
The original plan for the room included the addition of an extra half-bathroom to the home, but that would have added quite a bit of complexity and cost to the project. They scaled back, and are, in the end, totally fine with that compromise. After the completion of the room (and several months of using it - the ultimate "real life" test) Timothy had these wise words to share regarding tackling renovations, especially those that turn out to be smaller in scope than you first hope for. He writes, "We are extremely pleased with our new laundry room space and we feel that the time and effort was worth it. As with any home improvement project its all about balancing your budget and expectations and although we really wish we could add a 1/2 bath to this space we know that sometimes its best to wait and just focus on what is really important to our day to day living."
Smart, true and worth keeping in mind, no matter what type of home project, big or small, you're contemplating!
Read up on the full project, including details on materials, brands: Preparing for Baby With a Laundry Room Makeover | Charles & Hudson
Thanks to Timothy and Laura for sharing the project with us.
(Images: Charles & Hudson)
8 Secret Spots to Hide Valuables at Home
The Live/Work Studio of Robert Siegel Handmade Ceramics
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Howard Butcher Bloc...
10 Easy Vacation Meals to Feed a Crowd
Recipe: Chopped Brown Rice Salad with Grapes and Pecans
I've been trying to figure out how to do a utility sink like this? Please provide details! Thanks
the after looks so great! the before-FRIGHTENING!
They turned a gritty room into a light, bright place anyone would like doing laundry in. I have to question the white floor though, Really? Paint over what look like good-condition terracotta tiles with white paint? It seems like you'd be fighting for cleanliness ever after.
oh what i difference a can of paint make eh? wow!
That is a great transformation! The deer heads crack me up...I have a friend who was ALWAYS trying to figure out how to get her husband's deer heads OUT of the living room...I should tell her to put them in the laundry room! LOL
Beautiful!! I like that it's done on a low budget and still looks beautiful! I'd probably add more shelving though.
What a beautiful transformation. For most people, laundry rooms are one of those "forgotten rooms" unfortunately. I love bright and cheerful laundry rooms. I also love the idea of an area rug in the laundry rooms. I have one in my own laundry room and it adds a lot of warmth and softness. As far as I am concerned, every room, should be beautiful.
Shirin Sarikhani
www.SeattleStagedToSell.com
If you really want a half-bath, I wonder if you could find a way to make it super-tiny by combining the toilet and sink - either using the SinkPositive (retrofits the lid of a toilet tank into a sink) or buying the Caroma Profile toilet tank/sink. Both use clean water for the sink and then use the soapy water (greywater) to flush the toilet.
Oh I love this. The before looks like mine - mine is worse. But I rent and I'm hesitant to keep spending my own money on this stuff - need to buy a house!
I love, love how the paint occasionally skips over the space between panels to give it a more cottagey, 'real' feel - it's not too neat or thorough - something I never would have thought of doing with an old paneled room. Excellent transformation!
I ALWAYS HAVE A HARD TIME WITH ANIMALS HEADS OR PARTS AS DECORATIONS..BUT IT IS A MUCH NICER ROOM.
Charming and welcoming, but please replace that foil duct with a hard metal one. The foil duct is a fire waiting to happen.
Nice transformation!
I don't get the stool in front of the sink.....but love the rest of it.
Oh man what a great post! The white completely transforms everything and makes the room feel clean. I love when there is such a disparity between the before and after.
@lyonstill: What is with the all caps?
Wow! This is amazing! Good job!
Laundry rooms are nice but...I'm renting a house with a huge laundry room which I am going to turn into a speakeasy-style bar for me and my girlfriends. A screen in front of the washer-dryer and the folding counter will be where the hors d'oeuvres will be served. I love doing laundry, so why not a laundry-bar in my own house!
Wow, I'll definitely bookmark this post!
A great renovation/update. Nice, simple and bright. Love it!
Love the new look! good job!
A bar and laundry room. Cool.
World's largest laundry! I love it. I love that you painted the floor, it looks fantastic. I have a concrete floor in my new laundry and might just paint it white after seeing yours. Thanks for sharing!
It could easily be a playroom and a laundry room now. Doesn't white just make everything better?
Great transformation. What a cute couple you are!
(Though I agree with Lyonstill about the animal head. So sad...)
@cheeky: I love it! You MUST document your laundry room-to-bar project for a future AT Before and After! I converted a superfluous linen closet into a bar, too, and I simply must see how yours turns out! So fun. Perhaps you could invent a clean linen-inspired cocktail, as well, to sip while you sort socks.
Looks very groovy. Love the taxidermy!
I Love the transformation....it's creative and clean...BUT anytime the dryer hose has to wind it's way to the outside world, you are asking for trouble. Can you move the set up to the other wall So that the hose slides right out of the house?
What a difference paint on paneling makes! I wish I had done before and after pics of the paneled stairs I just painted in our old rental property. If nothing else, painting the paneling can save on electricity because it makes the space so much brighter.
tpsacorp, lots of landlords have extra cans of paint setting around and are just waiting for tenants to volunteer to spruce things up, or at least just make the suggestion. Sometimes we landlords don't think of everything.
Charming couple, nice redo. Why not paint the deer parts white too with maybe just the eyes untouched for a dream-like quality?
Really? Paint over what look like good-condition terracotta tiles with white paint?
This room is pretty dark, and the dark tiles just exacerbated the problem. Since this is just a short-term fix, why not paint 'em white? I'm guessing their long-term plans never included those terracotta tiles, anyhow...
Frankly, I think terracotta tiles look best outside, or in a very large, very bright room.
Thanks all for the kind words and constructive critiques. Just thought I'd clarify a few things.
@RCBC - The utility sink was already here and we tried in vain to find a replacement instead of just cleaning it as we thought it would be easier to just replace. But no such luck. The sink is particularly deep and narrow and the cabinet was custom built around it. It works well for a baby bath when we need it but otherwise is a the perfect utility size.
@MulchMaid - The tiles are in decent shape but they aren't terracotta. If we didn't paint the floor we would have missed out on the dramatic look we were going for. Yes, the floor does show some dirt but its not bad and a little soapy water and marks will come up.
@Whale - The reason there is a tall stool is because my wife uses this as her vanity. We have a tiny dark bathroom in our house with old wiring which makes using a hair dryer a tricky situation as it often times trips the breaker. In the laundry room the hair dryer works no problem - a stool just makes it more comfortable to use the sink/mirror.
@Jenel - Ideally we would have preferred to have the washer/dryer against the opposite wall but the washer door would then open to the wall which is awkward and that door can't be flipped. By moving them to the far wall we could achieve doors that open to the room which make loading and unloading much easier. We are considering opening the wall and making a vent on that side of the room as we understand the dangers of fire. Our Whirlpool units do have a warning if there is too much back pressure detected on the exhaust line but we know it's not fail safe.
This was a really smart project to tackle before the baby's arrival. HE front loaders almost make doing laundry a dream.
When my son was born, I couldn't believe how MUCH laundry we had to do. And if you're going the cloth diaper route, that's even more laundry. This was a brilliant project--bravo!
I'm glad you are planning to address the ductwork. You do need to get that squared away before the little one is mobile. That shiny one will be irresistable to a small person LOL.
It's so cute. And hey, you can sit on the stool while folding laundry. Love the funny squirrel picture!
How cute is that!? Good job!
Haha! The licking deer is perfect!
I am a stay at home dad of 9 kids, so I spend a disturbing amout of time thinking about and doing laundry. This room would make it easier. Yay for paint.
I am forseeing a weekend project of moving a wall cabinet, painting the paneling, and stacking my drier on the washer. It will look almost like this. well, a girl can hope?
Laundry room = humid, heat, traffic. White painted floor over tile? Prepare to remove the peeling paint, paint over areas that wont come clean of scuff marks, and eventually remove the tile. Other than that I loved the after, this is a true transformation.
Seriously? You can paint a floor like that? And those depressing panel walls can look this good painted? You are geniuses - there is just no comparison! Incredible transformation.
usually i detest all white rooms... but this is great! and i love the stool at the sink! i do alot of hand washing and oooh my aching back! could do with out the deer heads, tho ^^