Before and After: A $375 Revamp Turns a Bare, Dysfunctional Laundry Room into Organization Central

There are lots of efficient ways to organize a laundry room: bins, boxes, hooks, shelves, and cubbies all work for various home setups. But one way that’s not efficient for most people? Storing the necessities on the floor.

Unfortunately, that’s the laundry room organization system Tracy Bennett (@4009decorates) was working with when she moved into her house in 2019. “I was ecstatic to have a laundry room,” she says. “However, it was very inefficient and had zero storage.” The only storage, in fact, were two small shelves that weren’t properly anchored, so they couldn’t hold anything heavy — like, say, laundry detergent.

“All our detergent was either stored on the floor in the corner or on the floor in between the washer/dryer,” Tracy says. “We were ready for a bright, happy space with storage and an uncluttered floor.”

Tracy started with the wall behind the washer and dryer, ordering peel-and-stick wallpaper from Hygge & West with a sweet birds-among-the-clouds pattern. Prepping the walls first — by painting the rest of the room white, and using joint compound to smooth out the accent wall before the paper went up — helped give it an extra smooth finish.

Wallpapering was a first for Tracy, who says she had to work up the courage to jump in once her wallpaper finally arrived. “My husband helped and it ended up being much easier than I anticipated,” she says. “It was so fun and ended up taking only a couple of hours.”

Once the paper was up, Tracy hung her floating shelves, made from pine boards she stained herself and gold shelf brackets. Another tiered shelf on the floor between the washer and dryer provides ample storage space.

Finally, Tracy hung instructional laundry artwork she found on Etsy. The whole project cost her about $375, with all the supplies and accessories included.

“The after really reveals how a small, seemingly insignificant space can be made functional and beautiful at the same time,” Tracy says of her work. “I actually love doing laundry in here now because it’s super inviting and cheerful every time I walk in. I can access all my laundry supplies easily.”

And best of all? Now, nothing is stored on the floor.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.