Before and After: A $500 DIY Laundry Room Revamp Full of Smart, Doable Ideas

It’s pretty hard to make laundry fun, which is why so many laundry rooms feel so bleak—it’s not like you’re spending extra time hanging out in there, like you do in the living room, so organizing projects tend to get priority over beautifying ones. But the boringness of laundry is exactly the reason why you should give your space a spruce-up, to add a little joy to the routine.

For inspiration, look no further than Melanie’s laundry room, which started out drab. Dark cabinets weighed down the space, and the beige wall color didn’t help. Kicked into gear by a $500 Instagram makeover challenge, Melanie decided to give the space a boost.

“I wanted to paint my cabinets but we had a $500 budget to stay under,” Melanie says. “So I decided to hold off and change out the hardware and paint the room instead.” That also took a lot less time and prep work! White paint on the walls and gold pulls from Amazon help the dark cabinets shine.

On the back wall, Melanie and her friend Kirsten hung peel-and-stick wallpaper with a freewheeling brushstroke pattern. Replacing the black barn lights with rattan pendants gives the room a breezier vibe.

Melanie and her husband installed the tile themselves—a first for both of them! They watched plenty of YouTube videos to get the process just right. Final touch? The new high-arc faucet, which gives Melanie enough room to bathe her pup in the sink.

The project took four weeks to complete, and came in under budget at $481. “I love how light and bright and more modern the space feels,” Melanie says. “I’m glad I didn’t paint the cabinets because I love the contrast it gives to the room!”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.