Before and After: This $1000 IKEA Laundry Room is Peak Organization

Sure, there’s a lot to be said for minimalist decor—but there are places where blank walls just don’t work. One of those is a laundry room. When Ten V (Delish & Decor) and her family moved into their home, for instance, the laundry room was pretty much empty. “When we moved in, we just quickly got a wall organizer to hang all the cleaning tools and a cheap shelf for detergents and fabric softener for our laundry room,” she says.

But they didn’t ever supplement those two organizers. “Over time, other cleaning and laundry items had been randomly added to the shelf. It was a mess, unorganized and eyesore every time I walked in there.” The room’s 8-foot-tall ceilings certainly had some storage potential, but the laundry room’s before stylings were not taking advantage of them. Plus, Ten says, “Another thing is we have a good sized pantry but still not big enough for me. I enjoy cooking and baking, so over time, I have collected small kitchen appliances.” Along with the family’s stock of paper towels and toilet paper, it made for a tight fit and lots of clutter. “The laundry room is conveniently located close to the kitchen,” Ten says. “It was the perfect place to offload and store some of these items.”

Ten wanted the laundry room to have a lot more functionality, so built-in cabinets and shelves were the name of the game. A birch plywood counter over the washer and dryer is a convenient place to fold clothes, and the rod above that makes room for hanging clothes. All the cabinets are from IKEA.

“My goal was having a few decoration pieces to maybe none. Functionality is the big keyword here,” Ten says. “The design of the room should be able to stand on it own without adding too many things to collect dust and get in a way of doing practical tasks.” To gave the walls some extra interest without adding clutter, Ten installed pretty botanical wallpaper; the simple blue-and-white color palette keeps the room from feeling too busy.

Now, all of the cleaning tools that used to be piled on top of each other are neatly stored in the tall cabinet. The open shelves next to it hold laundry detergent and other essentials. “No more cleaning tools hanging on the top of each other, or socks falling in between laundry machines gaps,” Ten says. “Whatever cleaning tools we need to use at any moment are easy to find because every item has its spot.”

Even though the room is filled with cabinets and shelving, it actually. feels bigger than it did before, Ten says. “The vertical line and the height of the cabinets that go up almost to the ceiling help draw the eyes up and give a sense of height and openness,” she says. Even better? She stayed under her $1000 budget for the space.

This room’s proof that practical spaces don’t have to be boring. “I believe that function and design go hand in hand,” Ten says. “You want to create a beautiful space that helps make your life a little easier.”

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