Laundry Room: Before and (Almost) After

I have a dream of one day being the kind of blog that chronicles the steady progress of one project at a time until it reaches completion--giving you all a fabulous before and after transition.  However, I clearly have design ADD.  My laundry list of half finished projects is lengthy.  But I can claim to be slowing ticking small steps off each list.  So while I have promised great progress pictures of Signe's room--which I have been working on--I am going to share the most recent progress in my laundry room saga.

When we bought our house, three and half years ago, my laundry room looked like this:

About a year ago I painted it a pale blue gray. I had reservations about doing too much to the room because we have toyed with the idea of doing an addition which would create a very large and lovely new laundry room.  When/if we do the addition, this room would become the mudroom, as it is the pass-through room between the garage and the entryway. 

Last May, as I was graduating from college (at long last) and dreaming of new patio furniture as my graduation gift to myself, our washing machine went out.  So my present became a new washer and dryer--which I found an ironic gift that sort of said: "Congratulations! Now get back to the house work." At this point I figured addition or no addition this ugly little room was in direct sight of the front door, and as long as the washer and dryer were out, I was going to at least do something about he ugly stained and torn linoleum.  So we ripped it out.

When I saw the pine tongue and groove subfloor I had visions of sanding it and painting it--maybe light gray, or even a white and gray harlequin pattern.  

I even had Rob convinced for about 12 hours. . . but after a good night's sleep he decided it wasn't practical for a laundry room--not to mention a few of the spaces between the boards were big enough for spiders to climb through out of the crawl space below.  So we tiled it.

Then there it sat.  For six or seven months.  Until Rob finally built the cabinet to replace the cheap-o sink and ugly shelving that we ripped out.  Remember a  month or so ago when I mentioned I had a project that I hoped to wrap up and blog about by the end of the week?  This was it. . . I didn't get it done.  We only got the counter and sink installed.

Once I started working on Signe's room last week, I realized that for the first time in a very long time we had two whole days with nowhere to go and Rob at home.  So I quit sewing curtains and bedding and started tiling and painting in the laundry room.  Because while I do all the actual tiling and painting, I am not a fan of things with blades, so Rob cuts the tiles where I mark them.  

And while I (once again) had high hopes that I would whip this room out and dazzle you all with the after, I didn't.  So here is a picture of the now tiled backsplash and partially painted cabinet (it needs a second coat, and the door installed under the sink. 

And just to remind you how far we have come, here is a before and (almost) after side-by-side:

For a very small room, it is taking me a very long time. . . but it's coming along.  Next we need to:

- finish painting the cabinet & hang the cabinet door

- order a new light fixture (I'm thinking a schoolhouse fixture)

- build a shelf above the washer and dryer

- install new hook boards along one wall (for coats and backpacks)

- attach the towel hook

- hang something above the sink. . . maybe a chalkboard with key hooks.  

- get baskets for the shelves

THEN I can show you the before and after pictures. . . instead of just the during pictures.  

In the meantime, I sort of got distracted making myself a new duvet for my bed.  I will post it when I finish--whenever that may be.

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The cabinet is constructed of furniture grade plywood

Counter top is Ikea Numerar butcher block in solid beech: $89.00

Subway tile is from Lowes--Daltile .23 ea; trim tile was $4.17 each

Cabinet paint: Miller Paint, Rhino 05k0847 (I am working on getting all my paint colors matched to Sherwin Williams colors)
Floor tile is called Avila Al 12 X 24 by Roca  (a couple people asked and I forgot to add it) It is a porcelain tile with color all the way through so if it chips you won't see it.  

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Happy Valentine's Day!