how to: create a laundry room nook.

by Allison on November 10, 2009 in Home, home_decorating, home_diy · 15 comments

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Our laundry room is much like a galley kitchen in a Manhattan apartment: long and narrow without much space to work with. I’ve been brainstorming over the last few years about how to make it a little more user friendly, a little more family friendly.

The solution went thussly:

Step A}: Buy a coat rack from IKEA in the As-Is section for $3.99. Bring it home and screw it into the laundry room wall.

Stand back and admire your work.

Step B}: Buy an old, old bench from D.I. for $5. Take it home and paint it red.

Do a little happy dance because not only is the color of the paint perfect, it’s oil so it’s shiny and the red paint compliments the shabby apple green paint of the walls.

Step C}: Let it dry overnight and shimmy it into place under the coat rack on the wall.

Smile, because the bench fits perfectly and is short enough for your little people to sit on while they remove muddy/snowy/dripping boots.

Step D}: Go pour yourself a cold drink. You’ve just completed the easiest transformation of a laundry room in the history of laundry rooms.

Enjoy. I know I will.

Article by Allison Czarnecki

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

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{ 15 comments }

1 likeschocolate November 10, 2009 at 7:22 am: Great Idea!
2 Petit Elefant November 10, 2009 at 7:46 am: I'm so happy I was able to solve the problem for under $10, that's the best part!
3 Emily November 10, 2009 at 7:49 am: That is truly awesome and that red? LOVE it! I'm a big fan of red…had some red walls in our last home and can't wait to find the perfect red wall here. Your laundry room looks great!
4 Petit Elefant November 10, 2009 at 8:18 am: Emily,
I wanted to paint a wall red but Viktor wouldn't concede, so I painted a bench instead. It's all about the compromise.
5 The Breeders Digest November 10, 2009 at 9:03 am: Sweet! I love simple and cheap solutions….and the red bench. Bravo!
6 Camille November 10, 2009 at 10:01 am: So cute! I love the green and red combination. You should have a section on Petit Elefant highlighting DIY projects! (with vlogs, of course!)
7 sania November 10, 2009 at 11:45 am: Ooo, very cute. And a very calming green on the wall too.
8 Debbie Barr November 10, 2009 at 12:47 pm: Very nice!
9 Dandy November 10, 2009 at 12:52 pm: I fantasize about having my very own washer and dryer.
It looks fantastic!
10 The Glamorous Life Association November 10, 2009 at 1:14 pm: I love the way the red of the bench really sets off the fire extinguisher. Perfect color coordination. Somebody call HGTV you are on a roll.
11 Julie {Angry Julie Monday} November 10, 2009 at 1:19 pm: Great idea, and laughing once again.
Stopping getting in my head. I hung that coat rack from Ikea in my son's bathroom on Sunday.
12 andrew November 10, 2009 at 5:08 pm: just found you thru PW. i like your style!
13 Petit Elefant November 10, 2009 at 6:02 pm: Breeders Digest,
Cheap solutions are definitely something to cheer about aren't they?
Camille,
It's on it's way shortly!
Sania,
That green makes me happy to do laundry, if such a thing is even possible.
Debbie,
Thank you, I'm really happy with it!
Dandy,
I'm not kidding, I'm grateful every single time I do a load of laundry, I really am.
Glamorous Life,
I know, either call the people at Home Depot or HGTV, I'm having a ball. I didn't even mean to color coordinate with the fire extinguisher, it's just mandatory {couldn't pry it off the wall for the photo darn it!}
Angry Julie,
We have good style both of us! I love that rack!
Andrew,
Happy to have you here, and thank you!
14 Marie {Make and Takes} November 10, 2009 at 8:35 pm: Yay, the bench! It looks so good. I LOVE the red! I'll be linking to it soon!
15 Kami November 10, 2009 at 9:57 pm: Love the red! What a perfect spot for it! Yay for cheap-cheap!