Laundry Room - Ikea Hack

I've been trying to decide what to do in my laundry room for the past six months.  It's been a bit of a "catch all" since we moved in.  Not only do we need this room for laundry purposes, but it also stores paint cans, gym bags, running shoes, cleats, gardening supplies, paper towels, etc. etc.  (Notice how I didn't mention that I need to store my iron.)  We painted the laundry room shortly after we moved in and had to replace the  side-by-side washer and dryer.  We purchased the Samsung front-load stackable washer and dryer, which I'm very happy with, but we have no counter space and no floor storage so it's been rather frustrating.  Not the best design for a family.

I've been looking online for some solutions and have been thinking about getting a small kitchen island or bookcase to fit in the space.  Ideally I want something with shelving for shoes, paint and gym bags and some surface space.  This rules out a bookcase so I've been searching kitchen islands.  I thought maybe something from Ikea like this for $199.99 might work, but it's too small and I don't want to spend that much money.

Then I came across this Ikea Lack COFFEE TABLE for $29.99!   That's right -a coffee table.  It actually is the exact length and width (30 3/4" x 30 3/4") that I need for the space.  It also has the shelving I need but obviously it isn't the right height.  So then I thought... "Wait a minute, what if I buy two and stack them?"






So here's some before and after pics  of what my new and improved laundry room looks like now for just $60.00.

                                   

I'm going to have to glue the two coffee tables together so they are more secure but for now they store everything perfectly.  There is so much room behind the shoes and the basket that I can store all my paint cans.  I left the bottom shelf open to store pretty laundry bags (purchased from HomeSense) and behind them I store the ugly gym bags.  So Cool!

If you have a kitchen or laundry room that needs more counter space and storage, for $60, I highly recommend doing this.  You could even buy four and make an island.

I think I'm going for a bit of a farmhouse look in this laundry room with baskets, a wooden shelf and a wooden countertop.  Here's a list of the things I still need to do:

1. Replace Light Fixture

2. Change Out Sink

3. Change Out Taps

4. Install Wooden Counter Top

5. Install Wooden Shelf

6. Change Out Door Handles
7. Install Backsplash.

Here's some small laundry room inspiration 

for you.

(I'm in love with these black doors.  Gorgeous!!)

Bijou & Boheme

Better Homes and Gardens

Chris Kauffman

Country Living

Home D-Zine

Home With Baxter

Young House Love

Jones Design Comany

 View Along the Way

Hope I've inspired you to think outside the box and repurpose something.  I'll keep you updated on the progress of this room.  Please let me know if any of you decide to do this or make an island.  I'd love to hear about it.

Gotta go do my laundry now...

Enjoy your weekend!!

Before and After Master Bedroom

When we moved into this house about four years ago each room looked a little like the one below.  The walls were a pinky cream and the floors were a yellow hardwood.   I didn't really care about the colour of the hardwood because that can be changed.  I just wanted the value of the hardwood.  The ceilings were stuccoed and all of the window coverings were custom but dated.  I knew that with a lot of paint and some new curtains, this house could look great.  

I wanted a black and white rug for the master bedroom and had my eye on one at Ikea.  But HomeSense had this striped one (above) on sale a couple of years ago so I grabbed it.

Here's how the previous owners had it decorated. 

BEFORE

Then I changed it up a bit.  
AFTER

The side tables were once part of an old desk and the middle was detachable, so we took it apart and made end tables.  I always like to  see how I can use a piece in a different way other than its original purpose, for example, the shutters above the bed and the garden columns on the end tables.

The curtains above are different from the ones below because Fabricland had a sale on.  (You have to dig, but they do have some great curtains.  These curtains were $15 a panel!) Always make sure you get 96" curtains and extend them to the ceiling or if you have 9' ceilings, extend them the full 96". This adds height to a room.  I also always extend them as wide as they will go to add width.  By doing this in a small room you will actually visually make the room appear larger - no joke.  I like to add drama to a room and one way of doing this is getting two different coloured curtains.  Doing this not only adds drama but it also adds fullness.  

Through the process of prepping this room, I painted the glass part of this chandelier black with some paint left over from another project.  I also painted the bottom part of the crystals, so now it looks like the pics above and below. I was just tired of the chandelier and wanted to add something to it. 

I added some black ribbon and fringe (also from Fabricland) to a plain white drum shade to add some interest and colour.  I also used the same ribbon and added it to a velvet pillow.

Sources

Bedding:  Ikea

Bedskirt, Rug and Pillows (on chair):  HomeSense
Garden Columns:  Walmart (15 years ago)

Pillows (on bed) and Curtaiins:  Fabricland

Furniture:  Auctions, Yardsales or "Acquired" which means a friend didn't want it and gave it to me.

Wall Colour:  Custom Mix (Grey)

Spring Will Be Here Soon

It's been a long winter and I'm really missing my garden right now.  If you live in the Toronto area, you can check out more gardens at Canada Blooms from March 14-23, 2014.  The theme this year is "Wild".

Rose bud - 1

Fall Asters - 2

Peonies - 3, 6 and 9

Hydrangea foliage- 4

Blue Salvia - 5

Sedum foliage - 7 and 8

If you want to see what a garden looks like in the winter, check out my winter ice storm pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day

Photos via Pinterest.

To see more go here.

KLAUS - Contemporary Design

 While downtown Toronto on the weekend I also stopped by this fabulous store.  Klaus is full of high-end original contemporary pieces from all over the world.

Teacups made into an industrial light fixture - sooo cool!