Saturday Styling: A Laundry Room Makeover

Happy Saturday peeps! It's been a good minute since I've posted, but I'm back with a good one this time!

So a couple weeks ago, I was on a special assignment for work that required me to work from home for a stretch of about 4 days. As great as that sounds, it was pretty tough sitting at my dining table for 4 days straight with very little visual inspiration. You see, almost all of the areas that surround our kitchen table are all untouched and in original condition.

I did take the time to paint the outside of our laundry closet doors when I painted all of the trim last year. But that's where the updates stopped.

So by the 4th day of sitting at my table, I knew that it was time to give this area of the house some love. Fortunately, I'd had a few ideas swirling around that I didn't know where they would exactly they'd land and this seemed like the perfect spot.

Let's start with the plan, shall we?

I'm a die hard fan of the color chartreuse. It truly just makes me happy. I love its vibrancy and the shock factor that injects in fashion and home decor. A chartreuse clutch with an all black ensemble or chartreuse window treatments in a classic bedroom (executed perfectly by one of my design crushes, Claire Brody) are sure-fire bones of a wow-factor look and I knew that the laundry room was the perfect spot to bring it in to our home. I didn't have to worry about it flowing with other spaces, because the doors are almost always closed; but once you open those doors, you're in for a joyful shock of color!

So, to kick things off, I finished painting the inside of the doors and the trim black. 

I removed the cabinet doors, because they were getting ready to go under minor surgery. That hardware had to go.

And since I was changing the hardware, I knew that I should go ahead and change the location as well. (Bear with me, this is where the photos get a little grainy.)

I took off the original hardware and got to work filling the holes.

It was a pretty simple job thanks to a 3/16" wooden dowel and some wood glue.

The dowel was already the perfect size of the hole, so I only had to add a little glue before inserting it.

Once inserted into the hole, I cut the dowel and let the glue dry for about an hour or two.

While the wood glue dried, I got to work on the cabinet frames. I chose Benjamin Moore's 2024-10 Chartreuse for my color in a satin finish.

It wasn't until my 4th coat on the frames that I realized that I should've primed them first [slaps hand to forehead]. The primer would've lessened the number of coats needed to cover the dark wood tone of the frames.

But...four coats later...

After realizing my mistake with the frame, I knew exactly what to do with the doors. Once the wood glue was dry, I trimmed the rest of the dowel to get it as flush with the door as possible. I then filled in any crevices with a little wood putty. Once the putty was dry, I gave a good sanding until smooth and then it was time to paint.

The pool table made for a great painting station. The floor is usually where I work, but a curios puppy was not going to let that happen with a major headache or 10.

So, one coat of primer and two coats of paint later, my doors were looking pretty great. This shot was taken right after the last brush stroke, so they're still wet and look a lot glossier than their satin finish.

While the doors were drying, it was time to turn to the walls. I knew I wanted something graphic and had already tested my free-handing capabilities on our entry.

But this go round, I wanted a pattern with a little more structure. Enter the almighty mud cloth. I searched the net for a simple pattern that would be easy to repeat. This one fit the bill.

I used a simple artist's brush and the same paint that I used for our doors and trim to create the look.

And about an hour and a half later... 

The pattern was done!

I let the cabinet doors dry for about 4 hours before I installed the new hardware and rehung them. (I'm actually leaving them open for about two weeks to let them cure. No one likes sticky cabinets.)

But for the sake of blogging and pretty photos...here's the after!

I still have a light fixture to replace and a rug to source, but I couldn't be happier with how this little nook turned out! It's amazing what a little paint can do!

Sources:

Paint: Behr Ultra Premium

Wall color: Behr Ultra White

Trim and Mud Cloth Pattern Color: Behr Onyx

Cabinet Color: Benjamin Moore Chartreuse

Cabinet Hardware: Home Depot

Basket: Homegoods

Mud Cloth Throw: c/o Cozy Nomad via Stash Home

Black Velvet Hangers: Bed Bath and Beyond