Growing up, we never had a washing machine or dryer. A lot of time was spent at the laundrymat, or if I couldn't get to town, I'd handwash everything on a washboard. And when I was scrubbing away, I'd dream of someday owning a real washing machine that was electric. And now I do. And I believe that laundry rooms should be pretty because I spend a lot of time in there. And my walls should definitely be wallpapered. I chose red gingham because it's simple and homey and makes me happy.
When I'm not using the counter for folding, it doubles as a sewing table for me. I made a counter skirt out of darling vintage fabric that makes the room feel very cheery.
I love having open shelving in the laundry room so everything is just a quick grab away. Although open shelves and the things that are on them can become dusty, it's not an issue for me in the laundry room, as I use my supplies so often. Ironing is a little less tedious for me when the ironing board looks so pretty!
I found this old laundry soap dispenser at an estate sale. It works perfectly for my OxiClean, which is my all-time favorite soaking detergent for old linens. My shelves are covered in oilcloth, that not only looks pretty, but is also easily wipeable if there is a spill and doesn't damage easily.
Handtowels, dustcloths and microfiber dusters are now available in so many pretty colors and patterns.
An old clothespin bag holds utilitarian supplies.
Spray bottles are labelled for easy identification.
Sources: I found my old laundry sign at Floyd and Margaret's. The shelving and brackets are from Home Depot. The bath towels are from Cath Kidston and TJ Maxx. I found the vintage fabric at Spencer's Antique Mall in Spokane. The ironing board cover came from Linens and Things. The wire laundry baskets are from The Land of Nod. The laundry soap dispenser came from a Monarch estate sale in Spokane (I think Monarch is one of the best estate sale companies in the area). Oilcloth is from Cath Kidston. The handtowel is from Martha Stewart for KMart, dusting cloths from Cath Kidston, microfiber duster from William Sonoma. The clothespin bag was purchased at The Farm Chicks Show from dealer: Oma's Attic. The spray bottles are from JoAnn's fabric.
That might be the happiest place on earth. And it is the polar opposite of my dark, scary, basement laundry room. Will you please hold a contest where you make over one reader's laundry room, and then make sure I win it and basically repeat everything you've done here in my house? Awesome. Thanks.
Posted by: Megan | October 22, 2009 at 11:21 AM
What a cheerful place to do laundry! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Monica | October 22, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Adorable! I love your laundry room! I like mine, okay, with it's buttery yellow walls and vintage tin signs, but you're inspiring me to do more--thanks! We do spend a lot of time there--might as well be happy in it!
Posted by: Julie Campbell | October 22, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I wish I had a laundry room... I mean a real one like yours! I too have to go down to the scary basement and I totally agree with Megan here! But when you do have that contest... please be sure to announce me as the very first "abroad winner" lol! Can´t wait, thank you!
Not jealous at all =)
Posted by: Sanna | October 22, 2009 at 12:16 PM
What a lovely laundry room!
Posted by: Kim-HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs | October 22, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Love it Serena! It has a very Cath Kidston feel to it. :)
Thanks for sharing!
Teresa
xo
Posted by: Teresa Sheeley | October 22, 2009 at 12:30 PM
lovely laundry room! Your design is so sweet & girly
Posted by: jenn | October 22, 2009 at 12:37 PM
I look forward to having a laundry room someday - our washer and dryer are in the garage. It's not insulated, in the winter it's freezing, so when switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer your fingers go numb! In the summer it's hot - I'm blessed with a beautiful clothes line, that my hubby and sons made for me one mother's day. Your room is lovely, I agree that a laundry area should be cheery, thanks for sharing your room with us.
Posted by: Kimberly | October 22, 2009 at 12:41 PM
I love it! I need to redo my laundry area. You have inspired me. Thanks!
Posted by: Amy | October 22, 2009 at 01:24 PM
It is a very good inspiration, your laundry room is very pretty, and the counter skirt is so beatifull and cheery.
Posted by: babi Maňasová | October 22, 2009 at 01:54 PM
I was just talking about getting my fingers smashed in the rollers of our old washing machine.
Serena you a so darn cute! That laundry room makes me so happy I'm going to go down to my laundry room and just toss in a load in your honor. OX
Posted by: lulu | October 22, 2009 at 01:56 PM
What a fantastic laundry room, I bet it hardly seems like a chore to do the laundry. I love all the fabrics, where do you get all of your Cath Kidston stuff? I love that every surface is pretty, great job.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 22, 2009 at 02:17 PM
How sunny and bright! Love it!
Posted by: Kris Grover | October 22, 2009 at 02:24 PM
What a wonderful happy room to spend time in.
Posted by: Jen@thecottagenest | October 22, 2009 at 02:40 PM
So enjoyed this post on you well organized laundry room.
Thank you for sharing.
Sue
Posted by: sue | October 22, 2009 at 02:58 PM
So many fun things and great colors! The spray bottles are my favs. ~Mindy
Posted by: Mindy | October 22, 2009 at 03:01 PM
What a cute laundry room. Can you come decorate my house?
Blessings,
Marcia
Posted by: Marcia | October 22, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Very cute! I love the Vintage touches. For now, I only dream of having a laundry room with dryer. I still hang my clothes on the line outside!
XOXO,
Syd Divine
Posted by: Sydney | October 22, 2009 at 04:12 PM
I loved all your color and your organizing tips, especially the spray bottles, what a great idea. Florence
Posted by: Florence Muma | October 22, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Oh, my! That is the cutest laundry room I have ever seen! The laundry detergent dispenser is very cool and I am feeling quite special because I have that very same clothespin bag!
Posted by: Vanessa {Bloom Right Here!} | October 22, 2009 at 05:12 PM
What a bright cheery laundry room. I agree with you....as much time as we spend in them they need to be cute as well as functional.
Lots of good ideas, but especially loved the matching labeled spray bottles. Mine sit out and I hate all the different bottles. I'll be looking for some of those.
Posted by: Beverly | October 22, 2009 at 05:59 PM
Your laundry room is so pretty and homey. I LOVE Cath Kidston. I sent for her catalog recently and found shipping from the UK to be too high to make it realistic for me to purchase anything. Is there a place you are able to find CK in the USA?? Ha! That rhymes :) Her fabrics just make me smile.
Posted by: Jemm | October 22, 2009 at 07:05 PM
I LOVE your sign!!! Your laundry room looks like a happy place! I had one of those exact old clothes pin bags I got from a family friend. She said it was from the 40s. It was dirty & moldy & I washed it which made the fabric disintegrate... :( I was VERY sad... I so want to repaint my laundry room a brighter color, but our house is only 2 years old & it's a great blue color... a little dark, but a nice blue. Maybe sometime soon I'll feel better about repainting... :) Thanks for sharing your room with us, I LOVE your style!!!!
Posted by: Emilee | October 22, 2009 at 07:12 PM
Your laundry room is so cherry and bright. Love it - especially those wire baskets. :)
Posted by: BlueCastle | October 22, 2009 at 07:27 PM
I'd recognize Cath Kidston anywhere! Just wondering, did it cost an arm and a leg to get it shipped here? I want that exact print for my guest room!
Posted by: Christine Ishmael | October 22, 2009 at 07:53 PM
Everything look clean and in order and love the easyness to get what you need -- even for the youngteens!
Posted by: Kristeen Gough ( The Gough Inn ) | October 22, 2009 at 08:27 PM
this is exactly what my laundry room would look like...if i had one!
i live in an apartment, so mine is in the basement. someday, i'll have an actual laundry room...sigh. love all the cath kidston linens! do you order them from her U.K. website or have you found someone who carries them in the states? if so, i would love to know who. thanks!
Stacey @ A Sort Of Fairy Tale
http://asortoffairytalegirl.blogspot.com
Posted by: Stacey | October 22, 2009 at 09:13 PM
I love it, really love it. I wouldn't mind spending a day in a gingham room (my favorite). I may have to copy the wallpaper for some cheering up of my laundry room/ which doubles as a family close (That I LOVE).
You inspire me, really truly inspirational!
Posted by: Kathryn | October 22, 2009 at 10:31 PM
How wonderful to be surrounded by beauty even while doing laundry.
warm wishes.
Posted by: Tonya | October 23, 2009 at 06:21 AM
Thank you for such sweet comments on my laundry room!
For those of you who asked about ordering from Cath Kidston.....
I was able to purchase a lot of items from this website I blogged about a while back: http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/02/cath-crisis.html However, they must have sold out, as the website is down. Another great place to buy is ebay. Sometimes you can find sellers in the U.S. or in some cases, sellers worldwide who offer really reasonable shipping.
I have ordered from the UK website as well. However, shipping has gotten more expensive. One thing - when you add items into your cart from the UK website, they have one price that includes some sort of tax. When you add in your shipping information, the prices get lowered because they're going to the U.S. and the taxes don't apply to us.
If you can find a few friends who want to place an order to, you could get together and share the shipping costs.
I hope that helps. :)
Hugs,
Serena
Posted by: Serena | October 23, 2009 at 06:30 AM
Never have I envied someone's laundry room...until now!
Posted by: jenny | October 23, 2009 at 07:02 AM
clean with color - great!
Posted by: anne marie | October 23, 2009 at 07:43 AM
This is just what I needed to get me inspired to clean out my fabulous laundry and reclaim it as my space. Thank you! and thanks to my wonderful daughter for posting this link on my Facebook page.
Posted by: Cindi | October 24, 2009 at 04:35 AM
What a great post! Fun to read, helpful, and inspiring! (Never would have thought I would say that about a post titled "The Laundry Room"!!)
HUGS!!!!
Posted by: maryann | October 24, 2009 at 05:05 AM
I'm crazy about your laundry room sign and I LOVE OxiClean!
It does make me a bit crazy though to think that your laundry looks that beautiful all the time...but, it also inspires me to make mine look better! ;-)
take care, my friend!
Posted by: tinkerverve.wordpress.com | October 24, 2009 at 08:06 AM
How sweet! I would love to do laundry if my laundry room looked like this. On second thought, I wouldn't love it, but this would make it a lot easier!
Posted by: Alice | October 24, 2009 at 09:52 AM
adorable! i have been feeling like I want to spruce up my laundry room soon - great inspiration!
Posted by: jerusalem | October 24, 2009 at 07:15 PM
How do you think up all this stuff?! I bet every single room of your house is adorable.
Posted by: Anne | October 25, 2009 at 08:41 AM
Your laundry room is adorable! I wish my laundry room looked like yours. Now I'm inspired. I just have to share this.
http://www.primitivepressjournal.com
(in progress, pleas excuse our mess)
Posted by: Beverly Bainbridge | October 25, 2009 at 04:48 PM
I love it all! Thanks for inspiring me. My laundry room needs a few more finishing touches!
Happy Monday to you.
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly | October 26, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Oh, I envy this so much. I just love it!
Posted by: CherryTreeLane | October 26, 2009 at 03:28 PM
who wouldn't love doing laundry in this sweet room Serena. I have just the thing to add to it . . .I picked up to two vintage laundry lines, one pink, one blue. I keep thinking I need to put these on my blog. Guess now, I'm gonna have to!
Posted by: Terri Conrad | October 26, 2009 at 08:55 PM
I love your laundry room, Serena--the blue and red washing basin really caught my eye! When I read that you keep Oxi-Clean in that cute vintage soap can, I wanted to pass on my recent experience, so no one makes the same sad mistake I did. I've been storing my Oxi-Clean in a vintage tin, which I recently decided to repurpose as a button box. Without thinking, I rinsed out the tin with water, and some of the water ran over the sides onto the lithographed part of the tin. The chemical reaction caused color changes and peeling--making me VERY sad! As long as the oxidizing powder stays dry, it is fine to store in older tins. But if you ever need to clean out your soap tin, do so very carefully, and brush out as much of the excess powder as you can before you introduce any water, then use as little liquid as possible.
Thanks for a great blog!
Posted by: Heather | October 27, 2009 at 12:28 PM
I love your laundry room, Serena! And your blog is so inspiring. Thanks for sharing! http://www.kelleyhighway.blogspot.com.
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000118520019 | November 01, 2009 at 10:05 PM
i love everything about that laundry room. its wonderful. darling. lucky you :O)
Posted by: Kristy | November 03, 2009 at 05:11 PM
Can I just bring my laundry over and do it at your house? The check wall paper is just wonderful!!
Posted by: Katie Trott | November 04, 2009 at 01:14 PM
I love your laundry room! You have really inspired me! Thanks for listing where you got everything too!
Hugs,
Lee Laurie
Posted by: lee laurie noll | November 18, 2009 at 08:55 AM