My Laundry & Mud Room - Part 2

When designing our home, it made sense to use pocket doors in a few rooms. The laundry room was one. A door hanging into the hallway wouldn't be ideal and if it went the other direction, it'd be blocking my access to the laundry chute. So, a pocket door it was.

A huge favorite feature in the room is the laundry chute, which connects from the boy's bathroom upstairs. My brother and sister-in-law's beautiful old home has an amazing multi-floor laundry chute system and I always admired it. Turns out adding a chute was really simple, as it was designed into the plans and I'm so glad it was something I made sure to have. Although laundry chutes are found in so many old homes, I'm really surprised it's a feature that's not more frequently added into new homes. For us, it's simply an opening in the floor, to the laundry room below.

When I was thinking about counter material, I wanted something that was industrial, as I really liked the thought of mixing an industrial surface with the beauty of the wallpaper and softness of the beadboard tile. I went to a local metal fabricator to talk about options. There were many, and my favorite was galvanized steel. I really like that galvanized steel actually has an almost soft appearance, as opposed to something like stainless steel. The fabricator advised against using it, as they were concerned it may rust. With my experiences with all of the galvanized materials I've encountered on farms for many years now, I've not seen that, so I was willing to take a chance. It's been wonderful and I don't foresee any issues. The custom counters were extremely reasonable - coming in around $400.

I made sure to add in a nice big sink for soaking. I added in a spray nozzle, as it makes it so nice for cleaning out the sink.

I kept the cabinets and hardware consistent with what was used throughout the house, as I think it's important to do, so the rooms don't feel choppy. It's one of those design elements that you don't consciously think about when you are in a home, but affects the feel without you even knowing why.

A really convenient feature is the vacuum pan adjacent to the door. The boys track in so much dirt from the fields and I love being able to sweep it all right into the pan. To turn it on, I just click the little switch with my foot and it sucks up all the dirt. I think it's magic.

I opted for white hex tile on the floors in this room, with a nice dark grout. Dark grout is key here. I love the old-fashioned look of it and how it helps to show each and every little hex, but it's also really hard working. It scrubs right up.

The walls are covered in beautiful Dirk Elliot beadboard tile, tile base trim and tile cap. I can't tell you how many times I've seen mud splattered on the walls and it's such a nice feeling to be able to just wipe it right off. Dirk designed the cap just for this room, as well as designed the tile layout. They now offer the tile cap for sale, in addition to all of their stunning tile, including the beadboard tile that was used throughout the room.

Although the tile is barely visible behind the washer and dryer, I still opted to have the tile fully installed there, all the way to the floor. Even though I only see brief glimpses of the tile behind there, it was a really nice way to finish off the room. It makes it feel complete. And although I opted for a dark grout on the floor, to call out each hex shape, I opted to keep the grout on the walls as close to the tile color as possible, so it sort of just whispers. It's softer that way.

This is my favorite room in the whole house.

You can read the first part of my Laundry & Mud Room post here.

Wallpaper: Wallflowers, Spokane, WA

Farm Painting: Forget Me Not, Coeur d'Alene, ID

Small Basket near window: Funky Junk Jennifer, via the Funky Junk show, Sandpoint, ID

Towels: Walmart

Washer & Dryer: Bosch

Large Laundry Chute Basket: Silver Suitcase, via Roost, Spokane, WA

Wooden Box: Funky Junk Hollie, via the Funky Junk show, Sandpoint, ID

Cowboy Boots: Forget Me Not, Sandpoint, ID

Entryway Rug: Ikea

Countertops: Fabricated by Carlson Sheet Metal, Spokane, WA

Beadboard Wall Tile, Tile Trim, and Tile Design: Dirk Elliot Tile, Spokane, WA

Our home was designed by Nancy McKennon.

Our builder was Craig Powell of Powell Custom Homes. (509) 994-2831 (He doesn't have a website).

A note about my sources: I try and identify my sources as often as possible and love promoting other businesses. My policy is that if I love something or have had a good experience with a product or service, I try to promote it, when possible. Sometimes, I'm disappointed with a product or service and won't provide that source. I understand that thousands of readers visit my blog every day and I realize that if I were to say something negative about a product or source, my opinion could have a negative impact on a business, and that's not what I want. If I don't list a source, it's not because I'm stingy, I just choose to keep it positive here. Thank you for understanding.

 

Comments

[Nancy W.]

I love your laundry room! Bright and functional!

[JanJ]

I love how you used tile for the walls instead of wood. What a great idea for easy clean up!

[Penny]

*Gasp* The bead board is tile?! Rock and roll!

[margie]

Do you love your washer and dryer? I'm going to be in the market soon and I'm always interested in how people feel about things. thanks, margie

[Julie-Ann]

Serena, that is one beautiful laundry room.

I liked the approach you took with "a note about my sources." It's just like hearing my mother say "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

[Serena]

Hi Margie,
My washer and dryer are fine so far. There's nothing about them that makes me LOVE or not like them, they've been fine. Maybe if they could wash, dry, and fold my laundry, I might LOVE them. :)
Take care,
Serena

[Connie]

I love it!

[Gumbo Lily]

It is terrific! I was seriously contemplating galvanized steel countertops for my kitchen, but I was worried I might become a slave to them (scratches, water spots, etc.)

[Tracy]

You wallpaper selection - fantastic!

[Mary Kay H.]

Love it!

[Carol Cook]

Absolutely love your laundry room.

Our little beach cottage was built in 1928 and they barely had electrical outlets, much less a place for doing laundry. I think they must have taken it home after a weekend at the beach.

I don't think my garage laundry area will ever look beautiful.

Enjoy your lovely space!

[Jaelle Kaylor]

Can I move in!!! It's beautiful! A pleasure to do laundry in that room! I just added you to my blog list! JL~ www.fruittreehillhannibal.blogspot.com

[Melissa]

Can you tell me where you purchased the white shelf with the hanging rod? I am looking for something like that in my laundry room. Thanks!

[Jennifer Wood]

I love this room soo much! The counters are my favorite, I am so glad you gave a nice home to the basket, thank you for mentioning it! Love it all! Xo

[Lori]

Your laundry room is lovely.

Just a note about the laundry chute; When we planned and built our home 15 years ago we installed a laundry chute. We were told by our architect that they are frowned upon, considered a fire hazard, because a chute allows fire to spread easily from one floor to the next.

[Cabinet Coatings of America]

Wow! The colors and decorations are stunning. I love the counter tops you selected.

[Colleen of Vintage Home]

great ideas....wonderful room!

[Angela Thibeau]

where do i get the beadboard tile, the link does not work

[[email protected]]

Hi Serena - what color is the grout on the floor hex tiles? Is it as dark as a charcoal? or something a little lighter?

[Serena]

Hi stynsey!

The grout is definitely on the dark end of things - I can't remember exactly the grout name but charcoal sounds like it could be it. I definitely recommend the dark grout!

All the best,

Serena