Our freshly painted laundry room is so bright and happy that makes me want to sing and dance like a crazy person. First I repainted all the trim (with Olympic No-VOC semi-gloss off-the-shelf white) and painted the annoying brown quarter round near the baseboards, so it blended in with the white trim. I applied three thin coats of the same Olympic No-VOC paint (no primer because I used the same method with success in the living room five months back and I’m lazy). Then when it came to the wall color, we decided to use the leftover paint that we used in the adjoining kitchen (remember when we painted that beastly paneling here?). Why that color? To brighten things up and connect the two spaces since you pretty much see the kitchen as soon as you step in the side door in the laundry room.
Since the laundry room is such a small space we knew a different color might interrupt the flow and make it feel a lot smaller than something that would connect slash elongate it. We might add a subtle stencil or some other paint treatment down the line if we want more mojo in there – but once we hang window treatments and a new dangly light fixture and add lots of other stuff (art, storage, etc) we’re not sure if it’ll be too much for the tiny room. So we’re waiting on the whole stencil/stripe possibility.
Bee tee dubs (yes I just spelled out btw, and turned the w into a dubs) the color is called Sesame 381 by Benjamin Moore (color matched to Olympic’s No-VOC paint in a semi-gloss finish). Our small semi-light-filled laundry room has a door and window that let in light from the carport, which isn’t super bright but it’s a lot brighter than our windowless kitchen. So the artichoke-ish grellow (green + yellow) tone:
- is a smidge brighter
- reads a little more yellow than it does in the kitchen
- is so insanely cheerful
We’re psyched. Who doesn’t love a happy little laundry nook? As soon as I started cutting in I knew it would wake up the whole space.
Here’s what it looked like when we moved in:
And here she is now with a slap of how-you-doin’-on-this-fine-morning color (along with some other changes covered here):
Oh and if you’re wondering what that white board is in the pic above and below, we heard setting stacked appliances on a nice thick piece of plywood that goes against all three walls can stabilize the machine for a longer life. So we did it. And I painted it white because when we add shelving to that side of the nook it’ll blend in like chin hair on a mountain goat. Made that up. Think it’s catchy? Nah, me neither.
Some of these photos look a little more neon and booger-ish than it does in real life. In real life there’s zero booger resemblance and it’s definitely not neon. Which is a relief. It’s light and sweet – like liquid sunshine. And here’s why we knew this room could handle some happy color:
- We’ll add a ton of white shelving to temper the color (along with the white washer/dryer).
- It has a window & a glass door as well as a doorway into the kitchen to break things up.
- Eventually when we have wood floors in there it’ll be even more subdued.
Oh and as for that crazy metal fuse box cover that we had going on – remember this?
We just rolled/brushed a few thin and even coats of paint right over it. Didn’t even prime. We did that in our last house to hide a just-as-obvious one in the corner of the den – and four years later it still looked awesome. See if you can find it here. Metal actually takes thin coats of paint really well (like spray paint) so by being sure not to glob it on and opting to do more thin coats (as opposed to fewer thick and globby ones) I got some nice coverage. And it still opens and closes easily (tip: do that a few times between coats to ensure that things still work smoothly and nothing gets gummed up with paint). In short: thin and even applications = the painting holy grail.
Total spent for this phase of the makeover: $0 (thanks to trim and wall paint that we already had leftover from the kitchen). Wait, we did buy a pack of rollers so it was actually $8. Of course we still have plans for adding a ton of function (and a good dose of looks-nice stuff, like art) to the room – and that blank wall in particular. So that painted fuse box won’t just sit there looking, well, painted. We’ll share those details as we go.
As for the to do list, here it is as it stands today:
Paint the odd brown quarter round near the baseboards glossy white
Redo all the dinged up trim (also in semi-gloss white)Paint the walls- Replace our dryer hose with a safer all-metal one
- Add adjustable built-in shelving in that nook next to the stacked washer & dryer <– we can’t unstack them and put them on the long wall since the room is only 3.5′ wide so the doors wouldn’t even open
- Replace the hinges and knobs on the upper cabinetry
- Get a new light fixture <- DIY something? maybe a small chandelier?
- Add a window treatment (maybe a homemade one?)
- Add other functional storage near the door for shoes, Burger’s leash, etc
- Hang some art to keep it cheerful and obscure the giant metal fuse box
Mmm, crisp white trim might also be the painting holy grail. Doesn’t it look so great with warm greeny gold? This photo is probably the most true to life when it comes to the actual paint color and how it looks in there. It’s a little lighter in person, but this is the yellow with a hint of green tone to a T. It’s just like an artichoke heart.
Suddenly I actually feel like doing laundry. Weird.
Psst- You guys were all so sweet about my haircut yesterday. Seriously, I almost got a cavity. And I definitely got all awkward and clammy and blushy. Basically the opposite of cute. Anyway, rest assured that my hair will never look that good again (you know stylists possess some other-worldly powers to create a hairstyle that no one can replicate at home). So stop being so dang nice. It’s making me rashy.
Amanda says
Thanks for the prompt response; but, I think you may have been looking at another post. I was asking about the color of your paint, Sesame 381. I just want to make sure it’s the right color. Benjamin Moore’s site says it’s a taupe color. Is that the right name?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, the color that we used in the kitchen and laundry room is Sesame 381 by Benjamin Moore. It’s a greeny-yellow tone. But maybe on your comp. monitor it’s looking taupe for some reason? Definitely check out the paint swatch in person from the store. And then bring it home to see how it looks in your house. We love it!
xo
s
Lauren says
This makes me want to paint my laundry room …
I still have the Brady Bunch casette tape in my car! Love!
Melanie says
Bee tee dubs, hmm? I pronounce/say(yes, out loud) WB as WuBee (stress on the second syllable). It sounds much more enthusiastic than “welcome back.”
Painting the laundry the same color as the kitchen was a good choice. And I’m not just saying that because I did the same thing since my laundry is right off the kitchen too. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. WuBee IS fun. I’m in.
xo,
s
Nora says
Love the colors! How do you feel about matching BM to Olympic? I tried researching it when I was picking paint colors but they seemed to think that it wasn’t fool proof. I had them do it for a sample at Lowes but I wasn’t able to do it myself or online to see how close it matched beforehand.
YoungHouseLove says
They usually have the exact formula in the computer which makes for a near perfect match. When they don’t and have to rely on the scanner, after they scan it but before they mix it I ask them what “the accuracy percentage” is. The computer will say “99.9% accurate” or “matched within .01%” – that gives me the confidence that it’s dead on. So far whenever I match something (which is pretty much every room of this house) I can hold up the original paint chip against the wall and it’s totally exact (at least to my naked eye). So I’ve been really happy with it!
xo,
s
Amanda Wells says
Looks great!!
http://www.amandadovewells.com/?p=890
Taylor @ TheProposalEnthusiast says
I have to admit… I have been on vacation for a week now and I still check your blog everyday. I love the laundry room progress and I can’t wait until I have a home of my own someday to use all your tips and tricks on!
ellen says
i went to the b m web site(ha ha) and searched sesame 381 and a taupe color came up. could you tell me the name of your laundry room color? i think it looks awsome with the white trim.
YoungHouseLove says
It might just be their scan of the color or your monitor that’s off? I recommend checking it out in the store for sure. It’s definitely greeny gold!
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love it!!! It’s so happy in there now. Did you also pick this bright color because one day that window & door will not let light in anymore because you will have a garage there instead of the carport? I can’t wait to see all the details you put into this room. It’s going to be a very nice entrance area into your home. Have you thought about coving the washer and dryer with a curtain to just hide the whole area back there? From floor to ceiling. Just curious.
YoungHouseLove says
We hope it always stays sunny in there (thanks to the color and the addition of windows in the doors, side, and back of the carport when we convert it). As for a curtain, I did think about it but you know how crazy we are about having things open (remember we took off the bifold doors that hid our old washer & dryer so it would be open) so we’ll have to see where we end up!
xo,
s
Christie says
Looks great and cheery! I can’t remember if you’ve posted about this, but did you apply that foggy-looking film to your door in there? If so, do you know what it’s called or where I could find something like that? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We got that frosting film at Home Depot. Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/12/frosty-the-side-door/
xo,
s
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
Oh, I love, love, love that you are choosing such happy colors! We tend to love color too much, but I see nothing wrong with that.
katie says
that’s a bummer you can’t move the washer/dryer. i would check into that more though (longer cords or hoses, i don’t know? or have a plumber/electrician relocate hookups. since the wall will be hidden by the appliances maybe you wouldn’t have to completely refinish the drywall or plaster once that work was done to save money). it would cost a little more but not as much as moving the wall between your kitchen/laundry room and might be worth it for convenience of more storage. but yeah, i’m obsessed with functional storage…
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’ll do ok with squeezing in as much storage as we need. With such a small room (it’s barely over 3′ wide) it’ll never be a room that we stand in and fold or iron a bunch of laundry or anything (we just do that in our bedroom or on Karl) so it’s really about adding a little spot for shoes and some laundry stuff and future kid stuff (like backpacks). Oh and Burger’s leash needs a hook! Haha. But I think we’ll fit it all just fine!
xo,
s
Christina says
I can’t remember if you did this after you purchased your washer and dryer, but while you replacing your dryer hose with a safer metal one, you’ll want to replace your washing machine’s water lines with metal ones as well. The plastic ones that come with the washer can break and flood your entire house. Happened to my and family and I while we were on vacation, and it caused thousands of dollars in damage.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! We replaced those with metal ones when we got our new washer and dryer 5 months ago- but somehow didn’t know to upgrade the hose at that time!
xo,
s
Audra says
So I just thought you guys might want to know, you have “paining” holy grail instead of “painting” in the paragraph right before the last picture. You guys do such a great job with this blog. It’s definitely my fav! Keep up the great work, you are so inspiring!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Fixed!
-John
Angela says
Can I just say that it is refreshing to see that in the last photo you got the littlest bit of yellow paint on the bottom of the trim. I was painting our bathroom yesterday and when I got it on the trim I got so mad and said “Sherry never gets paint on her trim!”
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah- I’m keeping it real. Haha. A little paint on the trim doesn’t hurt. Haha.
xo,
s
Sara says
I love the paint color! Isn’t it amazing what a clean laundry room can put you in the mood for… actually doing laundry? ;)
Got a question. What kind of lights are those hanging in the kitchen? And, how high are your ceilings?
We have 8′ ceilings in our house and I see everyone putting in “dangly light fixtures” but I wonder what their ceiling height is? It seems like it would make it feel even lower if there was a light fixture hanging down…
Sara
Oh, and I love your hair Sherry… you look like a movie star!
YoungHouseLove says
Our ceilings are 8′ tall- those lights were here when we moved though, so we don’t have any info for ya. They go over the table so you don’t bump into them though. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Thank God I didn’t click on the video…I already have the song stuck in my head just by reading the title…wouldn’t want to jam it in there all week! :P
Kara says
I am all about your laundry room…love fab! Oh PS, got my hair cut today thanks to you!
Sara says
Show us a pic from the kitchen perspective pretty please? Kthxbye.
YoungHouseLove says
I’ll have to grab one of them for the next update post!
xo,
s
Stephanie B says
Funny that you just posted the video from the Brady Bunch today because I just heard on the radio that the creator of the Brady Bunch died yesterday or this morning, not funny that he died but ironic that you posted that video on this day….. errrr. Anyways… cute laundry room, you guys have officially made me go gaga over light greens.
Lanie says
A CHIN HAIR ON A MOUNTAIN GOAT!?!? You just made my day. I don’t know why I think that is hilarious but I do.
Oh, I want to redo our dingy laundry room soooo bad and do the stackables for more floor space and built in shelving. I love doing laundry and it would make me so happy to have a cheery place to do it and organize everything. But the husband says no more projects this summer since we just finished our hardwoods. I wish it were our jobs to renovate! :)
Jenn says
I love your website! After just buying our first house, we’re in the middle of projects galore and you give me inspiration to do them!
For the trim, we have ugly brown quarter round as well…how did you paint it without getting paint on the floor?
YoungHouseLove says
I just taped it off with green Frog Tape.
xo,
s
Sarah B says
Do you guys line dry any clothes? If you do, do you just stick with the pop-up drying rack? Do you keep it in the laundry room? I always love the cute drying racks like those in Ballard Design and have always been tempted to DIY one, but I don’t really have a good place to put it.
YoungHouseLove says
We lay them out on the windowsill in the living room. Haha. Weird, but it works! I think adding something for drying in there might make things a little tight (it’s a very narrow space- just 3-ish feet wide). We’ll have to see where we end up.
xo,
s
cassie says
wow- i totally remember that song!!! i loved that episode!!!
and the laundry room looks so fresh and cheerful!
Annalea says
lol I haven’t thought about Sunshine Day for decades . . . like two and a half. (And I’m only 35. Man . . . that sounds so much OLDER than 34, which is what I was just a few weeks ago.)
I’m so glad you guys put down the plywood under your machines . . . it really will make all the difference in stiffening up the floor, and helping to reduce wear and tear on the main bearing in the washer.
Now, go forth and launder! ;o)
Melissa says
Gosh, you guys just make me want to paint something! My basement laundry area is pretty gross, I think it needs more than paint.
Courtney says
How in the world do you reach to do the laundry Sherry? This may be something I look into to get out of laundry duty.
YoungHouseLove says
Check out this post.
https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/01/theyre-here/
I can reach! Wahoo.
xo,
s
Kelly says
The paint looks great, you are the painting master! Do you buy new rollers each time you paint, or can they be reused without losing quality? If so, how many times?
YoungHouseLove says
You can wash them out if it’s latex paint (especially right away – don’t let them sit and get crusty). Sometimes we do that and sometimes we just use new ones.
xo,
s
Kelsey says
It is so cheery! It almost makes me want to do laundry. Almost.
Leslie Ann says
I see you mentioned doing a subtle stencil or paint treatment if you need more “mojo” in that room, but have you considered painting a color in the same shade, just a bit darker than the kitchen?
You mentioned that you will be adding tons of white shelving, (along with the tons of white already there from the window, washer/dryer & doorframes) it reminded me of the dark blue paint my mother put on our sunroom walls. Our sunroom is mostly windows, so there is tons of white molding. She decided to paint it a dark blue that is shades darker, but still the same hue of blue in our den (our den is connected to the sunroom by a huuuuge 8-foot-ish wide doorway). The colors were related, so it connected the two rooms really well, but the sunroom still gets to have it’s own identity!!!
Yes, I’m excited about giving our sunroom it’s own identity. I think it’s sad when a room has an identity crisis :P And could you paint experts tell me if I’m using the terms “hue” and “shades” correctly?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yes. Your use of hue and shades make perfect sense to me. Haha. And we did think about sliding one or two tones darker or lighter on the color swatch but we thought since it was such a small room it might be too bold and overwhelming if we went darker and lighter might not be enough fun color, you know? Plus we’re cheap and we had the extra paint leftover from the kitchen so we thought we’d just use that up- haha.
xo,
s
Leslie Ann says
True, it is a bit of an awkward and small space. Maybe I’ll be able to see you guys use the “a couple shades lighter/darker” trick somewhere else in your house :)
YoungHouseLove says
Most likely! You know we love to paint stuff. Haha.
xo,
s
Leslie Ann says
and “bee tee dubs,” your old washer/dryer combo is still performing beautifully at my house! I love having appliances that work, haha :)
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear it! Yay for the ol’ washer/dryer and Craigslist!
xo,
s
kathy says
Hi Guys! LOVE your new kitchen color! Passing along a little photo tutorial about using a photo grey card to achieve the correct color balance in your pics. It’s very EASY and will help you tremendously in the various lighting situations around your home. No need to adjust the White Balance in your camera — all done in post processing in Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw in Bridge (which can also process JPEGs).
http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010/04/06/white-balance-get-accurate-color-using-a-gray-card/
Have a sunshine-y day!!!!
xo
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! I’m so bad at the ol’ camera stuff! Haha.
xo,
s
Megan says
That looks great!
LindseyR says
Laundry room looks awesome — and so does your new cut! (love that john called your pony tail the 5th member of YHL too) Happy Anniversary and you should totally make the hawaii 5 – 0 thing happen!
Amy says
Do you guys know of any free websites that are similar to something you can do on Photoshop when it comes to room design?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, does anyone know of something like this for Amy?
xo,
s
kristen says
are you looking to make moodboards?
if so, i just paste the pictures onto a blank PowerPoint slide and then change the background color to match the wall color in the room…
if not, disregard :)
jenn says
if you mean mood board what i do is crop pictures into paint and re size them so it makes sense. you cant really do a lay out but you can put furniture together, add pillows on top. it looks a little awkward but it gives you an idea.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, there’s also mydeco.com and polyvore.com – they’re both free mood board making sites!
xo,
s
Amy says
I’m looking more for something I can change wall, floor, and fireplace colors with. Also, maybe changing kitchen layout or removing an overhead cabinet to see how it changes the space. I like visuals. =)
YoungHouseLove says
Sites like truevalue.com and benjaminmoore.com have things where you can upload a picture of your room and change the wall colors I think. Anyone know about software to remove things like cabinets? Hmm, not sure.
xo,
s
jenn says
im pretty sure you can go to the ikea website and download what they use to change kitchens. of course you’ll have to use ikea cabinetry but you’ll get the idea. bher.com also has an application to upload photos of your room and change the colours.
Jennifer says
Love the color! I’m a weird-o who’s obsessed with bright and clean laundry rooms. It makes me actually want to do laundry!
Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says
Very cheery (which definitely sets the right mood for when you do laundry)! Love it!
Lindsey @ A Pear to Remember says
Really, loving how bright everything is with this color. Now that we (may) be choosing a small house with lots of dark potential (thankfully NO paneling!), I’m going to have to let go of my dream colors (like the back of your bookshelf) and opt for colors that will brighten like this. A teeny charming hosue of neutrals could be really lovely. I may look to your former hosue photos for inspiration!
You did a fabulous job.
And I’m kind of wild about your artichoke reference… digging those so much these days.
http://theadventuresofculinarylin.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/an-artichoke-affair/
Erin says
It looks wonderful. I am with you on sticking with the same color throughout the kitchen and laundry room, much less choppy looking than 2 colors.
Any tips on painting quarter round? We’ve lived in our house for a year now, thought I could overlook quarter round stained oak to match our floors. I’d love to paint them white to give our baseboard a bit more weight, but I’m afraid I will munge them up and get paint on the hardwood floors.
YoungHouseLove says
I just taped off the floor with Frog Tape to make it error proof and went to town with three thin and even coats of paint. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessi says
I love everything about your quaint litty laundry space, from the white molding around the windows to the limey color on the walls. It’s crazy how much a little bit of paint can change a room. I’m in the process right now of trying to pick a color for my washroom and bedroom and something along the lines of this is definitely going somewhere.
The tip about putting plywood below the washing machine is a great one too. Unstable washing machines can definitely lead to unnecessary wear and tear, which no one wants. Like you said, the fix is simple but can give your machine a few extra years of life.
Thanks for sharing!
Jill says
Looks great! We have a hideously long & large fuse box in our bedroom… it turned out to be a great place to hang a full length mirror! Bye bye fuse box!
Are you going to hang some fabulous chandelier in this room? There is something so awesome about elegance in a place of washing clothes. My washer/dryer is in the garage, so I’m not sure I can pull it off. Maybe next house…
YoungHouseLove says
I won’t say I’m not thinking about it! Haha.
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
Looks even better in that room. Love it. Cannot wait to see what else you do in there!
Jenny A. says
Delurking to say hahahahaha – Bobby’s heartfelt solos!!!! That always cracks me up.
YoungHouseLove says
Total womanizer. Haha.
xo,
s
Olivia says
Love, LOVE the yellow and white trim.
You really make my place look bad, haha… just kidding, kinda :)~
Olivia
“I am still learning”
http://jojfamily.blogspot.com/
Stephanie says
I am so happy you used that bright color in your laundry room! Ours is completely windowless, in the basement and I used the brightest, cheery yellow I could find. With the white appliances and hopefully soon there will be white shelving units and cupboards, it just looks so cheery and clean! Yay!
Beth C says
The laundry room looks great (and, oddly, I’m coveting Marcia’s shorts/skort!).
jenn says
what did the previous owners use those tiny little weird shelves for?
YoungHouseLove says
They treated that area like an extended pantry (think cereal boxes and crackers and stuff). We just thought since the door swings open (and blocks) that area that we’d rather take ’em down since we can fit everything into the pantry/cabinet.
xo,
s
Whitney says
Great color- it looks so fresh! And your looks great too!
We must be on the same sunshiny wave length this week… I used the BB Sunshine Day in my blog post earlier this week :) (Ironic too that the BB creator just passed away this week… a little tribute to the wholesomeness he created!)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes- we all remember that show (his creation) so fondly!
xo,
s
Candice says
Hey now, you aren’t making fun of my Bradys are you? Marcia Marcia Marcia (otherwise known as Maureen) was my girl crush when I was in high school back in the 70s. I finally met her at her book signing a couple years ago.
I love the color you guys selected for the kitchen and laundry. Maybe I should paint my laundry again. I have painted it about six times and never like the color so my last color was antique white! My condo has neighbors on both sides and behind so I only have windows at the front of the condo and none in the bathrooms, laundry and kitchen which are in the back. No sunshine day at my house without turning on lights even in the day!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. No way, I love the Brady’s. I wanted to be Marcia and I counted when I brushed my hair just like her.
xo,
s
Jill LeBaron says
Love the new color in the kitchen and laundry room; it looks beautiful and cheery! I have a question for you about painting metal…have you guys ever painted a metal door? I have two doors, that are both metal and they desperately need a fresh coat of paint. I’m not sure what steps I should take to make them look new again…any ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I’ve helped John’s sister paint her metal door. It wasn’t flaking or peeling (just needed a fresh color) so we didn’t sand or anything. We just used a foam roller to apply thin and even coats of exterior semi-gloss paint in our color of choice. Didn’t unhang it or anything, just did it in place (thin and even is key). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Patricia says
not to sound totally dim-witted but what is the risk with the dryer hose? Maybe I need to be more concerned about ours? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not really experts, but something about a saggy not-metal hose (I think it’s plastic with aluminum foil stuff on the outside) poses a fire risk and a rigid all metal one is supposed to be a lot safer since lint won’t build up in the sagging part and the tube itself isn’t as combustible. Apparently some home inspectors tell you this and some don’t (ours didn’t mention it, but there was a lot of stuff in the way so maybe he couldn’t see it). Glad to take that precaution though!
xo,
s