Cheater Laundry Room Makeover

7 Materials
1 Day
Easy

In the process of moving from our former townhouse to our current bungalow, my Hubby and I lost some square footage - including a functioning basement - but we gained pretty great features, like a main floor laundry room! It feels like such a luxury to me. Unfortunately, our laundry room is also the very first room you see when you enter our house, plus it's the only access to the guest powder room. It's also a makeshift mudroom, and where our dog eats and sleeps. Our electrical panel and attic access is in there too. It's a hardworking room and one day we intend to renovate it - perhaps reconfigure the two rooms, purchase new appliances, add more storage, etc. For now, though, I wanted to be able to hide it all when guests come. I air dry many of my clothes, using an indoor dry rack in the winter months, and didn't relish the thought of airing my clean - or dirty - laundry to guests. With a small budget, we came up with a simple and functional solution: a pretty curtain to hide it all!

Here is the before. It already had some white melamine cabinets for storage, which have been handy. But I wasn't a fan of the yellow and the oak trim, especially because the rest of my house has all-white walls and trim, and I wanted this room to blend in.

Simply painting the walls, ceiling and trim white really brightened up the space. Did I mention that there's actually no window in this room (only a small one in the half bath beyond it). Here's a post with more photos of the progress at this stage: http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.ca/2014/03/laundry-room-clean-slate.html

After painting, Hubby and I added a simple ceiling mounted curtain track. I love the track but it came with some brackets that I didn't like so we just drilled right through the track so it sits flush: http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.ca/2014/05/an-attracktive-laundry-room-solution.html

My Mom and I worked on the curtains together and devised our plan of action as a team. We could have attached the clips to the back of the curtain, but we didn't want the curtain to drag across the ceiling or rub against the track. We figured that if seeing the track and the clips bothers us, we can simply add a small, modern "valence" of sorts but I've actually preferred the convenience of this because every now and then the hooks do come off the track and it's easier this way to reach them and pop them back in. Plus, in a photo like this you notice these things but day to day I don't notice anything on the ceiling.

The gathers help the curtains drape nicely and they're very easy to open and close - no fussing with them to get them to drape evenly, they just fall perfectly when the curtain is moved.

An invisible, hand sewn hem keeps it looking neat and they just touch the floor. I try to keep the floors clean in here because it sees a lot of foot traffic. When I wash the floors I just rest the curtains on the washer and dryer momentarily. So far, these curtains haven't gotten dirty - just a little dust that a lint roller easily removed. I did pre-wash and shrink them, so they can easily be laundered once it gets to that point. Picking a cream and turquoise fabric, as opposed to white, likely helps disguise any dirt too (shhh, don't tell my grandma that I pick fabrics so they'll hide dirt - she'll be mortified).

Of course, in my dreams I'd love new appliances, so new storage cabinets, a new laundry basin. Mine came with the house and are all at least 13 years old (the washer and dryer might be older), but they're in good condition and will serve us well while we save up. At least this way, they're out of sight when I need them to be and I can pretend that there is a gloriously modern laundry room behind the curtain:

My Mom and I also made my dog a matching quilt because we had bought extra fabric (not certain how much it would shrink in the washer and dryer).

Because this is "her room" also, my dog was deeply suspicious of the changes at first. Happily, she's never been tempted to chew the curtains or peer behind them when she's left alone.

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  • Bj Bj on Nov 01, 2018

    What is behind the curtain that you wanted hidden?


  • Laurie Carmack Laurie Carmack on Nov 08, 2018

    Where did you purchase the metal drying rack between cabinets? Incredible job ......love this idea

  • Carol Cole Carol Cole on Sep 07, 2023

    Would a king sized sheet work as well as a curtain. Maybe I missed something. I like it.

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  • Carol Cole Carol Cole on Dec 19, 2022

    I have no idea what you hid.

    • Teresa Teresa on Sep 07, 2023

      She wants new appliances so is hiding the ones she doesnt like. First world problems

  • Sandra Sandra on Jan 29, 2023

    I loved the room I have an old wooden drying rack given to me years ago but it needs a paint job. My laundry room sits off my bedroom I live in a one bedroom apartment. I think I’ll redo my dresser with something quiet but pretty and new knobs. Thanks

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