Spring Flowers & Bright Whites: A Laundry Room Refresh

I’m so excited to write this blog post today! Have you heard of the #OneRoomChallenge ? I stumbled upon it one year ago. I kept seeing the #OneRoomChallenge hashtag pop up on posts from interior design and DIY bloggers that I follow on Instagram, but wasn’t really sure what it meant. I really took notice of it this past Fall 2018, when I saw the master bedroom reveal by Sugar & Cloth. Her room was a beautiful retreat (of course!) , but I also thought to myself, “ How can I be a part of this?!”

So, let me pay if forward and tell you what the ORC really is. It’s a challenge, not a contest, that supports and inspires creatives in the design community to complete a single room design and installation in just 6 weeks. In 2011, the creator of the challenge wanted to finish a room in her own home, and invited her friends to do the same- and the rest is history! This is the exact motivation and comradery I need right now. We moved into our home 3 weeks after my first son was born. Now, my toddler is almost 3 years old, and my baby just turned 1 year old last week. Needless to say, I haven’t had much time to focus on my home- Lol.

Since the fall, my plan was to do a complete makeover on our kitchen for the ORC. But, we’re still living on one income so that will wait for another time. I considered re-designing my nursery into a room for two, but I’m still not sure if my baby is ready to join his big bro. Then, I realized which room might be more important than all the rest…..my LAUNDRY ROOM. Yes, it is the smallest space, and really only fits 1 person comfortably, but it will make such a positive impact on our lives.

I DREAD doing the laundry, and I always have. But, I’m not going to lie, after watching “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo“ on Netflix, I am starting to change my mindset about it. I took the time to fold all of my baby’s clothes and organize it in drawers as she suggests. I want laundry to become a time to refresh and know I’m helping my family, rather than a chore that never seems to end. So, how can I incorporate this idea into an interior

I began my search for inspiration artwork a little different than usual. Instead of looking for artwork, I searched for laundry room quotes on Etsy. . Yes, they are out there (seriously!). I tagged a handful of them. Some were more literal, some were humorous, but there was just something clean and simple about the quote image I was was inspired by DecorAmoreStore: “So fresh & so clean.” That just sums it up for me! When we want to refresh for Springtime, we do Spring Cleaning. After a long day, we take a shower. After a week of messy mealtimes and baby spit up? Well, we do the laundry and clean our clothes, right? This quote resonates with me, and the feel I want in my laundry room, without being in your face saying THIS IS A LAUNDRY ROOM.

Even though the quote graphic is black and white, but my color palette is inspired by the rest of my home: neutral pink (millennial pink), navy blue, straw yellow, and grey. I want the laundry room to feel like part of my home, not like a utility room or an afterthought, or as if it were in the garage. As a mom of 2 boys, I know I will continue to spend a lot of time doing laundry, so I want to feel beautiful in there. Which brings me to spring flowers.

I certainly do not have a green thumb, and I flinch at the buzz of a bee jumping from flower to flower in a garden, but I love floral artwork. After all, rose is part of my name. I think using a floral print in my current dungeon of a laundry room will give the illusion of feeling a crisp breeze in the fresh air. The floral fabric is going to be the focal point of my whole design, but I’ll reveal more about that next week!

BTW- This is what my laundry room looks like now… (Ahh, so embarrassing)

It makes me sad… It’s completely utilitarian, but honestly, I’m not sure that’s a fair assessment. It doesn’t even function properly. I added the baker’s rack for storage, but usually it’s a mess of towels, burp cloths, laundry, and shoes. My husband installed the second shelf above the laundry units, but now it just looks even more cluttered up above. The vacuum, Swiffer, and yoga ball don’t have a real home, and are always in the way. Our shoe cabinet from our previous home works when we utilize it regularly. But like I said, I don’t like going in there, and I haven’t treated the room with the respect or attention it deserves. Okay, enough of that… Don’t get depressed! I’m still working on it, but I know my new laundry room is going to be REFRESHING & AMAZING.

To Do List: