Dirty Laundry

Never thought a laundry room could make me so happy.

Although I still haven't had a chance to sit down for the money talk with you, suffice it to say that the international credit crisis has put a damper on a lot of our renovation for the time. So instead of mapping out grand plans for what our next project will be, we've been choosing them based on what we absolutely under no circumstances can tollerate any more. Case in point: The laundry room. What made this room a particular nuisance before we redid it, was that it was adjacent to the kitchen and so visible from all the front rooms, and also that we tore the ugly linoleum floors out months ago to see what was underneath. The tar paper that we found below was torn up and mottled black and no matter how much cleaning we gave it, it still felt disgusting under your feet.

The reason we didn't do this room earlier is that we couldn't decide if the look of the room should be an extension of the kitchen, or of the back bathroom which has yet to be designed. Before our money issues cropped up we had visions of extending the room out and creating some space, but in the end we dumped those in favor of getting the project DONE.

Here's a breakdown of the project:

Doors:

Home depot. The one leading outside is alderwood, which I love. Very little grain. I think it cost about $300. The one leading to the kitchen is oak, which I don't like nearly as much. Something about the grain gives a really traditional look to wherever you put it. We learned a thing or two about our own tastes in stain during this project. We've always leaned toward a really dark stain for the trim elements, but in this case we chose this light chestnut stain and were really happy with the result.

Window:

Believe it or not, that little bitty window cost about $400. Same brand and style of the rest of the windows in the house, Superior in vinyl purchased through Lowe's. I felt that it's small size and extremely high placement was a bit of a creative risk, but it was also the only way I could see to fit a window in there and also meet the practical needs of the room: A stacked washer and a large storage space, like a broom closet, pantry or even just a big rack full of supplies. Since I took these pictures we've gone with the rack option, and I couldn't be happier. The window really worked out.

Paint:

We found a color called "Butter" on sale at Restoration Hardware that we thought coordinated nicely with the Arabian Red of the kitchen. But they didn't have it in anything glossy enough for a laundry room. I took the paint chip/sample to home depot and they matched it perfectly in a paint texture called "kitchen and bath" which allegedly resists mildew.

Tile:

Same we used in the kitchen. Porcelain tile from California Tile in Burbank. This turned out to be a good choice because extending the tile from the kitchen with that clear door makes the kitchen feel bigger.

Light:

Restoration Hardware, on sale for $79. You know, it's not that I'm a fan of Restoration Hardware. Those mall chain stores never thrill me. I hate Pottery Barn, and I might hate West Elm even more for posing as high design. But it just happens that I keep finding things at Restoration Hardware that work.

Labor:

Clearly the most expensive part at $3,500. Francisco, of Castro Construction went off the grid for a while, but thankfully returned just long enough to get us through this job. He's about to be a daddy, so congrats Francisco!

Door Hardware:

Omnia Industries, Inc. Style 32 Latchset in stainless steel purchased from ATG Stores online. We liked the way this style echoed the knobs on our kitchen cabinets.

And that's it for this room. Amazing how even a project as small as this can feel mammoth when you're going through it. The dust. The washer and dryer in your dining room. The parade of workers going in and out. But looking at the before and after shots, I'd say it was worth it. Take a look below for the after shots.