Thursday, May 6, 2010

Big [Belated] Reveal - MIL's Laundry Room

I brought you the big reveal of my Mother-In-Law's Master Bathroom not long after I completed it back in February. Now I have another to bring you. For some reason, I had forgotten to share it with you until I walked into it the other day and it slammed me in the face. It said, 'This is the room you love, the room you would sleep in if you slept here, your favorite room in this whole house, the room you still have to stop and stare at when you come over... why have you not shared it with the world!??' and I said, 'Duh!' So here it is.

This is the view from the entry way into the laundry room...


The red wall is Ruby Dusk by Benjamin Moore, and matches the garnet colored flecks in the granite counters. I found a fabric that went great with our peachy orange, burgundy and plum color scheme and copied valances after some I saw in a catalog. Debbie had just had the granite and cabinetry re-done to match the kitchen cabinetry when I came on this job. Having to share my one full bath with the washer and dryer at my house, I greatly admire that big spacious counter top and imagine myself folding clothes there in nice, neatly sorted piles... though does anyone actually fold clothes in their laundry room? I have yet to see someone actually doing that. Well, if this were my laundry room, I would!

Moving on, in a clockwise direction, toward the washer and dryer...


I usually end up coming up with our color schemes, and picking out most of the big furniture items, wall art or shelving, and accessories when I decorate for Debbie. But she never fails to bring something to each room. She thinks she is terrible at decorating decisions, but she always finds perfect finishing touches, like the rug above, which brings in all the colors from the room beautifully, though it doesn't show well in the photo. She also contributed those cute star hooks and the corner laundry basket that fits perfectly behind the door. Good job Debbie!

Continuing in a clockwise direction, on either side of the pantry, we have the peg-rails!!


I'm sorry but I get a little excited about peg-rails! I came up with the idea to install them on either side of the pantry, and a carpenter friend of mine built them for me. He built them strong enough that he could hang from them. Crazy! This way they will stand the test of time... and the test of Debbie's 14 grand children! On the left, the pegs on top are bigger, and there are smaller pegs on the bottom rail, just right for the little ones to reach. Debbie stole that pottery barn bench from one of the bedrooms I decorated in her basement, and I didn't argue because it was just perfect there. Out of the way of the door and provides a great place to sit and put on your shoes, and also ties in the black touches scattered around the rest of the room. Good job again, Debbie! And on the right side of the pantry, the pegs are spaced closely together, so they can hold brooms and other cleaning tools.

Here is a closeup of the construction, consisting of 1x4's on the top rail or 1x3's on the bottom (shown), with holes drilled for the pegs, and countersunk screws into the wall studs, covered with wood plugs. I stained all the woodwork before we installed it.


One more thing I must point out is the lighting...


It is the Gimbal track light system by Portfolio purchased at Lowe's and I love it! It kind of has a casual, utility feel to it, and goes anywhere. Debbie was not so sure until we got it installed and then she liked it. We also put it in her bathroom, office (oh, I need to bring you that reveal, too!) and the living room, entry and kitchen! Muuuuch better than the old brass track light systems from when they built the house!

Similar to my nursery re-do, a sort of 'theme' developed as I worked on this room, which Debbie pointed out. It started with this print that I found...


It says 'live simply' and has the barn style stars. Well then actual barn stars went above the peg rails, Debbie found some star wall hooks and I found another star print...


and I found a star wine rack...

And Debbie picked up this plaque for above the door...


So did you notice the 'theme' before I pointed it out? Is it too themey for you, or does it all flow?

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