See my daughter’s darling, budget-friendly, DIY laundry room makeover, and how peel & stick wallpaper was used to add personality and pattern. Easy updates like a chair rail and new cabinets turned this drab and dark room into a fun place to do the laundry!
As someone who used to live in a 1960’s home, where the laundry was in the basement, a bright and cheerful laundry room is very exciting! My daughter and her boyfriend recently finished a laundry room makeover, and there are some very good and budget-friendly ideas, so I’m here to share the process. When Elizabeth told me they were hanging wallpaper in the laundry room, I immediately thought it would be a huge job, but one small design decision saved the day. They were able to complete the entire project in a weekend.
Before the makeover, the laundry room was very basic. It had plain walls, and a wire shelf over the washer and dryer. Functional, but not very pretty. The makeover consisted of three steps. The first thing they did was hang the wallpaper. After that, Darren installed new cabinets, and then they added all the finishing touches. Read on for all the details!
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Step 1: Peel & Stick Wallpaper
The laundry room was already painted Sherwin Williams Ellie Gray, so they saved time and money by wallpapering just the top half of the room. They were able to avoid moving the washer & dryer, which would have been a huge and time-consuming job. They used peel & stick wallpaper, and said that it couldn’t have been easier to install. They had experimented with the peel & stick wallpaper in another room before attempting to do the laundry room, so it was quick and easy. If you love the look of wallpaper, but don’t want it permanently stuck to your walls, this peel & stick option is the way to go. It’s removeable and moveable…which means that during installation, you can take it off and put it back on as many times as it takes to get it right!
Here are a few tips in case you want to try peel & stick wallpaper yourself:
- Use a dry erase board eraser to smooth out the wallpaper as each strip is hung. It will take care of all the air pockets, and each strip will blend seamlessly with the next.
- If your peel & stick wallpaper has a pattern, make sure the pattern lines up before placing the strips on the wall. Take one wall at a time, and place the strips on the floor to make sure they are cut correctly.
- Leave at least a two inch overhang on the top and bottom of each strip for trimming.
Step 2: Cabinet Installation
Once the wallpaper was up, Darren installed white cabinets over the washer and dryer. They chose white shaker doors to match the rest of the cabinetry in the house. One of Elizabeth’s main goals for this makeover was to hide as much clutter as she could. By removing the open wire shelf, and hanging closed cabinets, she was able to completely transform that side of the room into a neat and tidy space. Another great idea was filling in the space between the cabinets and the wall with a rod for hanging clothes.
Step 3: Chair Rail Installation
Adding an architectural feature to any room in your home is always a good idea. Some examples are board and batten, crown molding, extra trim molding, or a chair rail. In this case the chair rail was necessary to cover the raw edge of the wallpaper, but it did much more than that. By painting the chair rail white, it tied in the white cabinetry, the washer and dryer, and the white in the wallpaper. Even though it’s a very small room, by repeating the white accents, the room became cohesive and charming.
When it came to the accessories, they kept everything minimal. They used the wall signs they already had, and added a small bench in the corner. Because the laundry room has no natural light, Darren installed a new, industrial style ceiling light. It not only looks better, it adds so much more light than the builder-grade fixture that was there before.
Laundry Room Makeover Sources
- NuWallpaper Oopsie Daisy Peel & Stick Wallpaper
- Laundry Co. Metal Wall Plaque
- White cabinets
- Cabinet knobs
- Ceiling light
- Velvet hangers
- Ikea Hemnes white bench
- Basket with handles (similar)
- Lost socks sign (similar)
- Wall paint: Sherwin Williams Ellie Gray
- Trim paint: Sherwin Williams Pure White
We had to remove decades-old wallpaper when we moved in, an awful job when prior owners had painted over it instead of removing it! Anyway just updated a half bath with a lovely paper and added beadboard. Love it! Very large pattern in a very small room works brilliantly
A laundry room that would make want to do laundry. It is such a beautiful transformation. My niece using this peel and stick wallpaper and she said it’s very easy to work with. It’s funny to see on these decorating shows they use wall paper but when someone is looking at a property all they complain about is that it is wallpapered, so go figure. I did a makeover in our master bath with a very traditional wallpaper with a black background. Only on one wall, it was stunning. When we listed our house to sell the listing agent said I had to remove the wallpaper. That wasn’t an option…the people that purchased the house loved the accent wall.
Beautiful laundry room I’m glad they updated wallpaper . I have use the glue type years ago in my daughters bedrooms I like a wallpaper
As always, your instructions are clear and the photos help very much. What a pretty space they created. My laundry room in our downsized love it home is between the garage and the Kitchen. I love having it there.
They did a great job. It seems your daughter has your talent for decorating. Beautiful.
This laundry room is so lovely that I redid mine! Thank you for all of the inspiration!
Love the laundry room!
Do you recommend any “brand ” of peel and stick wallpaper? I assume they are not all the same in quality or use – ability. .
This room turned out so pretty. I agree that doing laundry, especially in a basement, would be much more pleasant in such a nice space. I would guess the lack of clutter from the cabinets make the room feel larger.
Love it! Looks great, bring on the laundry!
Wow! I love the way their laundry room looks!!