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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

LAUNDRY ROOM ORGANIZATION REFRESH


I have partnered with At Home as a member of the At Home Inspiration Team for this sponsored post and am happy to share their products with you!  All opinions are mine alone.





It's hard to believe, but it's been 5 years since I completed my laundry room makeover.  In fact, it was probably my first big reveal after I started blogging!  While it's still mostly ok on the design side, things have really gone downhill organization wise and I needed to get in there and do a little re-vamp!

I can't believe I'm actually going to show you these, but this was the current state of the room last week:


Ugh!  If it isn't obvious, I had reached the point where everything was just kind of shoved in the cabinets without any kind of rhyme or reason.  And, I know for sure there were things in those cabinets that I hadn't touched in 5 years.

Here's the other side, complete with one of my BIGGEST design headaches... the litter box!!


I mean, yuck.  It's a necessary evil, but disguising them isn't always easy or practical.  What I wouldn't give for a basement to tuck it away in, but really the laundry room is the only logical spot to put it in our house.  This side of the room definitely was cat territory, complete with an underutilized hook rack holding a million plastic bags waiting to be used to scoop the poop.


I knew some things in the room needed to be addressed, and when browsing At Home for this month's Inspiration Team post, some ideas began forming in my head.  As I walked the aisles I realized they had everything I needed for a laundry room organization makeover, AND, I even came up with a plan to battle my decorating nemesis... the litter box!

First off, I needed to address the cabinets.  I evaluated my situation and realized that I was shoving the things that I used most often into the fronts of the cabinets that I could reach, and whatever was in the back was no man's land.  I knew that organizing with some storage containers would not only make things tidier, but things would be easier to access if I could slide a basket out and get what I needed from inside.

I started by emptying all of cabinets out, sorting things into like piles, and throwing away a few bags full of outdated items and things I no longer used.  I had a general idea of where everything would go back, so I knew what type and how many containers I would need to organize the shelves.


There are literally aisles and aisles of storage and organization products at At Home.  I had specific measurements for my cabinet shelves, and there were plenty of options between plastic bins, wicker baskets, metal storage, canvas cubes, and woven baskets that I was able to find an option just right for my needs.


As an aside, I don't like storage baskets that slope in on the side too much, I think that's just wasted space and you can't fit as many things inside.  So, I was excited that these straight-sided baskets were just the right size to fit side by side on my shelves.  I made some tags with card stock and labels that I had on hand, and added them to each basket so everyone will know at a glance which one to reach for when they need something.


I grabbed a few glass storage canisters from At Home for detergent pods and dryer sheets, I loved that they come with the chalkboard labels already attached!  How cute would those be for a candy jar or kitchen canisters, too?  The wood top canister that I used on my beverage cart for treats comes in really handy for holding clothes pins, too!


And, when it all came together... Ahhhh!  Organized bliss, with room to spare!


Now, for the kitty corner!  I'd been thinking about how to try to hide the litter box some way, but hadn't come up with the right idea yet.  Someday I might like some built-in cubbies on the wall with the hooks, and thought about trying to build in a hidden section for the litter box, but I needed a solution in the mean time.  I stumbled across this moroccan side table among the huge selection of accent furniture at At Home, and inspiration struck!

At Home moroccan inspired side table, accent furniture

It was tall enough and wide enough for the litter box to fit underneath it, yet still narrow enough to fit well in the limited space.  I have seen this design at At Home for a while, and it catches my eye every time, so I was overjoyed that it was the perfect piece for this project!  The apron sides and cut out legs made the design just right to add a little "curtain" under the table to disguise the litter box.

how to hide a litter box, mudroom drop spot, moroccan furniture, laundry room organization, mudroom

I'll show you next week how I put it together (update- see the tutorial here!), but it was super easy and I'm so excited to have the big ugly box hidden away!  The table is light weight enough to lift and move without effort when we need to clean around it, and the box pulls in and out easily for the kids to clean it out.


We're getting Chief and Scout used to the idea of crawling through the curtain to their kitty cave, but they go under the dust ruffle on the beds all the time so I didn't think this would be too different.


Another bonus of adding the table is that I have a dedicated drop spot in this room now.  We really come in and out of the garage, so whatever is in our hands gets dumped in the kitchen.  However, I'd like to get into the habit of using this room as more of a mudroom, too, and hanging our bags and purses there as well as dropping keys or mail on the table.


laundry room, storage hooks, mudroom organization
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I cleaned out the cabinet under the sink as well, and used the old laundry pods container to stuff plenty of plastic bags in (why yes I did spray paint it white!!), grabbed a container to hold the scooper out of sight, and added this cute scalloped trash can from At Home since I never even had one in the room before!  Not the prettiest photo to ever grace this blog, but it's progress!


Other than some major organization improvements, I made a few design tweaks to the room as well.  I had tired of the zebra accents that were there previously, so I removed the zebra printed mats from the gallery wall and replaced them with plain white (this mat cutter has more than paid for itself over the years I've had it!).  I also switched out the zebra knobs from the cabinet doors to a colorful pattern.

laundry room organization, how to hide the litter box, gallery wall, mudroom

This sink is where all the grubby shoes get scrubbed, paint brushes get washed, and whatever else dirty work that needs to be done, so it needed a good scrub down.  Some new slim velvet covered hangers from At Home make the hanging bar a little more presentable and are ready for some clean laundry!

laundry room sink, mudroom, gallery wall
(I wish that pink flower artwork showed up better in the photo, my amazing niece drew it for me!)


So really, with just a few hours and a few supplies, our laundry room is ready to roll again for the next 5 years!  Think it will make it that long before I redecorate in there?  :)

Laundry room, gallery wall, mudroom drop spot, how to hide the litter box

I hope you got a few ideas today if you have a space that needs some organization too.  What is YOUR biggest design headache?



Hope to see you back here tomorrow, we'll have a little blog birthday celebration!! 



 photo jennifersignaturetwo_zps56f3de87.png

Would you like to comment?

  1. your litter box solution is fantastic and stylish! everything looks great!

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  2. Looks awesome Jennifer! Love the kitty spot! Such a fun space :)

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  3. The table/litter box looks good but doesn't the door bang into it all the time? Might it be better pushed further into the corner? Do the curtains cover the short ends as well? - I would think that the cats may well prefer at least one open end so that they can see what's what.

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    1. The photo is deceiving of the space, there's actually plenty of room for the door to open. If it's further in the corner I can't use the hooks. We're short on wall space but this arrangement is working well for our needs. And, the sides are covered too but we have the curtain on one of them pulled back so the cats can come and go easily.

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  4. Everything looks great - BUT - I wouldn't put the poor kitties' food right there next to their litter box. I have read/heard this can cause problems. I mean we wouldn't want our kitchen table next to the potty would we? LOL

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    1. Good point! The food is actually not usually there, but across the room. The curtain on the side of the table keeps everything contained too, though.

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  5. I like the litter box solution, very creative.

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  6. I think you should start a column of "other people's design and organizational dilemma's". I would be more than happy to submit pictures, then we could meet at At Home and you can tell me what to buy. (New reader from Moore - love your style. It has "heavily influenced" my living room redo!)

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  7. Looks great. Just wish we had more room under sinks. With all the pluming it's hard to make it look clean, and not junky. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Your laundry room looks amazing! This post couldn't have come at a better time, because I'm working on my own laundry room this week with very similar problems! We'll be getting kittens in the very near future, which means I need to made a hidden space for their litter box. Your idea was brilliant!

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  9. Love your litter box solution! So clever and pretty! I've been using those diaper sacks to scoop the litter into. They're supposed to be used for disposing of used diapers, but work equally well for scooping litter into. Dollar Tree has them in the baby section and there's about 50 in each box and they're scented too. And a bonus is the tiny, flat box they come in is easy to store. Just a thought. :)

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    1. Oh, I'll have to look for those bags! The kids have to take it outside to the trash immediately after they scoop, but those would be nice to have on hand. Thanks for the suggestion Lisa!

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  10. Another super fun colorful room!

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  11. what a beautiful laundry room!!!

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  12. That litter box solution is so smart Jennifer! The table is really cute and I'm glad you found a way to incorporate it into your house!

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  13. It turned out just fantastic i love it all but I love love the kitty litter box idea. Well done :-)

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  14. I hadn't thought about "litterbox camo," what a cute idea! I did invest in a box with a cover, made a huge difference, but visually a real yawn. I'll be copying this idea! PS - I stored my plastic bags like that too, so unattractive, but one or two each day, at least they're being recycled. As long as they're still free at the grocery store, I will continue to use them instead of throwing them out. I hadn't thought about repurposing the empty litter/food container for storage of these, another winning suggestion! Great job, such a cheerful room!!

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  15. Oh Your cabinet looks great!!! Love the basket and the kitty center is adorable!

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  16. That litter box is amazing! And what handsome kitties! I actually love organizing my laundry room. It only happens once or twice a year, but it's theraputic!

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  17. LOVE this litter box idea! I might have to do this!!

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  18. The litter box idea is awesome! You did a great job!

    Katie

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  19. OOOO I had to giggle at your cat box idea-- which IS a great one.

    My box is in the laundry room---er CLOSET. I cannot tell a minister's wife the words I say every time I drop something FROM the drier INTO the box(and why is it usually MY undies???)

    On Tuesday we start a major house reno... I didn't end up with my dream of a dedicated laundry ROOM but the washer drier is going into the garage and the contractor said he's add a cat door to the one dividing the house from the garage. Now I'm just wondering if the cat is smart enough to figure it all out!

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    1. Ha ha ha, I am laughing so hard reading your comment, mainly because I can totally relate! A cat door sounds like a great solution, and good luck on the reno!

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  20. Love what you did with your litter box!!

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  21. Love the coffee table over the letterbox with curtains! Perfect! If ours weren't hidden already I'd be doing this!

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