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I’m excited to announce that, for the first time ever, I am going to be a Guest Participant in the One Room Challenge! If you haven’t heard of The One Room Challenge, it’s a way to encourage participants to share the process of transforming a room in just 5 weeks. I’m excited to be transforming the Crhacienda laundry room during the Fall 2019 ORC! There are tons of projects to do in my 89-year old home, but the laundry room annoys me on a daily basis so it moved up on the priority list. I’m hoping that it won’t be too much for me to finish by the 5-week deadline since it’s a small room (only 5’x7′). Keep reading for all the details, the design plan, and the grisly before photos.

 

If you clicked through from the ORC site, howdy! I’m Shaun Crha, an interior designer in Los Angeles, CA. I post about my client projects and the renovations of my own Spanish bungalow home (the Crhacienda) on my blog. Thank you for reading!

 

FLOOR PLAN

 

Some of you might not have read my previous posts about the Crhacienda, so here’s a refresh of my home’s floor plan below.

As you can see, the laundry room is smack in the middle of the house. It’s usually so messy we keep the door closed (out of sight, out of mind?). It really bothers me that the room is so utilitarian because a big part of my job is to make beautiful rooms.

 

BEFORE IMAGES

 

 

I’m not going to lie, I already cleaned up some things before I took this photo because I was so embarrassed. It just became a catch-all room to dump things like cleaning supplies, extra blankets, dry cleaning,  and off-season clothes. We added the storage shelves when we moved in because 1930s homes aren’t exactly known for their spacious walk-in closets. Ultimately, I think they just encouraged us to keep more than we needed. We KonMari’d our way through quite a few weekends and we were finally able to remove the shelves. It’s hard to see here, but the lower shelf actually extends over the washer so you bump it every time you load or unload it. And the laundry hamper stops the washer door from opening completely. Ugggghhhhh, it’s just so bad.

 

 

Every surface of the laundry room is going to get some sprucing up except the floors. The previous owner of the Crhacienda retiled the floors just before we bought the house and while it’s not my dream tile, they aren’t offensive enough to justify the cost associated with replacing them. One of my husband’s favorite sayings is “they’re already paid for!” So they’re staying.

 

Before I jumped into the project I had to think about what we needed from the room when it was finished. We’re going to solve a few problems by adding closed storage so we don’t have to stare at hampers and laundry supplies anymore. Does anyone else feel more like an adult when your messes are hidden behind closed doors? With the shelves gone the laundry units will be that much more accessible and easy to use. Finally, stacking the machines creates room for the new cabinetry and a countertop for folding. We’re still going to need some hanging space for clothes and towels so we’re installing a wall-mounted drying rack.

 

DESIGN PLAN

 

 

Function is a top priority in the laundry room, but it still has to be pretty! The home’s original “laundry room” was a closed-in back porch where the owners had a washer installed in the 1950s. They never had a dryer and used a clothesline until the day they moved out of the house. We want this laundry room to feel like it could have been in the house in the 1930s. We’re installing classic white shaker cabinets, an awesome soapstone countertop, a tiled backsplash, some period-appropriate wainscot, and new paint all around.

 

The pièce de résistance will be a new skylight. Talk about burying the lead, right? This room and its freaky shadows have always bothered me. So we’re installing a Velux sun tunnel to bring some much needed natural light into the room. It’s going to be amazing, and the model we picked will still have a light fixture in it for when we are doing laundry at night. I think I’m most excited about the skylight if I’m being honest because natural light is an essential part of good design.

 

 

I can’t wait to get started. No home project would be complete without some unexpected obstacles along the way, but I’m motivated to see this little room come to life. I’ll be posting each week through Week 6 for the final reveal of the completed Crhacienda laundry room!

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