Friday, February 7, 2014

five on friday (home tour: laundry room/mudroom)

the laundry room and the mudroom were the most important rooms in the house in designing the house. 

unfortunately, not everyone felt the same way, so there were a lot of problems with this area as we were building.  mainly, it was made much smaller than the plans originally said.  not enough space was not ok for this space, but luckily my mom came through and figured out how to fit everything in.

although not all of the problems were resolved, it is still one of my favorite rooms in the house!

welcome
look at that beautiful blue.  still love it every time i see it.

the mudroom/laundry room is right next to the master bedroom

this area was the most important, because it had to have enough room for:

  • dog's kennels
  • place to hang jackets, and for shoes
  • countertop for folding/cat food
  • hampers
  • washer/dryer
  • sink
  • broom closet

1. behind the door to the mudroom is the dogs kennels, nicely tucked away under a countertop

there is a door so that if people come over, all i have to say is 'kennel' and they will run in there and i just have to shut the door to keep them from jumping all over our guests.  this is nice so they don't always have to be in their kennels.  so far, they don't scratch at the door.

the Boston Terrier sign, says 'a house is not a home without a Boston'

i also insisted on having the cabinets above them, because that's where all their goodies are kept. (this will be in a later post)

if we end up getting a fourth dog (which is something we are considering), or when we have a foster (and if both happen, that means space for 5 dogs!), i'm not sure where she/they will go, but i'm sure we will figure it out.


2.  ok, i know this looks pathetic, but until we find a solution, it is working for us.  we have a place for jackets and shoes, it's just not the prettiest space in the house.

eventually, i would like to get a bench with baskets underneath for shoes, some nice hooks, and some storage above.  it's not a priority for right now, but it'll happen eventually.


3.  in the laundry area of this space is my must have sink.  i honestly only wanted this sink to be able to fill up the dog's water bowl.  which isn't the best reason to spend a lot of $, but it ended up that i use this CONSTANTLY.

i LOVE this sink!  best idea ever.  

and the cabinets house my cleaning supplies.  all in one area.  not the most ideal, but for fostering it had to all be kept out of reach from the littles.  so this is where it goes, and it's been working for me.


4.  obsessed with my washer and dryer.  

we didn't have one in the rental and it was pure torture.  ok, maybe it wasn't that bad because i got to visit Grams every week, but still.  it sucked having to haul all that laundry back and forth.  

i truly appreciate and love these.  they are LG just like all of the appliances in our house.  and i love the steam feature.  especially with the dogs.  and a dog that has a tail infection.  just ew.


5.  my little shelf above the washer and dryer.

it houses my laundry detergent, and similar items.  a little garbage can for lint.  and a wash bucket.

originally, i was going to add more cabinets, but i wouldn't have been able to reach any of the shelves anyways.  this worked out perfectly and i love it.

ignore the plugs and plumbing...apparently the plumber, electrician and HVAC guy all don't know how to use a tape measure.  my husband, ahem the electrician, is trying to think of a solution to hide it.


Things that still need to be done in this space:

  • paint trim
  • paint doors
  • install end on laminate
  • lockers or storage for jackets/shoes
  • rug
  • touch up garage door
  • install garage door knob


Lily loves to sit in the laundry basket on top of the washer.  it's one of her favorite places in the house too ;)


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

really easy laundry room project

i needed a way to get my bleach into the washer without making a huge mess.  dumping it in with the huge bottle wasn't working.

i had just finished using up my Method softener and since i LOVE their bottles, i figured it would be PERFECT for my bleach.



all i did was:

  1. remove the method label
  2. clean out the bottle
  3. fill bottle with bleach
  4. add some washi tape to add a little color
  5. and add a label on it
easy as that!  and super cute too :)

Monday, February 3, 2014

bathroom pantry cabinet

A bathroom pantry cabinet?  Well, really in a kitchen it would be a pantry cabinet, but it's in our bathroom.  It really is our linen cabinet, but I still call it the pantry.  Not sure why, but it confuses my husband.  Haha!

Isn't it a beauty?!


Anyways, I LOVE how spacious it is, and I haven't even used all of the space in it, but thought I would show how I keep it organized.

top of cabinet
Top shelf:  First bin holds my blow dryer, hair spray, and straightener.  Second bin has "Misc."  Things like cotton balls, Qtips, or anything that doesn't really have another place to go.

Middle shelf: Kleenex and toilet paper.

Bottom shelf: The shoe box containers hold stomach and cold meds, each in their own containers.  All the other meds are in the bin.  My favorite part is that I can keep my toothbrush plugged in, in the cabinet, so that it's not sitting out on the counter.


bottom of cabinet

 Top shelf: Towels.

Middle shelf: Nailpolish container (which you can see is overflowing).  Wash clothes and coconut oil.

Bottom shelf: Scale.  Bin full of "Extras."  Things like contact solution, toothpaste, body wash, deodorant.  I like to keep an extra on hand so we don't ever run out.


I used the bins in our previous house in the linen closet, and they are super helpful at keeping this organized.  I try to keep things that we both use in the linen cabinet, and then we keep our stuff in our separate vanities.  I was shocked to see that I had so much leftover space in the cabinet, but that's how I like it.  I hate clutter so this has been helpful for keeping everything away and in it's place.

Check out the full bathroom here