The space always felt like a dingy closet instead of a laundry room. First things first, we changed the wall colors from boring beige to a bright blue. We also resurfaced the floor with peel and stick floor tiles so the floor felt nice, new and clean. The challenge then became storage. We had a ton of hanging space but nowhere to fold clothes or store laundry soap, towels, etc. So we cleared out one corner to make room for some furniture. However I couldn't find any prefab furniture to fit the space.
I'm not quite sure how I came up with this, but I'm sure my weekly trips to Ikea at this time had a lot to do with it. I decided to construct my own laundry storage/folding station...and here's how I did it!
If you've ever been to Ikea, you've probably seen the Expedit storage system. It comes in 3 colors and at just $39 it's a pretty good bargain! This will act as the base for the unit.
Ikea also sells stand alone table tops in a variety of sizes and colors at about $20 each. I opted for white, but they also have a black-brown that emulates a cherry stain and a stainless steel option if you want a more of a modern look. The table top functions as the folding space. 
In order to complete the piece, legs are needed to hold up 3 out of the 4 corners. The 4th corner is held up by the Expedit. The legs can be as cheap as $3.50 each if you don't need an adjustable size. Otherwise, the legs ended up costing me about $45...which is kind of crazy because neither the table top or Expedit cost that much! 
Here's the final product! We added a couple of baskets, shelves and a pendant light shade (all from Ikea!) to finish off the space.
It now functions as the perfect space for my husband to fold our laundry. How nice :)
What do you think?!?
Love! Makes me want to come do my laundry there!
ReplyDeletecrazy question, where did you get that large A from? i've been looking for one for our living room but they are all so small. that one looks pretty big.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cookie! I purchased the "A" from Home Goods and then painted it white. It was about 6 months ago. I'll keep my eye out for some options for you online!
Deletethanks so much Kim! we don't have a HG here, but i could always go up to Chicago if i needed. i keep meaning to plan a trip up for that but just have not fit it in yet!
DeleteDid the yellow basket on the top of the counter also come from Ikea? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jen!
DeleteI actually purchased the yellow basket at Home Goods! It's my 2nd favorite store after Ikea :)
What a great solution for your space! Our Laundry Room drives me crazy but I can't say it's because of a lack of space for folding things. We have a countertop for that, it's just very rarely seen for all the other clutter that piles up on top of the machines. Congratulations on your project being featured at I Heart Organizing :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Claire! I was thrilled to be featured to say the least!
DeleteNice solution but you could have saved yourself a ton of money by just screwing wood to the walls on the left and the back so that the top rested on that instead of using the legs.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought of that! But the walls there aren't really walls (just a thin piece of plywood) so I wasn't confident it would hold the weight. But a good option if the walls were drywall!
DeleteI love this idea! You did such a great job using the Expidit and table top! Now I'm scheming about how to makeover my ugly laundry room.
ReplyDeleteThis would also make an awesome study space (in a different room of the house, of course!).
ReplyDeleteLove it - you made that space so pretty and functional. AWESOME
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ReplyDeleteReally useful idea that could translate for a rental property spruce up. Thanks a lot for the lovely inspiration!
ReplyDeleteLove this!! do you by chance have the name of the table top you used here? i have seen a ton but the measurements don't match up to expedit cubby
ReplyDeleteSamantha, I could be wrong but I think that this table top doesn't exactly match the cubby's dimensions either. Hence the use of three legs to hold it up - the two on the left side that you can see, and the third leg holding up the overhanging corner behind the cubby.
DeleteGreat DIY project.
ReplyDeleteIs the table top actually attached to the Expedit or does it just sit on it? If it is attached, what did you use to attach it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI also would like to know how the table top was attached to the Expedit. TIA!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd like to know how the table top was attached also!
ReplyDelete