The Laundry Area - After

I decided to make the most of a quiet day at home today and checked a couple of items off of my to-do list.

This is my laundry area which is one corner of my kitchen - the sunniest corner.

After seven years of doing laundry in the basement (though thankfully not a dingy basement), a main floor laundry was one of my few "list items" I wanted in the home we were going to purchase. And as it goes, it wasn't a feature of the house we bought.

However, in the kitchen, there was a small corner area that was being used as an office space. It was too small for a breakfast nook, so we had our plumber come in and see if it was possible to plumb in a laundry area. Because water lines were already running to this part of the house for the sink and dishwasher, it wasn't complicated to do.

Originally, I had wanted side-by-side appliances in a built-in cabinet with a counter top and nice shelves above. But, due to the size of the space, a pair beside eachother wouldn't fit. So, we settled instead on a stackable unit which allowed just a small space beside for sorting bins. We sketched out an idea for a narrow counter with a pull-out drawer for the bins to sit on (similar to what you would put in your cabinets for recycling bins). Then I could still add a couple small shelves above for character.

But, as renovations go, we ended up spending a lot more on other more important renovations and for the sake of staying on budget, I had to re-think this space. 

Was it necessary to have built-ins right now? No. 

Could it still be functional and pretty without them. Yes.

So my inexpensive solution?

I simply installed our old shower curtain and hung two panel curtains I had in our linen closet. 

You know, it may not be a gorgeous built-in laundry area, but for now, it's simple and quite pretty.

I slide the curtain over to use my machines, which I love, and then slide them back to hide everything.

And it's okay that it's such a simple space, because there's enough going on in the same area to give it character. These shelves are across from it.

So once I had the laundry space taken care of, I moved on to my cleaning closet right beside it.

Now, while I don't mind cleaning, it's actually my husband that is the neat freak in our home. I do however, like cleaning just a little more when my tools are pretty.

I know. Completely ridiculous. I just can't help it. It's like pretty packing or an old piece with perfect patina - I'm just drawn to it. And I'm fairly certain it's hereditary as my Aunt Jeanette suffers from the same problem.

Don't they just make you want to clean?

I've found them over the years at Homesense and Marshalls, and while they are beautiful, none of them are really more expensive than regular old cleaning tools.

And before you go thinking that I flutter around my house dusting everything with a feather duster, this is reserved for my chandeliers. I just use a plain old rag.

And while I admit, I love the smell of a cleaners, I do try to use just basic cleaning solutions when I can. Like for windows, a little vinegar and mild dish soap with warm water does a beautiful job.

These plain spray bottles from the dollar store are perfect for it.

One of the reasons I needed to clean out this closet, was that I needed to make some room for my vacuum. To be honest, I was quite disappointed to leave my central vac behind. But I've actually come to love this new one. The suction is fantastic and the canister detaches to you can carry it on the stairs. And it pivots. (Pivot! Pivot! - I know that you heard Ross when you read that!)

The fact that it's white had absolutely no impact on my decision making... none at all.

Different baskets are also used for other things like garbage bags and my laundry supplies.

Here you can see the closet once I fit everything back in.

Ryan later pointed out that it's not functional having the vacuum on the left, rather it needs to be on the right so I don't have to move the mop bucket to get it out.

Why does he always have to be right...

And there it is. My most inexpensive makeover in this house yet! If only it would go this way more often.

And on another unrelated makeover note, I was thrilled to see that our interior house colour - Simply White - is Benjamin Moore's 2016 Colour of the Year. To be fair, I discovered the colour through Catherine Burke who writes the blog In The Fields.