My new favorite room

Right now that would be the laundry room, yes the laundry room. It was always a functional room and got the job done, but it needed help. With my in-laws gone on vacation I took the opportunity to re-vamp their laundry room! They had no idea what I was scheming but I was pretty confident that they would appreciate the change. I had 2 weeks, and not much money, so I went to work.

Here's the "Before"

Clearing the room out was relatively easy and honestly was an improvement in itself. (I think I am leaning more and more toward a "minimalist" style of living). Of course that means that all that stuff occupied other spaces throughout the house. Translation - we were in a mess! For the whole two weeks we were stepping over things and weaving through piles. I was reminded how crazy and anxious I can get when my living space is crowded and messy. Does that make me obsessive compulsive?

Next I prepped the walls for paint. Filling in holes, sanding, and then washing. In hindsight I really regret not washing a particular spot more. I naively thought the paint would cover it, but the soap stain lives on! Bummer. 

I had "sea green" stuck in my head for the new wall color but when I chose the paint swatch it said something like "spring leaf"...close enough I guess. I painted the ceiling with some white I had on hand, and then did the walls. Of course this took several days, I tried to not totally ignore my children and husband. The more I painted, the more I began to worry that it would not be a welcome surprise. I had a few dreams where they either came home early and saw the huge mess I made, or they came home and didn't like it all! I was worried! But I continued on. We put up a couple of shelves and some hooks behind the door. I scrubbed the sink and floor, and finally put the room back together again. And just in time too!

After...

Ahh, doesn't it look great?! I love it! But more importantly, the in-laws love it too! It was hard work and time consuming, but absolutely worth it. Now it's bright and spacious, still functional but with the added benefit of making me happy. :)