If you haven’t been keeping up with the madness lately…
Yes my friends, the chaos has not subsided and we have exactly three weeks until our wedding. With all of the surprises that continue to pop up, I have a feeling we won’t accomplish our September to-do list before we fly to Utah on the 26th to begin our wedding festivities (we’re marrying in SLC on the 27th and throwing a party for the weekend at the country’s largest private log cabin)!
Our wedding plans aren’t even finalized yet because we’ve been too focused on repairing/cleaning/renting out two vacant units, meeting with contractors and preparing our termite-infested Bungalow for tenting (which starts today), living in an unsafe and dusty construction zone as progress on our floor demo ceases due to extensive subfloor damage, and now overseeing the build of our new home which just commenced this week (more on that next!)
In the middle of all of this, I’m constantly planning and working on projects in our current house, and the next one on our to-do list is the laundry room:
This is how it looks now, after buying the cheapest washer/dryer set we could find on Craigslist that barely work, and now with the tile gone:
This room was originally a porch that was later enclosed, so it has a window to the kitchen. How special.
The walls are all textured stucco, so they’ll be fun to drill into (sense the sarcasm).
The room is only 5′ wide so there’s not much room for anything.
Door to the backyard:
And standing from the backyard, looking into the kitchen:
So, what’s the plan for this space, you ask?
I can’t tell you how many times I went back and forth on this design.
One thing I knew immediately is that I’d be using penny tile—I’d been wanting to experiment with a fun design for a while now, and small rooms are the best place to go bold! I think you can get away with the most in a laundry room. This is where you should try out your crazy ideas, guys.
At first I was set on using blue as the accent color, as it seemed most fitting for a place to wash things. Then somewhere along the line I switched the color to green—I just couldn’t fight the urge. Green is 100% my 2018 color of the year and you’ll be seeing it all over this house.
I haven’t seen a whole lot of black, white and green used together but here are some of my recent inspirations…
I don’t know about you, but there’s something about black, white, green and wood tones that make for the perfect mix of earthy and classic. So I’m going for it.
I’m partnering once again with Lowe’s on this project, and pretty much everything in the design plan is available to order from them.
Like this Bedrosians penny tile—it comes in an array of colorways, and I chose black, white and sage green. I spent several days adjusting the placement of these individual tiles in Photoshop until landing on something I was happy with. I’m actually still not 100% decided between these two options—do you have a favorite?
I’m also super excited to finally have a functional washer & dryer—I chose this Samsung set with the best reviews online (PSA—they’re 30% off right now!)
The goal is to keep this redesign relatively quick, inexpensive, and easy to replicate in your own space (no matter what you’re starting from). With that said, we nixed the idea of adding cabinets, so we’ll be using butcher block to make custom shelves (one counter on top of the washer/dryer and two narrower shelves on the wall above). We thought about using regular 3/4″ planks of wood to build these, but I really prefer the look of the thicker butcher block, and this one in particular because it’s stainable—I actually used this same stuff in the Cottage House Flip kitchen with a custom stain.
One feature that I’m excited about is the painted ceiling! I love that there’s tongue and groove up there now, but I’m not feeling the dark reddish stain, and it wouldn’t look cohesive with the light wood shelves. As soon as I get the green penny tile, I’ll find the closest Sherwin Williams match and give the ceiling an unexpected pop of color.
The old fan will also be replaced with this beauty:
I first spotted this chandelier months ago and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to use it (how is it only $100?!) It’ll warm up the small space and bring the classiness level up a notch or two. This room sure needs it.
Another big change will be swapping out the backyard door for this one…
Let there be light! You can never have too much light in a tiny space. I haven’t quite decided what color to paint it yet but it won’t stay white. And the door will be equipped with a Schlage smart deadbolt and matte black lever:
On the small back wall next to the door, I came up with a pretty clever solution (if I do say so myself). Here’s the deal: I’m addicted to wallpaper. After my wall mural changed my world a couple weeks ago, I suddenly need to wallpaper all the things. Of course, you can’t wallpaper over stucco walls though—so what’s a girl to do?
Make a new wall! We’ll attach a couple smooth 1/2″ MDF boards to it and boom, instant wallpaper canvas. Something like this (use your imagination here)…
I’m realllllly excited about this wallpaper…
It’s hard for me to get excited about anything more than wallpaper these days.
And five of these pretty little gold hooks will go on top:
This room may be small but it’ll pack a punch! What do you think of the design plan? We’ll be doing most of the work ourselves, or at least attempting to. I honestly don’t know where we’ll find the time, considering we won’t even have any of the materials this weekend. We basically have two weekends plus a handful of weeknights to get this done, and we still need to get through our flooring install first.
Maybe two big projects this month was too optimistic? We’ll find out soon enough ?
Follow along on my instagram for daily updates in the meantime…
Stephanie says
I’ve been following for years and I love your classic style and can-do attitude. I’ve loved your story of finding yourself and rebuilding and doing what you love. I keep coming back for more inspiration for my own home (massive kitchen remodel nearing the finish line-subway tile sitting on the counter as we speak…tomorrow’s project). I live in SLC at the mouth of the canyons and the leaves are beautiful and the weather is amazing-hope you have a wonderful time in Utah and congratulations!
jennasuedesign says
Thank you so much, Stephanie! We are beyond excited to be in SLC and experience fall!
Trista says
I love that chandelier! Also loving that color combo! I have kind of a random question about your photoshopped ‘Fresh’ photo versus your finished design? Did you change the tile placement of the finished letters (the F R & S) from your original photoshop design because you liked how the letters looked better, or did they not fit according to your plans & the space you’re working with? Was it difficult planning out the lettering spacing & placement to fit the room? I’m sure it took some serious planning out! You go, girl!!
jennasuedesign says
Thanks Trista! Honestly the 3 tiles that were changed (and I didn’t even notice this until your brought it up) were by accident. We spent hours adjusting them on the floor and trying to cut out and replace the right pieces while looking at the photo. It’s quite tedious work and we had to start over a handful of times!
Marsha P says
Beautiful design. Can’t wait to see it finished. Where is the cream colored roman shade from? So excited for your wedding and looking forward to seeing lots of pictures and videos. So, so happy for you two!!!
jennasuedesign says
Thank you Marsha! The roman shade was just a random google image, but I found something on Amazon — I’ll share soon! 🙂
Vanessa says
I know I am pretty late to the discussion here and decisions have been made already but I also have to give a thumbs down on the w/d set, not because they are Samsung, I sure don’t know about the brands. It’s just that to me the front load washers don’t really clean as well as the top loaders and there seems to be no way to soak anything with them. The dryers are often comparable BUT I have also seen an occasional front loading dryer that turns everything into a wrinkly ball. It may not make any difference to an air bnb situation, but I shy away from them.
Cecilia says
It’s going to be lovely! I don’t remember if I ever commented before, but I’ve been following your adventures for a couple of years at least – thank you for sharing them! Just a couple of thoughts regarding the wallpaper. Here in Sweden it’s very common to use wallpaper and to hang it yourself, so I have some experience in doing that and I think it might be a little risky to use mdf, maybe choose drywall instead. Mdf doesn’t handle moisture well and I think there’s a tiny risk that the paste/glue will be enough for the wooden particles to swell and cause tears in the wallpaper. Of course you could also put some some sort of primer or just a coat of paint (before you hang the wallpaper) to seal the mdf. Behind wallpaper you’d always want the surface to be as “dead” as possible, without any movement due to changes in humidity, for example. Also, if you put hooks on top here and on the mural you might need a transparent protective layer/varnish in those areas . . . bags, clothes and hands touching the wallpaper could easily cause discoloring or scuff marks and that’s really hard to fix. Good luck with everything!
jennasuedesign says
Great point on the MDF Cecilia, I didn’t even think of that! Upon further investigation it looks like I can use a primer/sealer on the MDF as an effective barrier. If this wallpaper is anything like the last wall mural I used, the material is thick and super durable, and scuff marks easily scrub off. I’m hoping this one is similar in quality!
Leslie Wiesman says
Hahaha! I love that you guys keep it so real in your videos. 🙂
And so crazy that you are getting married in Heber!
We are based in Park City. Let me know if you need any pre-wedding scouting for random items/services. Really really happy to help. I get so much value from your sweet blog!
jennasuedesign says
Thanks Leslie! We can’t wait to visit the area!
EAB says
love the black/white/green combo….my fav!
Can you get lower to spring for a less generic door to the back garden? something like this one?:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwje2N3hwrHdAhVEZN8KHWOOAIsQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowes.com%2Fpd%2FJELD-WEN-Aurora-Decorative-Glass-Right-Hand-Inswing-Ivory-Painted-Fiberglass-Prehung-Entry-Door-with-Insulating-Core-Common-36-in-x-80-in-Actual-37-5000-in-x-81-7500-in%2F3675290&psig=AOvVaw2hblHEdxXHni3EQ_yUCUoI&ust=1536706148987617
jennasuedesign says
Well that’s a gorgeous door — but holy moly on the price! I don’t think it’s worth an extra $4250 for a little extra glass and detailing, even if was sponsored! Ha
Katie says
I love the green ceiling. I’m with you Jenna…summer is not over until late September! I live in MD and we cannot wait for summer (and the end of gray winter days) but then people are all gung ho pumpkin September 1. What the heck! Happy wedding you guys 🙂
Linda Grubbs says
You seem to do best under pressure! This will be a test, but I have confidence in you!!
Loving all your plans…my favorite tile is the first one. Good luck sweetie!
jennasuedesign says
Thank you, Linda! <3
Veronica says
I love the first tile option. It looks like lace to me! ?
jennasuedesign says
That’s why I love it too! Seems fitting for a laundry room…
Margery says
Love the #1 design! Clever girl!
cat says
I love the tile wall with the slightly more complex transition from black to white. It’s awesome! Hope you two can pace yourselves, and keep an eye on the horizon…happy wedding!
jennasuedesign says
Thanks Cat!
Samantha says
Gorgeous! Thanks for the design inspiration. Best of luck with all your projects – especially the big one – your wedding!!
The penny tile layouts are so cool. I prefer the modern geometric vibe of the second one … the first one reads too ‘floral’ for me with those daisies created from the additional rows.