Let's be honest. Doing laundry isn’t fun. But what makes it less enjoyable is having to schlep your dirty clothes down into a cramped, unattractive room you hate. Take a cue from home blogger, Erika at Peony+Honey and invest the time to spruce it up! With a few budget friendly ideas and a fresh coat of paint, Erika transformed her lackluster laundry room into a space she finally wants to spend time in. This before and after laundry room makeover is jaw-droppingly gorgeous!

Choosing the perfect laundry room color

A well-chosen paint color is the one simple idea that can make or break a room. But when Erika first moved into her home, the walls of her laundry room were a dreary light yellow. As far as laundry room paint colors go the most important thing is a color that looks clean. “There’s something about yellow-ish or off-white walls that make them look like dingy white walls,” says Erika. “It was the shade of a stick of butter! I knew I had to paint over it immediately.” So she did, looking for bright options for laundry room colors. But in her hurry she picked a blue paint that she didn’t test beforehand—and she hated it. So her laundry room became a place she tolerated, stuffed full of overflow from other rooms in the house and storage.

Four years later, armed with some fresh laundry room decorating ideas, she decided to revamp it into a space she loved. “I wanted the laundry room to feel like an extension of the design of the rest of the house. I wanted each room to feel like me, so I decided to invest in every room in my home. That way I feel comfortable, even if I’m doing chores,” she says. The laundry room also serves as a second entrance, which was another motivating factor. She didn’t want her guests’ first impression of the house to be an undesigned room that needed a little love.

The first to-do on the agenda? Definitely the wall color. This time around she chose a paint that would bring a bright, clean feeling to the room—one of our most popular shades, Whipped. Since there is only a small window in the room, the milky-white color worked to brighten the space.

Erika's budget-friendly laundry room ideas

After freshening up the wall color, Erika invested in a few small decor details that made a big impact. Simple open shelving and laundry room storage cabinets from IKEA helped to hide any visual clutter. While new hardware, lighting, a monochromatic runner, and artwork all worked together to make the room feel inviting and playful. “My motto is always do what you can, when you can, with what you have. If you can’t afford everything at once, then take it one detail at a time,” says Erika. Those little extras are what make you want to be in the room.

Proof that every room deserves some love

This laundry room makeover proves that just because a space serves a utilitarian purpose, it doesn’t mean it can’t still feel well-designed and homey. Plus, there’s plenty of ideas for laundry room decor you can buy for your own home. Get started with the perfect paint color!

Related article: How to make white walls work in every room.