Laundry Room/Utility Room Makeover

 It was long overdue but I finally gave this laundry room a much needed overhaul.  It is now finally one hundred percent functional with a place for everything. It probably won't always have a nice big vase of blossoms and neatly folded laundry but it sure is a lot easier to keep neat and tidy now.

Below:    Utility Before/During Below:     I added a gateleg table for extra 'laundry folding' space.  This was an old table I bought years ago with the intention of revamping it at some point and it's perfect here as I can collapse the two sides when it's not in use.

Below :'Before Photo'  

Above..  As you can see we had no countertop because of the top loading washing machine so I replaced both the washer and dryer (they had a good long life) with two Hotpoint units. 

Below:  I also managed to squeeze a small cabinet in between the washer and dryer for detergents etc. This turned out to be so handy as it's the most used cabinet in here.

  Above:    Along with the countertop I also wanted to add two tall cabinet units either side of the window for much needed storage. 

 

This would darken the room a little during the day so to keep it from feeling to closed in I had mirrors fitted to the side of those cabinets to convey the feeling of a bay window and draw the light back in.

The Cherry Blossom Tree was in flull bloom when I took these photos so 

I took full advantage.

Below is a comparable gateleg table. I forgot to take a photo of my own one before I painted it but it was very similiar to this one.

Below is a photo of the cabinet to the left of the window and below that a photo of the cabinet painted white.  The painter used Brilliant White by Colourtrend  on all the cabinet doors and woodwork

Above:  We changed out the tile floor to a warmer 'click style flooring' from  B&Q Limerick

Below:    I added this shelf over the door in the utility to help hide the ugly utility box with some old baskets, plants etc. 

Scroll down for the Utility Box 'Before' Photo.

The carpenter thought I was crazy putting in a white countertop when he saw our cats, dogs and the odd chicken wandering in but believe it or not it's easier to keep clean because with a white countertop you can see when it's nice and clean rather than wonder what's lurking on a dark countertop. 

 Before & After Boutique Hotel Style Bedroom

You can scroll down to see the before shot of this bedroom but lets just say it was in need of a little makeover.   

The walls were painted with Tilburry Teal paint by Dulux from Woodies   which immediately gave the room a lift. 

Next up the old pine wardrobe was painted in 

Sea Urchin Green and has yet to be fitted with new handles as I am still on the hunt for the perfect hardware.  

The bed was pretty new so I just covered the grey fabric headboard with a zebra print fabric from Homefocus.  The standing lamp and bedside lamp are both from The Range  and the bedside table is from Jysk. 

I love the greens on the wall and wardrobe here but what really gives this room it's sassy style are those gorgeous jewel toned embroidery style pillows from TKMaxx and just look how the light turns those mustard yellow pillows gold.

And I couldn't leave this gorgeous little green japanese teapot behind once I'd spotted it. (Also from Tkmaxx)  Something about that beautiful shade of green! 

   

Autumn Breeze.. 

The Green Room

The before shot

Clare Haven Services Before & After Painted Furniture Project.

I just thought I'd do a round up of some of the pieces I've been painting and upcycling for Clare Haven Services Charity Furniture Store in Ennis where I volunteer a few hours a week when I can. Folks, if you're looking for some gems you need to visit this store.  It's on the Gort Road Business Park in Ennis.  And. It's. Huge.  There's everything from books to furniture to be found here so it's definitely worth your time visiting. And there's parking. Lots of it and did I mention it's free!! So go empty your car boots out and come visit us.

Below is a photo of some of the furniture after I've painted it but you can just scroll down to see some of the 'before' photos just to give you an idea of what you can do too with a little paint, a little fabric and some imagination. Go for it.. Oh and if you have a few hours a week to spare and would like to meet new people while giving to a good cause we are always looking for new volunteers. Sure go on. It'll be great fun..

Even though all these pieces look like they are part of a set they're actually just random pieces in completely different styles that I collected from around the store and unified with a tin of paint.   You can see the 'before' photos below and if you are local to Ennis, these pieces will be for sale in the store with the proceeds going to a very good cause.

Above: Details of a little desk and chair..  You can see the 'before' if you scroll further down.

All the furniture is painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which I use because there is no need to sand your furniture first. Just paint it straight on.  You can seal with wax which I did here but for table tops I have switched to using Annie sloan Lacquer as I found it gives a more durable finish which keeps the surface from scuffing up to easily and it's way easier to wipe clean.

Copper And Gold Details

Above is the paint I used on all the furniture. I used  the colour Annie Sloan Graphite on most of the furniture but I used the colour Annie Sloan 'Olde White' to stencil the back of the cabinet.  See below.

This is the stencil I used for the above cabinet.  I ordered it online from Royal Design Studio Stencils They are an amazing site and  well worth a visit to get a ton of inspiration and see what's new for 2019.

Above: Desk before it was painted. Scroll up to see the 'above'.

Chair 'before'  You can see the 'after' photo above..

Above: Table painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Graphite.  Scroll down to see the 'before'

Above: Table before. Scroll Up to see the 'after'.

So that's it for now folks and don't forget whether you are looking to kit out a rental property or maybe you're looking for your next upcycling project or just out looking for some vintage finds well now you know exactly where to find us. And.  We get new stuff almost every day. Also, if you can please do consider giving a few hours a week to volunteer for Clare Haven Charity Furniture Shop it's a great cause and when looking for your next upcycling project you now know exactly where to come. See you there :-)