April's Monthly Storage Plan: The Laundry Room

So, I'm really late getting you April's agenda from BHG's "Month by Month Storage Plan."
But I promise you this one is pretty painless - but can make a big difference in saving you time every week doing your laundry. Here is BHG's suggestions for creating a streamlined, efficient laundry room...

• Sorting Baskets. Place a three-compartment bin or basket in a closet or open shelf in your laundry room (look at home or office supply stores for options). Separate clothing to be repaired, dry-cleaned, and donated.

Laundry baskets make great sorting bins that are easily moved about. You can download BHG's free Laundry Labels here. (You may have to sign in or create a profile before they let you do this - just a head's up)

Not all of us have the luxury of separate rooms or dedicated spaces for every task or hobby, so a well planned out utility room can handle multiple purposes. This room handles laundry, and crafts such as wrapping... notice the rolls of wrapping paper. A surface over the washer and dryer provides space for crafting. Lots of baskets and bins provide storage for supplies.
via BHG

• Keep Detergent Handy. Fill plastic beverage dispensers with laundry detergent, softener, and other liquid laundry additives. Hang a set of plastic measuring cups nearby from a cup hook.

via House to Home
Liquids and powders obviously look prettier in glass bottles or tins, but it might not really be practical for everyone. Also - if you forget instructions easily save the usage labels for products.

• Drying Rack. Mount a drying rack or double towel bar near your washer as a spot for air-drying clean sweaters or rugs.

via BHG
This is a great example of the well organized laundry room. It's not an actual "room" so the owner has cleverly installed curtains to hide the area when not in use. And even though the space is small, a foldable drying rack still fits in nicely. Ballard designs has some great drying racks similar to this one.

• Make a Catch-all for Ironing Supplies. Convert a silverware caddy into a stain-treating or ironing kit. Fill with small size cleaners, spray starches, and linen waters. Be sure to include essential tools such as brushes, dry-cleaning pads, and collar points.

via House to Home
Mounting planters or containers can also serve as catchalls for any other cleaning supplies you need on hand.


Below are some more laundry rooms to inspire you -

Small, but shelving provides space to organize

I love the idea of an armoire as a utility room organizer.

3 images above via BHG






5 images above via House to Home

You can read the original content here on BHG.

The CL 2010 House of the Year - and it's all eco-friendly (and beautiful)

Eco-friendly is getting prettier and prettier every year, making it not just easy on the earth, but easy on the eyes. Country Living put together this idea house full of inspiration. The house is actually a modular, pre-fab cottage, and available for purchase by the public. Read all the details for the house, rooms, and resources here.

What do you like about this house? Not like so much?

I LOVE the entryway. What a great space to see first thing when you walk in the door after work.

What do you think of wallpaper on the ceiling?




You may think all of these framed prints cost a fortune, but really all you need to accomplish this look are some basic frames, and then a used book of botanical or nature illustrations. Carefully remove the pages that you like and insert them in the frames!








A dream closet

A little eye candy to brighten up your Monday

Mondays...blah. Especially when it's getting so cold out! It makes it so tough for me to crawl out from under the covers when I'm toasty warm. Hopefully these chic homes with a nod to the traditional can help brighten it up a little?

The beam above the window adds a nice rustic touch without being too "look how rustic I am."

Love the nooks for spices by the oven

Cappuccino maker!

I like the look of raw linen and canvas like they've used on the bar stools

This kitchen has such a 17th century Dutch air to it - even without the Vermeer

The rooms below are from another house -

A home office with gobs of natural light! Looks nice and tucked away.


Love the retro classic chair. I also like that this room, though it has modern retro elements is still most obviously lived in. Nothing is too precious. Evidence of human, and canine, life can be seen on the shelves, the coat rack, etc.


In this room I like the large prints on every wall, and of course, the lounge. I'm a sucker for a reading nook!

via Southern Living