03.24
2014

Entryway, Laundry Room, Back Hall and Playroom Updating

I feel like I spent most of February working on endlessly painting and other not-so-fun projects which of course didn’t really make for many blog posts and then we were gone for the first part of March. Anyway, I thought I would do a quick post covering some of the more boring projects that I have been working on and then I can get back to some more fun posts including the progress we’ve made at Jason’s house including his kitchen, living room and dining room and also lots and lots of photos from my niece Everly’s first birthday party! And then seeing how I am just about done with painting (I got more than half of the playroom painted last night and am hoping to finish it up today and then can hopefully attack the doors tomorrow) then I should be able to FINALLY get started on some fun projects here back at home!

So, anyway, today I thought I would show you a little round-up of some things including the artwork we added to the entryway, the progress we’ve made in our laundry room and the progress we’ve made in our back hallway.

Here is a little reminder of what our entryway looked like when we first moved in:

I saw this canvas at HomeGoods several months ago and snatched it up because I knew the colors would work well in our home. I actually originally planned on putting it in our master bedroom but ended up moving it down here a month or two ago and I ended really liking how it looked. And so now, except for the wall going up the stairs (which you can see in this picture) the entryway is pretty much done! You can find a full source list in including paint color information here.

Another room I finally made some progress in was the laundry room. It was the one room I wasn’t sure what I was going to do in. Most of the rooms when we moved in just needed lots and lots of painting. The bathrooms, laundry room and kitchen though all needed quite a bit more work. We chose to the the kitchen in two parts (we painted everything and replaced all the appliances right away and then soon will be doing part two which includes the counters, sink and backsplash). We did the downstairs bath shortly after moving in and are working on the upstairs hall bath right now. That left us with two other indoor projects that involved some remodeling – the master bathroom and the laundry room. Seeing how I would rather do the master bathroom first and it may be a while before we have saved up for that project that meant the laundry room projects could be quite a ways off. Because of that I decided to at least spruce it up a bit in here temporarily until we eventually can properly replace the floors and add a nice countertop.

Here is what it looked like on move-in day. There was a lovely wallpaper border with a clothesline on it in case you weren’t sure it was a laundry room. =)

Here it is mid-way through. I always get so stressed with the mess that takes over when I am in the middle of a painting project.
I bought some peel and stick floors from Lowe’s to cover up the old vinyl ones for now. Eventually I’d like to do the same floor we did in our upstairs bathroom that I showed yesterday but seeing how this only cost about $35 it was a nice inexpensive improvement for now.

I painted the door, trim and cabinets in London Fog which was leftover from our kitchen and then painted the walls in White Dove which was leftover from the upstairs bathroom. I would have preferred to use Simply White but I didn’t have any of that in the right finish and I was trying to keep the cost on this project as low as possible so just went with the White Dove seeing how that was free.

Then I got a huge piece of plywood to act as a countertop for above our washer and dryer. Eventually I’d like to replace it with a proper counter but for now this works and makes the whole space so much more functional! I added some baskets – one for Jon, one for myself and one for each of the girls. I have to say this system works so amazing! Right now I just temporarily have a piece of fabric thrown over a tension rod to cover the space where where we keep our larger trashcan and dustpan and other little things like that. Once I find the right fabric I will sew it properly. Anyway, this was just a quick fix to help make this room more functional for now. It took me a couple of days to get the cabinets, trim and door all primed and painted because I was working on and off in between a few other projects and then getting that huge piece of plywood in there was a huge undertaking. I did that project while Jon was out of town and have to say it was probably one of my least intelligent moves. Just trying to get it down off the top of my car by myself was interesting enough and then I got it stuck trying to get it in the laundry room – let’s just say a few tears were shed doing this project. Haha! Although the countertop was a nightmare the floor was the opposite. I would say it only took about an hour to install it and it was actually pretty fun! I have my eye out for some inexpensive options for the walls but for now just have some completely random things up there from our attic.  So, nothing too creative in here but all in all it is an improvement.

Another project I worked on was getting this little back hall painted. Because it is off the kitchen and doesn’t really connect to any other rooms I just used the same London Fog for the trim that I used in the kitchen and family room.

Lola helped me with the priming in here. The girls often help me for a little bit when I am painting but for some reason this time Lola stuck with it for quite a while.

And here are a couple grainy cell phone shots of it afterwards. I still need to replace the door knobs.

For the one flat door we have I used chalkboard paint. The girls have had so much fun with it!

And lastly here’s the playroom:

After spending the last 8 months endlessly painting doors, windows (including each and every little divider – ugh!) trim and walls I broke down and we hired someone to paint all the trim in her Simply White. And then last night I started painting the walls and am hoping to finish them up today and then hopefully I can get the three doors in this room painted tomorrow. Once that’s done I can put the room back together and then start tackling things like taking down those fans, painting the stairs and adding a runner and then starting on several organization projects in here.

Anyway, there is my little mish-mash of different projects that I have been working on lately. I can’t wait to show you some of the progress we’ve made at Jason’s house. Those pictures are a lot more “finished” looking than the ones in this post.

I hope you all have a fabulous Monday!

Getting Ready For Some Warmer Evenings on the Porch
Progress in Our Upstairs Hall Bathroom
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38 thoughts on “Entryway, Laundry Room, Back Hall and Playroom Updating”

  2. I cannot believe the transformation on your house! It's amazing! I actually like how your laundry room looks now, why change 😉 Cannot wait to see the girls playroom. You must be exhausted from all of the hard work, but boy, has it paid off.

  4. Your home is lovely. Your laundry room transformation is wonderful and I love the plywood counter. The wood adds a nice contrast.
    Katie
    Let's Add Sprinkles

  5. Your boundless energy is an inspiration! Can you tell me how you secured the plywood in the laundry or do more of a tutorial on that?? I am in need! marcy

  6. I think google ate my comment. Your boundless energy is an inspiration! Can you tell me how you secured the plywood or do more of a tutorial on that? I am in need! Marcy

    1. Thanks, Marcy! I just used a 2×4 to make a bracing. I don't dare do a tutorial because I have no idea if its the right way to do it! It seems quite secure, but I just made it up as I went along.

  7. Our house is only 6-7 years old, but everything from ceiling to floor was some shade of beige. We've been painting for forever, too- I feel your pain!! I am hoping to tackle the laundry room this week while we're on break and then I'll get to the large walk-in closets this summer. And some doors. And touch-ups….. Your house looks homier each post!

  8. I was just about to ask about the plywood countertop as well – I'm itching to remove our pedestals and add a countertop..did you just rest it on top of the w/d, or use cleats on the wall to set it on? Also it looks like you just stained it(?) I totally get how that would look and feel sort-of "unfinished" in person, but the pictures of it look really good!!! If you trimmed out the front to cover the raw edge, and added a coat of poly, it could totally be a more permanent solution!
    Great job, Jennifer, can't wait to see Jason's house!
    Have a great week!
    Leah: )

  11. Besides the fact that everything looks so amazing, I'm so impressed with all that you do! I know what life with little girls is like-ha!

  12. I love your home…..you've made amazing progress with everything you've done….and, the girls are adorable…..thanks for sharing

  13. Great post. Love how everything looks. It always amazes me how paint can totally transform a room!!
    You are such an inspiration for me to bring a simple "freshness" in to our home 🙂
    Molly

  14. Ahhhmazing progress, Jennifer. THNX for sharing!! Was wondering why you chose not to paint the laundry room and back hall doors (except the chalkboard one) black like the other doors in the home? THNX so much.

    1. Thanks, Sharon! Not all of the doors are black. The rooms with white trim have black doors, and the rooms with the gray trim have gray doors (I didn't like how the black looked with gray trim, although I love how it looks with the white trim).

  17. I can't believe how much you've accomplished…or how adorable your helper looks in a tutu while painting…so much so that I considered it for a brief moment for myself…and then I came to my senses! Your home is gorgeous! Hugs to you, Kimberly

  19. Everything looks wonderful! The ceiling lines in your playroom look neat. Glad you got help with some of the painting! 🙂 laundry room floor maybe a good quick temporary fix now as we are almost out of time bring two bathrooms up to date, staining a deck and pergola among other projects. We just cannot get to the laundry room floor. Thank you for the inspiration!

  20. It amazes me how quickly your can put everything together and have it look beautiful. I have to admit I was completely surprised to see that you have a blue washer/dryer set. I always think of you as a neutral person and would have never pictured your having that:) Would you give us more details on what kind of washer/dryer set you have and if you like it? I am actually in the market for a new set.

    1. Thank you! They are by Samsung (not sure of the model). Our set broke so we pretty much just ran to Lowe's and went this those because they were several hundred dollars off. If they hadn't been such a great price we wouldn't have chosen blue, but it was the only color on sale at the time.

  21. This transformation of a house I probably would have never bought is just amazing! I would buy this house in a heartbeat now!

  22. You inspire me with all of your energy and creativity! I love that you let the girls help. This is an area I am working on. I need to let go and just let the kids help more. I bet I would get so much more accomplished….or not?

  23. Just gorgeous! Where did you get the painting in the laundry room and in the hallway? (And please don't say Homegoods, where the inventory changes every day!!) Is it starting to feel like home yet?

    1. Thanks! I actually painted it myself, although its only partially finished. It's only temporarily there until we find something permanent.

    2. Hey Jen! I just realized that you had responded to my question. I'm looking for something very similar to our front entryway. I'm so impressed by the fact that you painted those two paintings yourself. Did you use oil or acrylic? Can you share the paint colors that you used? In fact, I'd love to see a blog post about your canvas paintings! Best, Ruthie

    3. Hi, Ruthie! The one is the hallway is actually from HomeGoods. I started painting the laundry room one with acrylics about 10 years ago (so I don't remember the colors) but unfortunately never got around to finishing it.

  24. I'm so in love with that stair runner that I ran over to the website and am in the process of convincing the Hubster that we just NEED it 😉 Which we really will once the laminate hardwood gets put in on the stairs so maybe that's how I'll get him haha

  25. It is amazing how some hard work and a lot of paint can really transform your spaces. Love the little helpers too. We always let our kids help out for a bit and now my 17 year old is becoming quite skilled.

  27. Wow… so much work… and it all looks amazing. I'm in awe of the whole transformation . Lola looks so cute in her little boots too!

    Cindy

  30. Quick question, do you ever have problems with trim, cabinets, etc chipping if they aren't sanded down? Or do you sand your cabinets? Thankyou! -Freda

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