Do you have a favorite room in your home? I mean, a room that just makes you smile? I do. It's my laundry Room. We bought our home 7 years ago, and it was sold "As is".....which basically meant it had great bones, but no one had loved it before.
There was lots to fix up, not the least of which was the laundry room. Oh WHAT a Laundry room! As we were quickly approaching empty nester-hood, we buy a house with the grand Pooh-Bah of Laundry Rooms.
I came from my last home, which had the washer and dryer in the hallway, across from the guest bath on the way to the garage- (not even in an actual room mind you) to a 10 by 10 room with hook up for a washer and 2 dryers (did we want gas, or electric?) AND a refrigerator...and a pantry style closet and cupboards galore.
The room was in bad shape- ripped vinyl flooring, a tiny light in the ceiling....yippie! I got to pick out new flooring and paint. Burnt tomato red walls with a fabulous border of apples and birds against a black background. New washer, dryer and fridge...and black and white checkered flooring. Oh, and a chandelier, and hey, this was BEFORE they got so popular. I had to buy a brass one and paint it black. My husband thought I was nuts, but he let me do it.
I began a collection of vintage picnic baskets (the best kept secret on earth for storage- I also use them for storing fabric in my office!!!!!) and I also began collecting vintage washboards (not as easy to find real cool, oh-so-different ones, so it's a bit of a challenge..) and I have so much room in this laundry room that I keep the ironing board set up at all times. I don't know about you, but dragging out the ironing board, the iron, the hangers, the starch...that's more than HALF the battle. I painted a sign above my washer and dryer that says one of my favorite quotes- "Nothing is worth more than this day".
I get a little sense of contentment and satisfaction each time I enter this dear room.
I tell you, it changed my entire outlook on laundry AND ironing (yes, I am a person that still irons, and I very nearly enjoy doing it these days- maybe because I discovered the wonderful smelling orange linen water to put in my iron, and the fact that there are only 2 of us here now to iron for...) and it is one of my favorite parts of homekeeping.