Shabby Chic Laundry Room Makeover on a Budget

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TryMembersMark #CollectiveBias

The laundry room.

In my years growing up, the laundry room was typically a place in the home where everything was functional, not necessarily pretty. There were no decorations. There was no need for any of that. In fact, most laundry rooms I’d “lived in” were dark with no windows and incredibly small.

Fast forward a few years…….. some don’t even call it a laundry room anymore. Even one of my closest friends had what she calls her “Mud Room” featured in a magazine. It’s impressive to say the least. And while I can easily get hooked into watching those home decorating shows for hours, my own laundry room has remained a room “untouched”.

I want (NEEDED) to change that. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my laundry room. It has a window and a sink – two things on my wish list when we went house hunting. But it’s time to step things up  -I want my laundry room to be just as beautiful as the rest of the house (and not break the bank when I do it).

So it’s time for my Shabby Chic Laundry Room Makeover – on a budget! Taking the laundry room from functional to beautiful. I even have an easy DIY burlap curtain tutorial below!

Shabby Chic – “is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.”

Neutral Color Palette – I wanted to stick with a neutral color palette because I do like the clean look of it all. My laundry room was completely white – white walls, white appliances, white cabinets – you get the picture. So I decided to add shades of beige, brown and black to contrast, keeping it simple.

Wall Decor – First things first, I needed to put something on the empty white walls.

Thankfully, it’s not hard to find distressed picture frames these days.  Everything I found was incredibly inexpensive, but if you have frames around the house, you can take sandpaper and distress them yourself. You can also add printable quotes (with fun fonts) to place inside frames easily in lieu of photos for an inexpensive and vintage look.

This set of 5 frames was something I purchased but is easily made by hot gluing vintage frames together (on the sides) and then on the bottom to a board! The middle frame is actually chalkboard paint and I’m trying to figure out if I should leave it blank or write “Laundry” on it. What do you think? I added a printable quote attached by a mini clothespin for extra charm.

I placed this framed piece above the laundry room cabinets – up high for contrast. I’m in love with it. The room seems less “sterile” and more warm and inviting.

Ah, but there’s more – the other side of the laundry room!

This side of the laundry room was more of a challenge.

Half-Curtains – I love the light streaming in throughout the day, so I opted not to have blinds in this room (plus, they are pricey). But it was missing something – it seemed that curtains could really warm up the space, so I opted for half-curtains. With half-curtains, there would be privacy yet sun would still easily flood the room during the day from the top part of this tall window. Win-Win!

I also added some more neutral framed prints!

Last year I did splurge on a piece of furniture, a “HALL TREE” for the laundry room. I adore this and highly recommend one as it has a mirror, hooks to hang winter coats and school backpacks, baskets for shoes and a bench to sit down and put on those shoes. We have gotten our use out of this. To avoid the expense of a hall tree, you could simply hang a mirror, add coat hooks to the wall and purchase a simple bench.

I figured I already spent enough money on the hall tree last year and knew that curtains can be pricey,  so I opted to make my own.

Without a Sewing Machine.

Without a Power Drill.

I wanted to make things incredibly easy for myself. Why? Well, I have my mom’s old sewing machine, but to be honest, I haven’t used it in years and would need a refresher!

I love burlap and found a burlap table runner for under $10. It was ruffled on both ends so I decided it would make the perfect DIY Burlap Curtains!

Supplies needed:

• Burlap Table Runner
• Scissors
• Needle
• Thread
• Tension rod

This table runner was approximately 8 feet long with ruffles on each end, so I simply cut the table runner completely in half. This created 2 burlap pieces, each with a full ruffle on the end – the perfect bottom for curtains.

Next, I placed the two burlap pieces side by side, as they would be on the window, and measured how tall I wanted the curtains to be. I then hemmed the top of each burlap piece accordingly using needle and thread, leaving enough space to place a curtain rod through the material. You’ll want to have your curtain rod there to make sure your hem is wide enough.

NOTE: Burlap is thicker than most fabric, but regular thread worked just fine for me. If a problem, consider using something a bit thicker, like embroidery thread.

While I do love the look of iron curtain rods, our drill battery needs replacing, so opted for something even easier – a curtain tension rod. Just measure your window so you know what size to get.

After hemming each piece, put the curtain tension rod through and hang!

Couldn’t be easier! No sewing machine. No power drill. Not to mention the money saved.

And speaking of saving money………

After making over my laundry room, I stocked up on essentials like Member’s Mark® Ultimate Clean laundry detergent, exclusive to Sam’s Club.

This detergent is a favorite because it’s HE compatible and safe for all washing machine styles. No worries and that’s exactly what I like.

I’m a member at my local Sam’s Club and love the options. Available in both pods and liquid, I grabbed the Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean laundry liquid detergent in Fresh Scent. It has a patented Ultimate Clean Technology that handles tough stains beautifully – that’s perfect for my active family.

Seriously such a great deal and this mom loves buying larger quantities so I don’t run out as fast.

Best of all, the no-mess dispenser will ensure that my laundry room stays looking beautiful!

You can try out Member’s Mark Ultimate Clean laundry detergent at Sam’s Club or online at samsclub.com in either Fresh Scent or Paradise Splash. Did you know if you order online, you can have it waiting for you in the store? Love that Sam’s Club benefit, especially when I’m incredibly busy!

I’ll admit, I’m really enjoying my new laundry room. Or should I call it something else now? All I know is that I don’t seem to mind doing the laundry as much anymore. Ha!

Have you ever thought about making over your laundry room? What would you do first?