To take the drudgery out of doing laundry (and even make it a pleasurable experience), spend some time dressing up your laundry room with classic country style! After all, it’s always easier to work in a comfortable environment. Think of the fun you can have searching for collectibles with a laundry theme—old soap boxes, scrub boards, galvanized tin tubs, scrub brushes, and irons and clothespins are just a few suggestions.
Even if your laundry room isn’t actually a “room,” but rather a corner of the basement or garage, a closet or a niche under the stairs, keeping things close at hand and arranged in an orderly fashion will make doing laundry less of a household chore and more of an activity you actually can enjoy. Here are some tips to get you started:

Storage
l Install shelves for cleaning supplies above or next to your washer and dryer.
l Wire shelves are good for hanging drip-dry or to-be-ironed clothing (use plastic hangers).
l Organize laundry into a three-compartment sorter on wheels for separating colors, whites and delicates.
l Add a table for folding and sorting.
l Bring in wicker or wire baskets to hold clothes requiring mending or special treatment for stubborn stains.

Washing & Drying
l Today’s washers are loaded with features that make life easier: Front-load washers, like those used in Laundromats, produce less wear and tear on clothing; hand-washing cycles save you the trouble of doing it yourself.
l Save half the space with a stackable washer and dryer. The higher position of the dryer also reduces back strain.

Ironing
l On the back door, hang an organizer to hold your iron, ironing board and accessories. Another option is a hideaway ironing board that slides out from a drawer.
Once you have all the basics, you can give yourself over to the fun of decorating your laundry room. This is a place to really express yourself with favorite collectibles and cute, quirky painted ideas.

1. Add a touch of whimsy with Seabrook Wallcoverings’ delightful “Cuttin’ Up” clothesline border—it’s sure to banish some of those washday blues.


2. In this colorful laundry room, a distressed cupboard holds garden collectibles; a slop sink is dressed in a perky plaid.



photos: bradley olman

3. Organization is key in a laundry room. Here, shelving, pegs and baskets keep clutter to a minimum, while the garden-fresh wallcoverings maintain a country feel. 4. Say goodbye to the dreary laundry room! Keep it bright and cheerful with red, white and blue, and a clever window treatment made with a clothesline, crisp, checked tea-towels and clothespins. 5. Overhead shelving removes clutter from work areas and a wall-mounted retractable drying rack saves valuable space. An inexpensive light fixture provides task lighting.