Utility Room

Fresh colors provide a bright setting for indoor tasks and outdoor pursuits.

Photography by Howard Lee Puckett

Utility Room
The Goal

This homeowner, an avid gardener, wanted to squeeze more purpose into her underused laundry room. Because it offers easy access to the home's back and side yards, it is a natural spot to incorporate a potting area and storage for gardening tools.

The Plan

A stackable washer-and-dryer set replaces side-by-side units to free up valuable floor space. Turquoise paint freshens the existing peg-board walls and contrasts with the mocha brown finish on the new oak cabinets. Updated lighting, durable solid-surface countertops, and a unique newsworthy shelving treatment complete the look.

Retro-style pendant lights hang from the ceiling. Their sleek antique-pewter finish complements the cabinet hardware.

"It feels like spring year-round in here—just the thing to get me in the gardening mood."

Good To Know

Test your decoupage skills on a scrap surface before applying to a large space. Learn more about this technique at Lowes.com/Decoupage.

Garden Station
  1. Utility RoomIn-stock oak cabinets, which house laundry and gardening supplies, were covered with wood stain and a polyurethane finish. The new stackable washer-and-dryer set conserves floor space.
  2. Utility RoomLinking foam mats provide a comfortable surface for anyone standing at the sink.
  3. Utility RoomLively green paint brightens up built-in shelving along the back wall. For a personalized touch, the homeowner decoupaged the shelf interiors with pages from The Old Farmer's Almanac. You also could use clippings from local newspapers.
  4. Utility RoomA cabinet that's flush with the wall conceals an ironing board when not in use. The cabinet is painted to match the wall color.

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Project Details
Skillset: Advanced
Rough Cost Estimate: $5,635*

Cabinetry and countertops: $2,300
Appliances: $1,925
Fashion plumbing: $420
Lighting: $215
Flooring: $305
Paint: $100
Moulding: $50
Accessories: $320

Rough Time Estimate: 2 weeks**
Cabinetry And Countertops
  • Cabinets (Unfinished Oak; Utility Cabinet, #66392; 15-Inch Wall Cabinet, #31013; 30-Inch Wall Cabinet, #33864; 18-Inch Base Cabinet, #46392; 30-Inch Base Cabinet, #47041; Sink Base Cabinet, #176172)
  • Countertop (Corian, Linen, Special Order)
  • Knobs (Satin Nickel, #224632)
Appliances
  • Washer (Whirlpool, White, Model WFW9200SQ, #216341)
  • Dryer (Whirlpool, White, Model WED9200SQ, #216325)
  • Stack Kit (Whirlpool, #238955)
Fashion Plumbing
  • Sink (Kohler, Stainless, #135725)
  • Faucet (Price Pfister, Stainless Steel, #244126)
Lighting
  • 5 Pendant Lights (Antique Pewter, #166107)
Flooring
  • Tiles (12-Inch, Ravello Beige, #187096)
  • Bone-Colored Grout
Paint
  • Walls (Valspar Signature Colors, Martha Stewart Colors, Rosemary MS333, Satin)
  • Bookcase (Valspar Signature Colors, Martha Stewart Colors, Tulip Leaf MS295, Semi-Gloss)
  • Cabinets (Minwax Wood Stain, Dark Walnut)
  • Polyurethane (#45862)
Moulding
  • Crown Moulding (2 3/4x 9/16-Inch, #3011)
Accessories
  • Magazine Clippings For Bookcase (The Old Farmer's Almanac, #157614***)
  • Wallpaper Paste (#53314)
  • Roman Shades (Mahogany, #95713)
  • Foam Linking Mats (#168520)
  • Ironing Board Cabinet (#36801)

*Does not include labor costs or applicable taxes, which vary by market.

**Does not include lead time for Special Order materials.

***Availability varies by market.

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