Saturday, December 21, 2013

Shelf Above the Washer and Dryer

I had to forestall telling you about my cute shelf in the laundry room because I was trying to get in all my Christmas posts. I still have one more room I'd like to show before Wednesday but it won't be the end of the world if I don't get it in.

Here is what the laundry room usually looks like.



It cleans up really nice when we hide the cat food and the laundry stuff. 



I don't know if he saw it on Houzz or on This Old House but Bill said we should put a shelf above the washer and dryer to hold the laundry detergent. 
Actually he said he would prefer that we rip out the existing shelves and put in cabinets.
The time to say that was 23 years ago when we had   
three kids and a family of five with lots of junk that we needed to hide but we were never really willing to spend money on the laundry room. There were always plenty of more visible improvements that took precedence.
 I wanted cabinets for years but at this point I don't care if we have them or not.  
We are almost empty nesters so there isn't as much laundry as there used to be.



I wanted to hide the pipes and outlets. I hid them for a few months with an old piece of faux ceiling tile.


It wasn't perfect but it got the job done.   
My outlets were pretty high so I had to mount the shelf several inches above the washer and dryer. I couldn't "rest" it on top. 
 I put my thinking cap on and realized that the shelf would work if I made a skirt to cover the stuff I didn't want to see.
I don't know why suddenly it became important not to see the workings of the washer and dryer but it did.



So I hung two little gingerbread brackets that we have had since the 90s.  
I found some wood in the garage. 
It was the perfect width but not the perfect depth. 
I found another thin board to sit behind the thicker one and cut it to the correct length. I love it when we have scraps in the garage. I really do.
I painted the shelf. 
I made a ruffle out of drop cloth using my ruffle method.
I stapled the ruffle to the bottom of the shelf and then drilled the boards into the brackets.



Oh my, 
I think it is cute.








Laundry soap and button and clothes pin jars look adorable sitting on the shelf. 
I always like to have rags handy so I found a basket for them. 





My favorite gingerbread creation brightens it up for the holidays. 



I love that all the workings are hidden.


I'll show you the revamped sewing table in another post.  
Katie 

Linking with,
French Country Cottage   
The Charm of Home   
Savvy Southern Style


6 comments :

  1. this looks so adorable!
    I love it. I have cabinets over my washer and dryer...and above that I have junk stacked on top of the shelves...that is what cabinets are good for, you know...keeping way more than you need to. :/ I would think a cute ruffled curtain up top would do the trick. and a I wouldn't mind a small shelf to hide the mechanics too. Your laundry room looks adorable.
    ...I'm pinning it. -- Pat

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  2. Your shelf with the ruffled skirt looks adorable! How I would love to have a laundry room that wasn't in the dungeon that is our basement! I'm still trying to think of a clever way to hide the plethora of pipes and cords on the concrete wall above our washer and dryer. It's on my list of things to accomplish this year. Your are going to smile every time you walk into that room, Katie. :)

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  3. Love your laundry room (I'm jealous!) and your shelf turned out so cute!!
    Susan

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  4. The skirt gives it a lot of charm, that looks just right with the basket, laundry soap tub, washboard, etc. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, Katie!

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  5. Love that idea, very smart! Your laundry room is adorable! That iron is awesome.

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  6. I just showed my husband your shelf because I've been wanting an additional one for a few years! Love how you added the ruffle and I may have to do what you did-DO IT MYSELF!

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