text appeal

so briefly back to the laundry room.  [briefs....so punny]

you may have noticed another little snippet of text in the room, aside from big red that is. if you're curious as to why it looks familiar....it was my test board for the living room artwork. i did a trial run before spraying the actual canvas so that i could be sure i liked the layout + application of the paint.  when a friend came over a while back and saw it laying in my painting zone she suggested displaying it too....and you know i love a free piece of pretty, so i had to agree that i should give it a go.  so for now its going all fat joe and leaning back on the counter, same as the poster, to keep the laundry room atmosphere casual.

sure its a little rough around the edges....and inside the edges too....but i like the raw construction look of it.

keep clean + carry on

so you already knew i crushed on the crisp, punchy look of a certain war poster....as evidenced in this post of the past.

well i'd actually envisioned it in our laundry room, to start with.  i liked the idea of being able to run in there on a harried day, slam the door shut, take a deep breath [and perhaps a slug, or five, of wine] and let the poster do the talking.  in fact i'd sourced it out in a laundry list of different colors on etsy.  i was leaning toward something in the cool tones....perhaps navy, or lime, or a splash of watery aqua.  something to compliment the cool clean color palette of white + grey.

well.  kinda forgot about hunting it down after moving into the house.  that is, until i stumbled upon this version at tj maxx a few months ago.  ahoy matey!  i don't think i could have come much closer to having the proverbial pop of red.

the price was the same as most etsy poster versions buuut the fun factor here is that its already mounted on a wooden backboard so no frame needed.  between the savings there + not paying for shipping [not to mention that hot red hue] it was a pretty swell deal!

and did i talk bout the high gloss finish yet?  because there's a high gloss finish.  which just so happens to reflect the same shiny sheen as the laundry floor.

definitely meant to be together....and i really enjoy how its yet another element in the room of sparkly clean goodness.

boy, you sure clean up nice.

believe it or not, i initially had a polar opposite scheme in my noggin for the laundry room. i was picturing the walls in palm green [an eddie bauer paint], with fun lime-ish green faux bamboo countertops [they looked sweet in person, i swear].

welllll, i kinda strayed from that plan a bit. here is the inspiration picture that captured my eye: swoon!

and i had NO idea when i came across this photo of dreams that it was from a fellow canadian and a little show called 'sarah's house'. [in fact, i just found that out moments ago while working on this!] all i knew was this space made me want to start laundering that SECOND and not leave the room until kevin pulled me out kicking + screaming.

so i set about recreating the feel of this room through a variety of whites, silvers, greys....lots of shimmer and lots of shine to shout happy thoughts at me every time i need to throw in a load.




we used the same harbor gray paint color that we used in the foyer, and i think the color turned out just right against the anthracite flooring [i heart ikea] and the punched aluminum countertops.

the glossy finish on this flooring makes me drool.


its hard to see, but we laid the planks in thirds instead of a brick pattern which you might expect [same for our bathroom upstairs, except in tile]. even the electricians were ogling these boards!

our countertop we came upon by chance during one of our countless trips to the big box stores for miscellaneous supplies. kevin first found a chip called 'brushed aluminum', and the rest was history. one measly 'punched' chip was hanging next to it [and we found out later that this particular store couldn't even sell us this specialty item!] i l-o-v-e-d the subtle similarity between the pyramids of this formica and the quilted metal backsplash used by sara richardson [above].


these aluminum varieties are not intended to be used as countertops, which made it all the more tempting to use....call me crazy. i like the idea of using things in unexpected ways and despite this baby's backsplash status, i figured i'd never be running anything across it heavier than towels or jeans so why not?? [i think the installer, however, didn't quite share my passion. apparently in 10+ years he hadn't had this tricky of a time with a c-top - sorry!]


slowly but surely i'll start to fill in the cracks with decor....but i'm enjoying these little details in here for now.


the galvanized aluminum boxes i found during a trip to ikea this spring. they worked perfectly with my plan to build in some exposed storage for a fun + functional look amidst the rest of the cabinetry. so far they're holding cloths and rags. i figure i'll put anything in there that i might want to tote around the house as i work, like cleaning supplies.

this last 'vase' by the sink leads a double-life as my small mixing bowl.