It’s starting to feel like spring, I’m cleaning and organizing everything that I ignored all winter, I’m planning our pantry/mudroom project… and all of this got me in an organizational mindset that landed us here… the laundry room refresh.

Our laundry room is honestly one of the things that sold me on this house. I’ve seen it all, laundry-wise, throughout the years of renting. Laundromats, communal washers, washer/dryer in the garage — seriously, when I saw the laundry room perfectly situated between all the bedrooms in this house, I was sold.

We did a little renovation to the laundry room in our early DIY days, and while it was a nice spruce up, I started feeling ready for a change from the farmhouse feel. Back in 2019 we added white shiplap to the walls, did peel and stick tile on the floor, added some decorative shelving and a large sign, and Garret built a waterfall style wooden countertop above the washer/dryer and around the sink. Oh yeah, we changed out the wash tub for a proper sink, too!

I am keeping a lot of these elements, but adding cabinetry for storage, and adding black shiplap to the ceiling for some decorative drama. You can see the laundry room ceiling from many points in our 5-level floorplan, so I think the ceiling is a great place to capture attention. Sherwin Williams Black Magic can be found all throughout our house, so the color was an easy choice.

I’ll show you the before state of our laundry room here:

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And now for my plans! I’m going to:

• Add upper cabinets for storage

• Add shiplap and trim to the ceiling

• Extend the shelving to meet the cabinetry

• Remove closet door

• Cover wire shelving with red oak

• Apply peel and stick wallpaper to closet and non-shiplap walls

• Replace current flooring with blush pink tile

• Paint trim, ceiling, and cabinetry Black Magic

• Replace faucet with a pull-down faucet

• Add epoxy to wood countertop for protection

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And I think that’s it! We already got a start on the ceiling and cabinetry earlier this week, and it is amazing what black paint can do to transform your space! I stop and admire the way the light hits against the black ceiling every single time I go by. I can only imagine how much more I’m going to love doing laundry for my family of five when the project is complete! ;)

Follow along on instagram stories to see how our laundry room refresh project is coming along @firsthouseonfinn!

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I recently started back full-time (from home) at my job as an interactive designer, and with that, comes a fun home office refresh!

We have a large sitting area in our master, which has served as Garret’s home office for the past three years. This location wasn’t working for either of us, so Garret just finished building himself a finished office in our basement, and now the master bedroom sitting area is turning into my home office.

I’m dreaming up a cozy area (since it’s in our master bedroom), while also creating a functional office space that I look forward to going to. I am in love with the Saguaro sectional from Anthropologie, so I’m definitely trying to work that into my design. I already have the white Lombok desk and gray Elowen desk chair, but I’m open to changing that out. So many options, I truly can’t decide! I’ve mocked up some ideas with different curtains + mirrors + couches. Indigo, black, neutral, blush — Which is your favorite? Can’t wait to show you what I’ve chosen!

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It’s almost April, and that means baby number three will be here before we know it. 10 weeks (hopefully less) remain! We did not find out the gender for this one, and it has been killing me not to be able to design and decorate the nursery. Now that my days consist of a lot more time at home (thanks, Coronavirus), I had time to work on design boards for a neutral nursery. Finally, something I can do safely from home, while fulfilling that nesting instinct! I started with neutral furniture pieces I can order now, that would work for either gender. I then came up with two plans to layer on from there, depending on whether we have a girl or boy.

I had a grand plan to buy furniture items at our local Pottery Barn Kids outlet, but it’s cutting it too close to due date with everything shut down. So for now, I’m shopping online and bookmarking everything I want, and I do a quick check daily for sales. Retailers are running great sales right now to stay afloat and boost the economy, so chances are, you can find what you want on sale if you’re patient! I did my best to link budget picks wherever possible. So, let’s start with that neutral foundation layer:

Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Crib // Budget Crib
Amelia 6-Drawer Dresser // Amelia 3-Drawer Dresser // Budget Dresser
PBKids Mercer Glider // Budget Glider Pick // Budget Glider Pick 2
Faux Plant in Basket // Floor Lamp

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If it’s a girl, layer on with…

Wallpaper // Custom Wood Name Sign // Macrame Garland
Fringe Mirror // Budget Mirror // Floor Lamp // Rug // Rug Option 2

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If it’s a boy, layer on with…

Wallpaper // Custom Wood Name Sign // Llama Art
Round Black Mirror // Floor Lamp // Floor Lamp 2 // Rug

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Continue adding decor as your little one’s personality comes out! Buying your main pieces ahead of time will help you not be overwhelmed. Hope this helps you get started on your nursery!
Rachael