It’s been said before that what’s old is new again. This is especially true when it comes to the rustic farmhouse design theme. You see it being brought to life in homes that might not be in the country, but still, feel like they have bucolic bliss waiting right outside the door.
Of course, one of the best places in the house where old things are made new again is the laundry room. While it might be a utilitarian space meant for refreshing garments, it can be taken to the next level in form and function when you add just the right farmhouse touches. This includes things like:
Sliding Rail Barn Doors
Nothing says country life like sliding rail barn doors. Modern-day engineering has managed to reinvent these rail systems for indoor home life with décor and style that goes beyond allowing livestock to pass through.
They also save a lot of space compared to hinged doors that need enough room to swing open. If you ever want to change the surrounding décor in the future, it’s relatively easy to swap out old barn doors for new ones.
Painted Pallet Wood Accents
Pallet lumber is easy to come by and can be functional as well as decorative. All it takes is a little sanding, a fresh coat of primer, and a thick coat of paint to recreate the look of barn wood or even a white picket fence.
You can put it around the washer and dryer to add dimensionality to the walls or use it as an accent border. There can also be functional value to repurposed pallets for shelves or a place to hang wire baskets of canvas fabric pouches.
Use Curtains To Tastefully Hide Appliances & Supplies
Let’s face it, washing machines, dryers and big jugs of laundry detergent aren’t ever going to be considered beautiful. Yet they still need to be there to get your family’s clothes clean.
One tasteful way to tuck them out of sight when not in use is to hang curtains over them. This can be something as simple as a patterned shower curtain on a rod, or classic farmhouse curtains hung like drapery.
This is a very handy concept if your laundry room is just part of a larger room such as the downstairs family room or an extension of your home’s kitchen.
Wicker Hampers & Baskets
Nothing screams farmhouse more than the use of organic materials. So, making the most out of wicker not only makes sense for decorative reasons, but it can also have functional purposes. Creating separate wicker hampers for colors, whites, and delicates not only adds to the country farmhouse ambiance but also helps your sort out loads in an instant!
Pendant Lighting For High Ceilings
The farmhouse concept gets an upgrade anytime you reinvent classic lighting with modern electrical components. This includes things like turn of the last century pendant lighting. It’s a perfect way to enhance the country ambiance with a milk room twist. Yet the light fixtures themselves cast just like recessed lighting. You can even go so far as to fit them with iconic Edison bulbs.
Transform a Laundry Sink Into A Trough
Laundry room sinks play a functional role in helping rinse out soiled and sundry items. This sometimes leads to them being plain looking. Though you can easily replace the old-fashioned fiberglass basin with a single-basin porcelain or enameled sink that’s reminiscent of a farmhouse trough-style sink. Not only do you gain rinsing space and depth, but it ties in perfectly to the country theme.
Cubbies with Wrought Iron Accents
Some families rely on cubby systems to set out each person’s clothes at the end of laundry day. This is a great way to let everyone come find their own things and put them away appropriately. While these are meant to be functional spaces, nothing is saying that they can’t be on theme with the farmhouse look.
All it takes is a solid coat of whitewash paint, and perhaps some wrong iron accents to give it the classic country feel. You could even use hammer-finish spray paint on a closet pole to create a hanger space that still looks on theme.
Install Shiplap Ceiling or Walls
Shiplap is a classic rustic style of wall and/or ceiling board that you find in a lot of classic barns and farmhouses. In the past, it came from either old wooden ships that were decommissioned or lumber from train cars that were past their prime, but still worthy for country home use.
These aren’t your modern-day milled boards that have been planed perfectly smooth, with 90-degree corners and perfectly smooth edges. There are gaps between the boards and you can often see the fasteners like square-headed barn nails that speak of their rustic origins. It’s a look that certainly feels more on theme than painted drywall.
Best of all, you can usually source the wood cheaply. If you’re careful with a crowbar, and you have some aggressive 60-grit sandpaper on hand, you can simply take apart old pallets for shiplap lumper. Then apply whatever coat of paint you want to create an old-fashioned milk parlor feel in your modern-day laundry room.
Class Pattern Wallpaper
If shiplap and pallet lumber sound like a little too much work for you, then you might want to think about classically patterned wallpaper. It’s a great way to cover up modern-day paneling, plywood, or drywall. Modern-day wallpaper has been upgraded to be easier than ever to install and is available in a staggering variety of themes, including rustic farmhouse patterns.
A simple “Camp” pattern can give your laundry room the rustic farmhouse feel. This is a great way to add dimensionality and texture while still staying on theme. If your laundry room is a little bit on the dark side, and there’s not a whole lot you can do to upgrade the lighting, you might want to choose a lighter pattern of wallpaper. This will add brightness even if you can’t add illumination.
