Laundry Room Makeover Reveal (ORC Spring 2023 Week 8)
I made it, and with a few hours to spare! Our garage laundry room has been completed on time, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!
If I had to boil this garage laundry room makeover down to one word, it would be “polarizing.”
We’ve never seen such black and white opinions!
Welcome to The Navage Patch!
If you’re joining us from the ORC website – welcome! I’m Greg, this is The Navage Patch, and my wife Handan and I are giving a makeover to the laundry room in our new Florida home. This is our second One Room Challenge, and we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for this room!
The green walls: Too dark! Depressing! Like a rotten avocado!
The black tiles: They look out of place! The jagged top looks unfinished!
And of course…The Hutch. The infamous hutch.
Not feeling it.
It’s a no for me.
It’s too small.
The colors clash.
No.
*****
And you know what?
We love it!
Oh, I’m not talking about the hutch or the tiles of the paint color. I mean, we do love all of those, of course, but I’m talking about the controversy!
The juicy, divisive, bicker-inducing controversy worthy of Geraldo Rivera, Jerry Springer or even…Maury Povich!
There are some creators on social media who think it’s okay to publicly shame and vilify those who give negative comments – all in the name of “kindness.” Why on earth would they do that?
To me, the negative comment is just as valued and valuable as the positive one. I thank the stars we live in a world of such varied beauty that we have the luxury of choice when it comes to decor and the luxury of opinion on those choices!
Can you imagine a world where only farmhouse was allowed, and it had to be spoken of favorably? Or a world of only (gag) mid-century modern (shudder)?
We are free to do to our homes whatever the heck we wish, and we are free to share it with the world, and we are free to receive the feedback of a thousand different perspectives – good, bad, positive or negative.
That is freedom, and it is absolutely as beautiful as my “rotten avocado” walls and my “grandma” hutch!
So Handan and I never go sour grapes about a negative comment. Even the nasty ones took the time to write, and I appreciate them for that.
Besides, for straight-up comedic value, negative comments are king! Two of my favorites before carrying on with the reveal:
This one from our current laundry room makeover…
And this priceless gem from my DIY Macrame Ghost post on TikTok last fall…
LAUNDRY ROOM REVEAL VIDEO
Watch our short and fun video below for an overview of our laundry room makeover reveal before you read the detailed progress.
Watch Our Tutorial On YouTube
On Tiktok
We love to see our DIY projects out in the wild! If you try this DIY project and take a picture and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag us @TheNavagePatch!
LAUNDRY ROOM REVEAL
Okay let’s take a look at the final touches before the reveal.
By the end of week 7, we were essentially finished with our garage laundry room but for a few details – one of them actually quite significant.
Off to the side and never pictured (but seen by us every day) is the side panel I installed to give a seamless look to the cabinets on their raised base. I cut the side panel from a scrap of utility panel that I attached with construction adhesive and brad nails.
Once I had the side panel installed, I made a toe-kick from the same utility panel and installed it under the front of the cabinets.
I’m almost 51 years old, and just the thought of bending over to retrieve something from the back of a lower cabinet is enough to give me heart palpitations. So it’s a good thing I have a wife to remind me to build (insist upon) slide-out shelves for those cabinets.
Welp, I made them back in 2016 for our CT kitchen, so I could certainly make them again. But this time I have 7 years’ experience under my belt, so I came up with a much easier method – tutorial coming soon for that!
That left one big little detail – the pendant light.
Alora lighting was kind enough to send us one of their beautiful Harmony pendant lights. There was just one little issue – I’d have to wire it up myself. I would be hanging it from the angled bit of ceiling over the sink. That outcropping is the staircase leading up to the craft room, and fortunately, there is a crawling entrance to the underside of the stairs. This is what a blubbery 50-year-old looks like coming out of that hole.
Inside that little space, after removing some insulation, I found enough space to wire up the light.
I was able to run wire over to the existing 3-switch plate at the house entrance of the garage. That switch plate had always been something of a mystery, because as far as I could tell, only one switch worked – the one for the overhead garage lights. I was excited to see where the other switches were wired…
They weren’t! They were dummies! Who on god’s green earth does such a thing??
Well, it did allow me to wire up the pendant light to one of the vacant switch bays. And as I also transitioned those switches to rocker paddles – yes, I installed a dummy rocker paddle in the middle. Hey, I might find a use for it someday!
But the Alora pendant looks fantastic!
We went through a few runner changes-of-mind until settling on the ones shown in the upcoming reveal pictures. The rugs keep it classy out there – after all, it is a garage floor, and I usually do laundry barefoot.
And with that, we put the wraps on our second One Room Challenge. Will there be a third…?
Of course! And I fully expect it to be another headless chicken, clown-fest, shitshow, as it will once again coincide with our busy Halloween season. But really, what else am I gonna do with my time? Relax?
LOLOLOL!
LAUNDRY ROOM SOURCE LIST
Affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.
- GE washer & dryer
- Hampton Bay shaker cabinets
- Butcher block countertop
- Black and brass Alora Harmony pendant light
- EMTEK Select Conical Knurled Cabinet Knob
- Peel and stick hexagon tile
- 13.75″ deep, 22″x25″ white drop-in utility sink
- Modern brass faucet with pull down sprayer
- Laundry detergent holder / drink dispenser with spigot (1 gallon)
- Dryer sheet dispenser
- Automatic sensor liquid soap dispenser (rechargable)
- Light green table top trash can
- 500ml dark green/amber plastic soap pump dispensers (pack of 4)
- Walls: SW pewter green
- Cabinets: SW Shiitake
- Countertop & cubby stain: Provincial Gel Stain
Click the ORC logo below to check out the other participants!
Fancy! You can invite your friends over for an elegant evening of drinks and laundry in that classy garage laundry area!!
LOL, I’m sure they’d love that, Maggi! 😀
Gorgeous! You guys are breaking through barriers and making husbands around the country miserable because their wives now expect to redecorate their laundry rooms! (Yes, it’s a sexist statement but it’s kinda true.)
I know! I’m hated by husbands on TikTok! LOL!
Unique. Personal. Different! That’s what I love about DIY. Curious why you didn’t paint the hutch white though? Pray tell?
Thanks, Mary! We left the hutch as is because Handan loves the color aaaand it was going to be too much work to paint it! 😀 Also, the color you’re seeing as white is actually Shiitake 🙂
Green is my favourite colour and avocadoes are one of the healthiest foods on the planet, so what’s not to love? But as for mid-century modern, it really should dominate the world 😉!
Exactly! LOL, I know there are a LOT of you MCMers out there! 😀
I love what you did to your laundry room. It has such personality and class.
Thank you so much, Darlene!
Navage for the WIN! Looks great.
WooHoo! 👊👊👊
Hey. I LOVE everything about this room makeover. You made a laundry room look very posh, and classic. The dark wall colour and black hexagon tiles (rectangular or square tiles would not have worked as well here, because of the space, I think), the rugs that match the counter top colour, the brass finishings, the picture on the wall, that stunning orb light, and the dark wood glass cabinet holding antique-looking trinkets and dispensers that ‘disguise’ the laundry room feel – why not have pretty things to look at when you’re doing the laundry? All I have are blank walls and wire shelving for hangers, bleh. I think your laundry room looks magnificent, the kind I would expect to see at an old Manor House – I love old, ancient architecture and antique pieces – this makeover is stunning. Congratulations.
Thank you, Marina – this is a fantastic comment! You put a smile on my face!
Absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I’m glad you get a laugh out of the nastiest comments – that’s a great outlook that few have. Getting butthurt over comments from total strangers with whom you don’t have to live, and won’t likely ever see it in person does no one any good. Why go gray(or grayer, in my case, lol) or get pissy about it? I try hard to live by the ‘if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything, at all’ motto. But, you and Handan are my remodel heroes, so you make it easy to stick to!
Thank you, Carla! I agree – why waste good energy on bad commenters? Better to have fun with them!
Oh, wow! My aesthetics are just like yours. And it is GORGEOUS!!!
Thank you so much, Suzi! 🙂
Personally – I think your laundry room is genius! Even though it’s in the garage it looks like a totally separate room. Kudos to you and your beloved on a job well done.
Thank you, Nicki! 🙂
You do magnificent work! Congratulations on a job that’s not only DONE (as in FINISHED!) but one that is WELL done!
Thank you so much, Jan – it feels great to be DONE! 🙂
Hey…really enjoyed your reaction to the neg comments! Kill em with kindness,! Shows their rudeness.
Very refreshing ,Greg!👏👏👏
Exactly, Bernice! Too many people out there “calling out” bullies are engaged in a form of bullying themselves!
“Even the nasty ones took the time to write, and I appreciate them for that.” 😁
Love your good temper and total lack of bitterness!
I’m really impressed by the amount and quality of work done here, and Handan’s creativity. Congratulations!
That said, I didn’t like it either (blast!). The only things I like, actually, are the light fixture and the rattan rugs. And the golden faucet.
But it’s not us it must please, it’s you, and if it gives you both joy when entering the garage, that’s a big WIN!
Thanks for sharing and greetings from France!
Thanks, Skimpy! Life’s too short to worry about negative commenters! And I appreciate your opinion of the room! We are aware it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but we life it, and that’s all that matter in the end! Thanks for writing and say hello to Wine Country for me! 🙂
Honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure that I’d like the finished laundry room space but I do – I like everything about it. The hutch and light are my favorites! If we had not converted our garage to a large family room, I would ask my husband to move ours into it. Our laundry room is 12 x 12 – that’s valuable space I could use for something else.
Moot anyway because we’re moving to the country! Planning to go through your Navage Patch site for ideas.
Thank you, Julie! Ooooh, 12×12 – that’s a big space! I can hear Handan salivating at the thought of all that storage…lololol!
Are you sure your dirty laundry is good enough for that luxe laundry room?? 😉 Looks VERY nice. I’m not sure why everyone thinks we should all live in houses just like theirs. I’ve seen other people’s houses, their design style isn’t that good and usually is influenced by who is hot on HGTV. LOL
You know something, Cynthia…it may not be! LOL!
Heh Greg and handan, great reveal work as always, magazine worthy. the Paint choices are particularly fabulous. Don’t brake for creativity killers.
Thank you so much, Leez! 🙂
Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! I was initially on the fence about the hutch but with the shelf you added for it to sit on, it looks much more intentional and not just left there because you had nowhere else to put it. I like the jagged tiles and that pendant is beautiful! I’d wash my dirty clothes there any day!
I agree, Giselle! I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea at first, either, but now I love it as much as Handan does!
I don’t think garages have enough to do, after all they just hold cars and junk. It’s about time they did the laundry. Love the color green and the cabinets, but I also love farmhouse. :)’
Agreed, Cheryl! Garages are wasted space if they only hold cars!
Love it!! I love everything you guys do! Did you ever get my email with the wood slat wall we did?
I never got that email, Kate (I just re-searched my inbox to verify). Please send it to greg@thenavagepatch.com. Thanks!
That has to be the most beautiful laundry room I have ever seen. I would cry tears of joy if I had this!
Thank you so much for sharing. Really enjoy your work along with your ever so humorous writing style. Always a bright spot in my day!
Wishing you many decades of happiness in your lovely home.
Love to all. ❤️
Thank you so much, Naomi! Hey, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by with a load! :D:D:D
Sexiest laundry room ever! I love green so any color green would be a win for me, and I love the pendant light, the display case and the framed art print. Great ideas and the skills to carry them out! This is like the English men’s club of laundry rooms. I love it.
Yes, Teddee! That is exactly the look Handan was going for in her mind when she cam up with the idea! 🙂
Love, love, love it! You do make every woman jealous, wishing we had someone like you living in our home to do these kind of makeovers. Well, at least, I am jealous. All I can do is read your humorous blogs and follow your DIY projects with drooling mouth agape. My contractor is MIA most of the time and doesn’t have your kind of brilliant ideas. Or Handan’s ideas either.
On another note: thought I was seeing you crawl thru a doggie door on your TikTok video to begin a new job.
Thank you so much, Jennifer! That doggie door was THIS project! We have crawl-through access under the stairs going up to the craft room, and that is where I was able to wire-up the pendant light! 🙂
Beautiful, unusual, and a work of art. Love following all your projects.
Thank you, Diane! We love it too!
I am in love with your new pendant light! That looks awesome over your sink area! I think that is my favorite feature of all! I’m still in the “not loving the hutch” fan side but all the rest is a big “YES” for me! Great job, as always! And it’s great to hear your funny banter back again! 🙂
Thank you, Karen! We agree on the light – it really ties everything together. The hutch isn’t for everyone, but it works for us! 🙂
I love the laundry area. It’s beautiful and as boring as laundry is, isn’t it uplifting to do laundry in such a glamorous space. It is so out of the box and I love that. Also I loved your comments to the negative Nancy’s of the world. You need to make a post once or twice a year of just negative comments and your replies. That would be some funny reading.
Thanks, Stacye! We’ve started saving the really good ones and the hilarious bad ones, so maybe I’ll do that later this year!
I Love It. The colors chosen and the surfaces blend so well and the hutch is a dream. Great Job.
Thank you, Shirley, we agree! 🙂
I think it’s gorgeous. I wish mine was that beautiful!
❤️ SayessDesign
Thank you, Shirley! BTW, you have a very positive last name. Is it pronounced “Say yes?”
I love that you and Handan love it and that’s what counts.
Exactly, Carol! 🙂
I THINK IT’S BEAUTIFUL!!! WELL DONE PEEPS…..WELL DONE! THE TILES FROM A DISTANCE REMIND ME OF WAVES IN THE OCEAN….OH AND THE HUTCH….WHAT A SWEET IDEA! I ONLY WISH I HAD A LAUNDRY ROOM TO DO THAT IN. AGAIN BEAUTIFUL!!!
Thank you, Julie – I like the ocean waves observation – I hadn’t seen that! 🙂
I love the hutch & tile heck I love the whole thing..
Thank you, Laurie! 🙂
Well I hate to say this (LOL!!) but I LOVE it!! Seriously, it really fits the area beatifully and very functional!
Thanks, Eliz! I totally agree with you! 🙂
Another great job, I never doubted you!
Thanks for having faith in the vision, Madeline! 🙂
Love your attitude about negative comments! What this country Doesn’t need is Decor Police!
LOLOL, Agreed, Barbara! We also don’t need Mean Comment Police offering those people up for sacrifice in the name of “Being Nice.” 😀
Greg, I have always felt that if one did not have something nice to say, it’s best to say nothing at all. Then I read some sort-of negative ones that you gave a funny reply. So I’ll say the positive first. This room looks so amazing. Organized. Inviting. Handy storage. So much hard work went into it. You are totally a PRO. My only slightly negative comment is that the color of the walls is too dark for my taste. But, that’s just me. You folks obviously chose it and like it . So who am I to judge? Keep up the good work. And thank you for sharing your projects.
Thank you, Cynthia! As for the walls, the pics don’t convey the whole feeling. At night, I’d call it cozy in there. During the day with both garage doors open (no pics like that because there was so much light reflection coming off the hutch glass) – it’s actually very bright! But don’t worry, we can always handle negative feedback. Sometimes it even makes us re-evaluate things to make sure we’ve chosen the best path forward. I appreciate your input!
Hi there,
The only thing I have to say about your garage laundry room is that it belongs in a nice space in the house, not a garage! That’s the nicest, fanciest garage laundry room that I HAVE ever seen!
Ours, in our new house, is a walk through to the mud room and garage. I have been looking for something to make it a better space but we could never make it look as good as that. And as far as the tile, I love the look.
I have to agree that negative comments are just a choice. It may not be their style but I’m sure they can take some positive ideas away with them.
Take care
Sherry Hilson
Thank you so much, Sherry! You’re exactly right – projects like this are meant to inspire. Maybe someone will run with an idea or two. We’re certainly not expecting anyone to make a carbon copy of this room. And I’ll bet even your laundry room can be improved even more than you think. If you’re stuck for ideas and can’t see a way forward with it, email me some pics of how it is now from different angles – maybe we can help with an idea or two.
I love how you take the wind out of troll sails! Great place to do laundry. It looks like you should have a laundry pod in one hand and a bourbon in the other. Love it!
I’ve turned trolls into followers and repeat “regular” commenters. We’re all human. We’re all looking for human contact. Well, most of us, anyway. Very few are lost beyond hope.
I love the “bar” you put in the hutch. It would make laundry day a much more fun. Er, maybe too much fun! LOL
It give laundry the kick it needs! 🙂
I like it very much! It elevates ‘Laundry Day(s)’ to a new level! I would need a larger, flat surface like a tabletop for folding items and a rack of some kind for hanging clothing in order to avoid the dreaded wrinkles. Wiring that pendant light, crawling into that small space are not in my wheelhouse; I wish they were. Keep the great posts coming! You both have such fresh ideas!
Thank you, Rebecca! We’re a hanging family, so I don’t need to fold anything. Everything goes right from the basket onto hangers in the closet! 🙂
Awesome, like always! But, wait….you’ve done almost every room in the house, so I’m thinking I’ll pack my bag and head down, ok?!?! I can’t wait to stay in that awesome guest room! Seriously though, I love the inspiration I get from reading your blog. Thanks!
Every room?? Oh, Dee, we’re just scratching the surface! We still have to do the living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, lanai, workout room (bonus room), other guest bedroom, Master bedroom, Master closet, master bath, guest closet and 4 other bathrooms. THEN we’ll be done, lol!
Amazingly beautiful for a garage laundry room!
Thank you, Lisa! 🙂
Looks amazing! Very consistent with the design aesthetic you and Handan have followed since the beginning. You do you! And it works beautifully. As to your voice, it was a surprise! You write with such snarky panache, I expected a much sharper tone. It does explain your successful transition to the South.
Thank you, Derry! This is the first time you’re hearing my voice? You should check out our Instagram or TikTok – all voiceover videos these days!
I’m really not sure why people have to be so mean… But it’s everywhere. I appreciate your good attitude about it.
I am so impressed at how you took so many different things and managed to make them work out to be beautiful. You both have a talent of seeing something in its beauty! It almost makes me want to put my washer and dryer out in the garage!! I could use the space that they are in for storage. But alas, my husband doesn’t do things like you do. I do it. And I just don’t think I could manage doing that. But you planted a seed in my head. Someday….maybe…. Congratulations on your laundry oasis. You made it beautiful and just right for your taste!!!
Thank you, Melody! I see it less as people being mean as people being sad, hurt, depressed or unsure of themselves and then channeling their own misery outward to others.
Love the laundry room! Green isn’t too dark at all … after all, it’s not like you’re going to spend hours in there.
But I do have to disagree with your assessment of Mid-Century Modern! I’m MCM and proud to say it! (Born 1946, so mid-century!!) And I’m in damn fine condition for my… Oh! Wait!! Are you talking about the FURNITURE style?? Ooopsie! Well, there I’ll have to agree with you … that stuff stinks. (I grew up with it, so I know.)
Anyhoo! Love the laundry room, and if you want to do another I’m not too far away! (California isn’t TOO far is it?)
Thanks, Lynnie! MCM people are fantastic, but man, you guys did create some questionable design aesthetics over the decades, lol! 😀
By far the prettiest laundry room I have ever seen!!
Thank you, Margie! 🙂
I think your laundry space is beautiful, granny hutch and all! I figure because I am a bit older than you, I would be considered one of the granny furniture loving old people. But my younger self would have loved it, too. I think the dark colors help define the space and they are really pretty. You rocked this, in my opinion!
Thank you so much, Glyniss! We are loving it! 🙂
It’s beautiful! Now for my negative comment; It’s almost too beautiful for a laundry room 😉
LOL, thank you, Susan!
I love your “laundry room” makeover. It’s classy and shows real imagination. The only issue is that it’s almost too classy for a garage. But whatever. It’s whatever makes you happy and what works.
Thank you! It does elevate the garage – now I have to keep it clean! 😀
WOW another awesome DYI as always a very classy job. Over the last few years I have loved all your jobs. You and your wife never disappoint in your creative ideas. I never understand the negative comments they just are people with diarrhea of the mouth LOL.
That is true, Bunny! But every so often those negative comments are a goldmine for comedy! 🙂
Omg you guy’s it looks amazing!!!!! Wish my laundry room looked like that I might spend more time folding clothes heeheee
Thank you! I don’t spend time in there to fold though – all the hanging gets done in the closets! 🙂
I think the final product brought all of the controversial touches together nicely! I never would have imagined or guessed that all those details would look good together and I probably would not recreat (mimic) it for myself; but I think it looks fantastically pleasing and homey.
Thanks, Deanna! I think we pulled it off! 🙂
Ta-da!! That is an elegant laundry room, if I do say so! Not your run o’ the mill typical Farm House look, but uniquely yours. I love the soap dispenser in the wood glass cabinets, displaying artifacts not usually found in a laundry room! FYI, that kind of stuff (soap/fabric softener), stains, so I would suggest laying down some clear shelf liner or something, to protect the wood. Keep on creating!!
Thank you so much, Tina! Yes, I put a folded paper towel underneath it! 🙂
Great job! I was thinking the colors were a little dark but when you said it doubles as your man cave it makes perfect sense. It looks like a swanky club room. Your man neighbors must be jealous. I do adore the wood stained hutch and the way it is styled inside. I like the look of the rattan rugs, as it pulls it all together, but are they comfortable on those bare feet?
Oh yes! The rattan tugs are soft and very comfortable!
I really love your laundry room. Everything about it. Sometimes I wish I could have a larger laundry room but it is what it is. I have lived in this house for 54 years and I am happy with what I have.
Thank you so much! Hey, if it works, that’s really all you need in the end! 🙂
Love this!!
Thank you!
Hi Greg and Handan , just seen your garage laundry pick. Different, but for me I think I have seen better make overs by you. However, if you love it then it is a triumph! I have mixed feelings – LIKING the quirkiness of the furnishings but not LOVING. It doesn’t exactly float my boat but I bet it would clean my clothes!!
I love the look of your laundry room. However, (here it comes), The color is not me. I would have made it a cheery-er color. Doing laundry is depressing, why not brighten your day with color.
Secondly. Why not make the tall cabinet on the right all the way to the floor? Think broom/mop closet or hanging closet for those clothes that need (GASP) ironing.
Thirdly, there is no folding surface. I would want a small island or fold-up table to fold all those undies and t-shirts!
And, last, but not least, a rolling clothes rack to hang clothes until they are ready to go into individual rooms.
Now that I have said all that, I love your room anyhow. A great garage addition.
Oh, yeah, the hutch. NO GLASS for me. I couldn’t keep the inside stuff that neat!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful work.
Hi April, thanks for writing! The color is meant to look like an English hunting club since i’m the one doing the laundry. I don’t need a folding table since I hang everything in out closet, so it’s straight from the dryer into a laundry basket and then straight into the closet.
Ooh, add me to this list of LOVES! 😍
Thanks, Amanda!
Looks fantastic!
Thank you, Cynde!
I think it’s just perfect.
Thank you, Arlie! 🙂