1920s Farmhouse Laundry Room Makeover

AFTER: (Much better)

It’s lived quite the life in its 92 years. In short, it needs a lot of work. At this point, we’re mostly trying to plug the holes, stop the leaks, and make her sea-worthy again. Years of neglect had her barely hanging on. A few more trips around the sun and she wouldn’t have been savable. The foundation along the back of the house was slipping, causing the house to splay, basically slowly pulling her apart. Eventually, the contractor said the back wall would have fallen away from the house, and she would have been ruined.

We purchased the house with the property, basically paying the price for the land alone. The first bank wouldn’t even loan on the house because they said it didn’t have enough value. We fixed the foundation, added all new air conditioning and heat, including ducting, and are fixing her up little by little.

The laundry room was one of our first attempts to “make it usable” until one day we can make the room exactly how we want. The tile floor stays for now, as well as the walls, which I eventually want to change to shiplap. All in due time. For now, this makes me happy and will last until we’re ready for our second, and full gut reno.

Our goal in our renovations is to turn back the clock and give the home her original feel of being from the early 1900s. Along with purchasing new items, we’re constantly on the look for antiques and treasures to bring into each space, giving off those beautiful old touches that add warmth, contrast, and appeal to a room.

I also do a lot of research online, taking note of common paint patterns, wallpaper, and other items popular in the era I’m after and when possible, incorporate those. Painting these concrete stairs was a fun way to easily add a great touch that was time appropriate in a very budget-friendly way.

For the ceiling, we wanted to add a faux beam to bring awareness to it being vaulted. Hanging from the beam we added a beautiful light purchased from Etsy. Lighting is one of the most important elements to consider when portraying a particular time in history. This chandelier (

The wood we used for the faux beam was reclaimed from an old outbuilding on our property. The rough-sawn boards are one of a kind and bring so much character to the space.

These fighting roosters sit atop another reclaimed board from the same outbuilding. My little bronze friends were found at one of my favorite local antique stores. The beautiful clothesline print (

This old hand-hewn bridle holder I reclaimed for this space, and the vintage rug beater was perfect to again, help tie in the era of this room, helping to write the story it’s telling.

There are also a few baskets hung and sitting around the room, which I use daily to bring my clothes in from the line. No plastic containers for this girl. Baskets make my heart happy. To see my custom white clothesline and make your own, check out this post here.

What is a laundry room if not a place to mend clothes and other house items? I keep my scissors, twine, buttons, and sewing kit handy and within reach for a quick patch or seam repair.

Since this space must be usable and functional for our lives, we had to add the cat station. I found this adorable litter box holder on Amazon to conceal the box. It also made the perfect spot to set my extra clothespins and so on. I turned the silver latch on the holder antique gold by using Rub N Buff. (

For the rug, I wanted something colorful for a fun pop of brightness against the beige tiles. It also tied in the green from the walls and brought a cohesive feel to the space. I purchased it from Boutique Rugs and have the link here. (

The water heater needed to be hidden or it would have been an eye sore that would have ruined the whole look and appeal of the room. It was a very simple fix by simply getting a trifold room divider. (

• Green walls & stairs: Sherwin Williams in color Ryegrass
• Cream trim and stairs: Sherwin Williams in color Creamy
• White glossy 2×6″ subway tile: linked here
• Chandelier (
• Laundry art print (
• Trifold cover for water heater (
• Rug (
• Litter box enclosure (
• Similar wooden wall peg rack (
• Vintage laundry basket with wheels (

And because I know someone will ask. This is the washer and dryer we have. So far, I’m liking them!

I hope you enjoyed the laundry room tour and it inspires someone to embrace your home’s era or some farmhouse style and create a beautiful room that reflects it. Now, I’m off to fold some laundry. 😉