Laundry Room Update on a Budget

We've lived in our house for three years now. Designed it from the ground up, we did. Not everyone gets that lucky in their lives, I know, so I tried to put as much thought into little details as my quick-thinking brain permits. I've mentioned before that my personal mantra is this: "If a decision can't be made in 20 seconds, then it's not worth making,"right?  That's a good/bad characteristic when building a house, I can attest to it.

One of the things I knew I wanted in this house was a double washer/double dryer. When you're building, one of the luxuries is prioritizing where you want to spend your allotted budget. Fancy windows? No. Expensive kitchen cabinetry? No again. Daily convenience of having a laundromat under my own roof a roof that shelters nine people? Now we're talking. So much of my upstairs was configured around this desire.
Like I said earlier, we've lived here for three years, and I've never taken the time to really make my laundry room "cute." It's uber-functional, that's for certain, but cute definitely was missing. I've seen a few great laundry room makeovers online recently, so I was spurred out of inactivity into a creative frenzy.

Here are a few before shots:

Nothing makes me happier or makes me feel more productive than when I walk in there and all four machines are alive with productive little green lights and watery swishing noises.
Sad little laundry hamper.  Time for a new home.

I did initially try half-heartedly to decorate it a little. It was painted this fabulous green by the builder, and can you see the neglected plastic plant in the corner?  Not good.

My goal in this room was to spend as little money as possible, mostly using things I could steal borrow from other rooms in the house. 

I was pretty successful.

Here are the after glamor shots:

First, I removed the doors on the corner cabinets to add a little decorative space that wouldn't interfere with the folding counter.  That made a huge difference to the feel of the room. I wanted a black and white toile curtain, and I knew just the place to find the fabric--from a leftover bedspread in my cupboard.  All I did was edge it in black grosgrain ribbon and cut holes in the top for the red ribbon ties.

Then I searched the house for accessories. I used the same red ribbon from the valance to tie around stacks of pillowcases on the shelves, to give them a punch of color.  And I found a green polka-dot ribbon to spice up a basket above the pillowcases.

I bought the antique rug beaters and dustpans at an auction years ago, and they had been collecting dust in the back of a closet.  They were the perfect jumping off point for the accent color: red.  I was thrilled to find the perfect place to hang my Grandma Olsen's boot pincushion--over the sink.

I had bought these dotted red plates from the Pottery Barn online clearance section for $1.99 a plate, then never really found the best spot for them.  They add just the right punch of color.

I knew the corner needed something, so I pulled out my button collection, filled an IKEA jar with them, and added them next to the detergent.  This tray was originally a distressed black, but a quick spray with a can of spray paint and now it fits great in its new home.  I filled the oil and vinegar set with laundry necessities:  bleach and stain treater, labeling each with a Sharpie.  I don't know how long the rubber seals will hold up to the harsh chemicals, but they work great--much better than their original dispensers.

What did I buy for this room?

The two matching chandeliers were $29.99 each on overstock.com and I love them!  I love the mix of silver and black, which was perfect in here.  Brad installed them for me.  He's a man of many talents, that one!

The rug was on clearance on some rug website for $100.  This was the big splurge of the room.  But it fits great.
I bought the oil and vinegar set, the button jar and the white sticks in the basket above the ironing shelf all at IKEA for less than $30.
Black curtain rod is from Target--$9.99; and the red and green and black ribbon was all less than $6 at a local ribbon store.
Don't forget the two plate hangers at Home Depot for $2.99 apiece.

I'm thinking about adding some vinyl lettering above the washers and dryers--laundry room rules or something--but the more I live with the room, the less I like the idea.Now I'm thinking more along the lines of a pedestal under the machines and a counter across all four of them.

And that was it.
What do you think?
Personally, I can't believe it took me this long to get around to it.
My laundry's never been such a high priority!

Linking up to Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays at New Nostalgia.