A Compact Thoroughfare Laundry Room Makeover (<$250)
For thirty years, my folks have been meaning to spruce up their tiny, windowless, thoroughfare laundry room. They enter and exit their house through this compact space multiple times per day. Not only has the room been long overrun with household cleaning products and dog gear, but it’s now also packed to the gills with all the typical COVID-era necessities as well.
The main issue with this hallway / muck room / laundry bay isn’t its size. It’s that the overflowing supplies are on full display when the interior door to the room is ajar, which it usually is since for one reason or another.
Upon returning from France, I decided it was time to finally tackle this mini-makeover, and make it an area that my parents could keep as-is once completed, or upgrade guilt-free in the years to come. As with most of my projects of this nature, I wanted to work with that we already had on-hand to minimize waste. And since we have large projects underway (such as the restoration of the farmhouse roof and the building of the prairie ADU), I wanted to keep the updates under my budget of $250.
Our modifications were minimal but impactful:
Shelving
A touch of open shelving in this area is nice for quickly tipping items like masks, leashes and cleaning supplies out of overloaded hands. But having ONLY open storage is what was causing the most visual clutter. So I opted to custom-cut and install simple sliding doors to conceal the contents of the existing shelf, which we divided into 2 levels to maximize vertical space. We also added a new, low profile shelf slightly above the washer and dryer for smaller goods.
Doors
The sliding doors were a space-saving choice, as cabinets would’ve encroached into headspace when opened. We also opted to forgo handles on the doors to further save every bit of space, since the sliding panels overlap and are situated close to the collapsible, swing-arm drying racks I installed in place of the bulky overhead closet-style dowel.
Paint
I used the paint leftover from West’s reading nook makeover (color: Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog SW9130) for the doors and shelves. It’s an easy-going, green-grey hue that adds a pop of personality without overcrowding a tight, windowless space such as this one. (Eventually we’ll do an additional coat and paint the interior shelf, as well as touch up the walls nearby, but one thing at a time.)
Cleaning Supplies
Over time, as my folks used up their existing supplies, I replaced their disposable dryer sheets with reusable wool dryer balls, their plastic jugs of detergent with refillable glass jars accepted by the local refill station (Life Unplastic), their numerous household cleaning liquids with a bottle of concentrate and refillable spray bottles, and their paper towels with washable cotton rags. Not only do reusable / refillable goods reduce waste and save money over time, but they also free up a remarkable amount of space. Plus they look far nicer in my opinion.
So, while it’s not perfect, it’s loads better. We can now leave the interior door open without wincing when we walk by or pass through. Remember: you don’t necessarily need more space or clever storage solutions. You just need to get a bit creative with the space you’ve got.
Before + After: The Cottage Back Patio
While sifting through old digital files, I came across these "before" photos of our lil' back patio and garden. I paired them with "after" shots on the right to demonstrate just how much the trees, vines, and potted plants have grown over the past 7 years!
Update (2/28) - I received so many inquiries about the types of greenery and materials used that I've updated the text below with that information throughout the post. Thanks for the great messages, folks!✌
This spot has served many purposes for us. It's been a play space, a dining room, a nursing corner, a screening room, a lounge, an office, and even housed our wardrobe-shed for over a year. We use the back stoop for some of West's baths, story time, and more.
The overflowing, large-leafed vines are from a single, massive grapevine. These tendrils originate in our neighbor's yard beyond the wood fence, and between the months of April through September they're lush and abundant. They produce beautiful, sweet, concord grapes that our neighbor makes into jam and sorbet.
The long vines that stretch from the perimeter of the property to the top of the Cottage via the string lights are Distictis Buccinatoria, or Red Trumpet Vines. This single plant is rooted in the corner of our property, and was only about 4'-tall when we moved in. Now the trunk is thicker and about 6' tall, while the vines themselves span dozens of feet, back and forth over the garden. These vines are fast growing, resilient, quick to wrap around anything, and produce bright red flowers (with yellow backs) that attract hummingbirds, and make the perfect home for their little nests.
The three ficus trees in the back were on the property when we moved in. We've trained them to grow up and fill inward, to provide us with more privacy and a wilder look.
By the back stoop, we added a customized shed, which once contained our wardrobe. (Now it holds a collapsible wagon and West's fold-up stroller.) An empty wine barrel sits across from it, and was once filled with dirt and dying lavender. Now, it's exploding with a variety of succulents, which my mom and I clipped from around the neighborhood and planted in fresh soil when she was visiting about 6 years ago. I've never changed the soil, and I only water the barrel infrequently. It's growing gorgeously without my interference.
I have 2 potted ZZ Plants, which look fake because the branches are so strong and the leaves are extremely shiny. In my limited experience, they grow quickly outdoors, and can withstand times of downpour or drought. Mandevilla also works well to fill in and beautify gaps around the yard, as it produces bright blooms and grows both wide and tall, depending on the container.
I also have a few tall, potted Corynocarpus Trees from Rolling Greens, and I move those around the property whenever needed. They grow tall and produce numerous leaves, without taking up extra inches around the base, which is helpful on a stoop or in a tight garden.
As for the grass, it's unfortunately artificial. I can't wait to remove and replace it with something natural-- I don't love the idea of West playing around on these types of manufactured materials. Years ago we had real and thriving grass, but we let it die in the California Drought. After a year of debate, Adam and I installed this thick, tall, artificial grass for our wedding. It's something neither one of us ever thought we'd do, as we're both from rain-soaked Florida. Although I still have a really tough time with the concept of faux grass, I do love seeing green rather than dirt or rocks. Other than the grass, everything else is living.
Above: Our friends gathered here for Adam's most recent birthday. We had a Cuban Food Truck pull up to the back fence to serve sandwiches, and we stationed the bar up in the front garden.
Above: Storytime set-up for baby West.
Above: At-home date night with Adam.
Small spaces such as this can be so versatile, and they're relatively easy to makeover or adapt, since they're so compact. I love this spot on the property, and look forward to seeing how it evolves from here!
Interior Doors for Compact Spaces
I find that one of the most common and frustrating issues in tight homes and apartments are the interior doors. Despite the unique floor plans of tiny residences, they're often outfitted with standard doors that make zero sense in the setting. But how do you fix the issue of space-consuming hardware if you rent, or if you don't have the budget for an elaborate solution, such as a pocket design?
Above: The Tiny Canal Cottage has 2 interior pocket doors.
In our compact cottage, we're lucky to have two wonderful interior pocket doors, which preserve the functionality of every inch of wall space around them. But when we acquired the neighboring house, we were confronted with three full-size interior doors (within mere feet of one another) that not only ate up usable space, but also crashed into each other (and into one exterior door) whenever one was opened.
Above: The front cottage doors before our updates. There were three interior doors-- plus an exterior door-- all within mere feet of one another. They would crash into each other when opened. (That's my father with Stanlee. I hate those doors, but I love that photo!)
We couldn't open one door without closing another first. After just 24 hours in the house, the issue was already completely maddening. But we are renting that unit, and didn't want to allocate funds toward constructing pocket doors. (And there is definitely no room for barn-style sliding doors, which would render nearby wall space useless.) Still, two of the doors simply had to go.
In the doorway that transitions between the living room + kitchen to the bedroom, we opted to remove the boring, typical door and install a bi-fold door with tempered panes of glass:
This new door makes a huge difference in both functionality and appearance. The glass is lightly frosted, so privacy can be maintained, but the translucent panes let light pass through, keeping the area feeling bright and airy. We painted the door white and replaced its standard door knob with something more fitting for the decor, and the end result is EXACTLY what we wanted. Now the bathroom and bedroom doors no longer hit each other, and every inch surrounding the doorway is now visible and usable. At $490, this bi-fold door is a bit of an investment (there are several inexpensive options, depending on the type of glass you choose), but it's certainly FAR easier and less costly than construction work.
In the bedroom, there's a (weirdly shaped) walk-in closet. It too had a full-sized door, which would crash into the exterior door leading to the porch when either was opened. There's a little window inside the closet, which creates a lovely coastal cross-breeze, but it was always snuffed out by the shut door. So, rather than installing another bi-fold, I decided to swap out the old door for a custom curtain from Luna Zorro:
This curatin adds texture, color and pattern to the small room, and it hides the closet without cutting off the airflow from the window. I love it-- it's a simple, functional, and beautiful handmade piece of art that helps make West's room feel that much more special.
