New IKEA laundry room cabinets plus new lighting & storage solutions completely transformed our laundry room!
After knocking out our kitchen remodel “before” and “after” a few years back, I decided it was time to give our sad looking laundry room a much-needed makeover. We added a ton of extra storage to it using IKEA cabinets & wardrobes and it made SUCH a difference!
Today I’m sharing all the details of the IKEA additions to our laundry room plus all the other little extras we added to it as well. Hopefully you’ll find an idea or two you can use for dressing up your own laundry room! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
Our Before and After
Our laundry room wasn’t very big (7’5″ x 5’6″) and when we bought our house there was some prime real estate that was going unused including the wall above the washer and dryer that was entirely bare with no cabinetry or shelving. Here’s the “before” of how it looked:
And here’s that same space after our makeover:
Not only is it a much prettier place to do laundry but it’s so much more functional and full of storage space too! I wanted to keep the cost of this mini makeover low so used IKEA products for all of our new laundry room storage.
The IKEA Laundry Room Cabinets We Used
Above the washer and dryer we added IKEA SEKTION wall cabinet frames with AXSTAD doors. Specifically we used {this 30″ SEKTION frame} in the middle with two of {these AXSTAD doors} and one of {these 15″ SEKTION frames} on each end with {these AXSTAD doors}:
When you get cabinets from Ikea, everything is ordered separately so you also need to buy interior shelves and hinges for the cabinet doors. I used {these Utrusta hinges} and {these Utrusta shelves}):
Cabinet Installation
The IKEA cabinets come disassembled but are relatively quick and easy to put together (under 30 minutes per cabinet). Once assembled, cabinet frames are hung on {this SEKTION metal suspension rail} which actually makes hanging them pretty simple. First you mount the suspension rail to the wall, ensuring it’s level. Then you hang the cabinet frames on the rail and lock them in place.
To give our cabinets a more finished, built-in look, we added small filler pieces on each end of the cabinet (cut from {this FORBATTRA cover panel}) and a strip of crown molding at the top:
Adding Open Shelving to IKEA Laundry Room Cabinets
I wanted open shelving between the two end cabinets and while Ikea has several wood shelf options, I luckily had a leftover piece of the white oak boards from creating these floating corner shelves in our kitchen:
So that’s what I used! The oak board was cut to size to fit between the two end cabinets and then secured with screws going through the inside of the cabinets into the ends of the board. It holds a woven basket (with socks that have lost their mate 😊) and a pair of {these glass jars} holding powder detergent and my wool dryer balls:
Cabinet Hardware
The finishing touch to my new IKEA laundry room cabinets was adding {these acrylic pulls} in the Golden Champagne finish – love them!
Butcher Block Countertop
The last major addition to this side of the laundry room was a large piece of butcher block above the washer and dryer. It sits on simple wood cleats (horizontally mounted wood strips) installed on the back and side walls. Having this flat surface for sorting and folding laundry has been a game changer:
I bought the butcher block from IKEA and unfortunately they no longer carry it, but {this countertop} is similar.
Other Additions to Our Laundry Room
Some other smaller additions to our laundry room include an over the door ironing board holder similar to {this one} and {this retractable clothes rack} we mounted on the wall. It’s great for air drying Jeff’s shirts – you simply pull up on it from the bottom and it opens up to give 10″ of hanging space:
When I bought mine it only came in silver but it’s now available in white too (which is the color I wish I had!).
We also added {this skinny rolling cart} which fits perfectly in the gap between our washer and dryer:
Having the rolling cart makes it easy to grab my laundry essentials including detergent, bleach, stain spray, and {these delicates bags}. I also have one of {these small bins} on the bottom shelf for dryer lint:
Check out my post on laundry room storage ideas for more details on how I organized this space.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the cute tangerines on the wall too – those are simple peel and stick decals that I bought {here}! They’re so easy to put on and they come off without damaging your walls whenever you’re ready for a change. I share the step by step details of installing them in my post on vinyl wall decals.
I also swapped out our ceiling light for {this simple but stylish flush mount}:
The other side of our laundry room underwent some major changes too – the previous homeowner had open shelves that went halfway up the wall holding their kitchenware and shoes:
We removed the shelving and installed IKEA PAX wardrobes to create a cubbies for coats and drawers for shoes (we have no coat closet so space for coats was much needed!). Here’s what that side of the laundry room looks like today:
I shared all of the details of how we used PAX wardrobes to build a coat & shoe storage space in my post on creating IKEA mudroom.
And if you’re wondering about the change in flooring from Saltillo tile to wood, we made this change as part of our kitchen renovation since our kitchen and laundry room floors connect to one another. Check out my post on our Hallmark wood floors if you want more details on my engineered hardwoods and how they’ve held up since we installed them.
Thanks for taking a minute to stop by today and take a peek around our laundry room! If you want to see another big makeover project I did using Ikea products, check out our master closet makeover and Ikea PAX closet system review}.
XO,
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Kiera says
Love your laundry room! Would love to do the same cabinets and pulls. What size pulls did you purchase for the four above the washer and dryer?
Valerie says
Most of the countertops i’m finding are not deep enough to sit flush with washer and dryer, did you have that problem or can you suggest where to find one that is deep enough.
Kris Jarrett says
I knew I wanted butcher block so really didn’t look around at too much else but my IKEA butcher block was plenty deep!
Marie says
Hi! Just wondering how deep is your butcher block countertop?
Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
Unfortunately I don’t recall the exact measurement and we’ve since moved from that house 🙂
Holly O’Keeffe says
This is gorgeous! I love everything about it! Did you purchase the crown molding to finish the top of the cabinets from a hardware store?
Kris Jarrett says
Yes I just got it from our local hardware store that sells all types of moldings.
Karen B. says
Kris,
You are amazing. I love the laundry room makeover and you are very clever to figure out all of these details. It looks amazing.
I always enjoy seeing the creative use you employ to redo a space for the better.
xo,
Karen
Ann-Marie says
This was so fun to read through!!! What an inspiring end product. Well done. (IE: I never leave comments on posts (of anyone’s)….but this one demanded a moment of ‘Ahhh!’
Margot says
Love how this turned out! It looks so much like the laundry area in my son’s new home – except theirs is also the entry to the home from the garage! I’ll be forwarding this to him for inspiration!
Kristal R. says
I just love the laundry room makeover! It’s cute and simple. I somehow missed your closet post, gotta look at that!
Anne says
You did a fantastic job! Thanks for sharing it.
Robin Warzywak says
Thanks for sharing your awesome laundry room with us! Do you recall how many sets of decals that you used?
Cheers!
Robin
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Robin – I ended up needing 3 rolls of the decals (but only used about 1/4 of the 3rd roll).
Stacy says
This is so great! Love the makeover. You do an awesome job! Do you happen to have a post about you attached your open shelves over your tile wall in the kitchen? Thank you for all you share!
Kris Jarrett says
Sure Stacy – this post has those details for you: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/diy-floating-corner-shelves/
Michele M. says
Your laundry room is so refreshed and stylist and smartly done!
I think it takes the “chore” out of doing a tedius task often going into a refreshed space.
We just painted our laundry room from an awesome fun kelly green to a greige for a change – while not as fun it looks so much larger and brighter now. These kinds of changes – whether large or small, as mine, is a nice way to refresh a fairly mundane area of a home. Yours has been taken to a fabulous new level. Well done!
Kris Jarrett says
I totally agree – it’s so nice to have a refresh on even the smallest spaces in your home!
Gabrielle says
Looks beautiful.I also used Ikea for my laundry room. It ‘s part of the basement need to finish it.
Tara says
As always, it looks stunning! I especially like the shelving above the machines.
I wish I could do a wood block over the machines, but I’m dead set against a front loading washing machine and will only use a top loader. I wish there were a way to incorporate that element with a top loader.
Kris Jarrett says
I hear you! There are definitely some things I don’t love about a front loader but it’s so nice to be able to have the countertop space above them!
Jennifer Corea says
Chris
I love everything you do!!
Sometime can you repost your favorite chandeliers. I am looking for one for a master bedroom
(Vaulted one side ceiling )
Thank you and Have a Happy Valentines Day!!
Jennifer
Kris Jarrett says
Thanks Jennifer! Here’s a link to my chandelier post (it’s for dining rooms but several could work in master bedrooms too): https://www.drivenbydecor.com/dining-room-chandeliers/ Also check out this post on wood bead chandeliers which can be a great choice for a bedroom: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/wood-bead-chandelier/
Vina Galetto says
Wow! Great job!!! Really looks professional, practical and pictorial.
I am in the process of planning a kitchen and laundry room remodel and am delaying because of sticker shock. What did this cost? Materials and labor? How much did you do yourself? How much did a contractor do?
Thank you.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Vina – honestly I don’t have a total cost because I did the room in pieces at various times over the course of a few years. I did link the exact cabinets and other Ikea supplies I used so you should be able to get an idea about materials cost that way. I bought everything, put all of the Ikea cabinets, wardrobes, drawers, etc. together, did the painting, and added the decals. My contractor hung the cabinets, installed the cleat for my butcher block, and cut it to size. My contractor labor costs were pretty minimal since the time consuming part is the planning and assembling.
Lynn says
Very helpful post. Thanks for all the information.