Tiny. But full of character! Our really small laundry and drying area is almost done and I thought I’ll show you how I did it all! Because this laundry area is one of the most common features in most Indian apartments- and no shit sherlock, often with almost exact same layout & size, I thought this could be really helpful for you if you are struggling with the sliver of plot outside your bathroom.
I have seen people use it as storage and the renters before me used this space to stash all kinds of garbage too, but after I moved in (and after we have freed that one pigeon who was imprisoned there for god knows how long) I cleared the space up and used it as intended. But! Haha…a bit BUT.
It stayed in a very pitiful state for years now. Count 5. And I am borderline embarrassed to show you all how it bloody looked. Here is a little side by side comparison.
The mesh on the right actually opens to our cistern and water pipe area for all bathrooms. That is also a hotspot for pigeons to make out and have babies. I had put a cardboard before on it to keep little feathers and dust away but michiko figured that there are pigeons there. So she tore a portion of it and kept looking out sending bad, killer vibes to those pigeons. Poor things. I saw it a month back but I was sucked into a period of massive sans-inspiration and I just let it be. I am not going to talk about why because most of you already know.
But yesterday I rolled my sleeves up and finished that one area that looked like it belonged to someone else. Haha, someone who likes to keep things dirty. Haha. Not me fer shuuureee!
Also, our laundry area is so tiny that my fixed lens wont even take a decent frame to cover it all. So me and my genius took two photos and merged it to show you how it all looks now. Hahahahaha. So genius. Much wow!
So firstly, I took away the cardboard and cleaned the mesh up. Next, I cut a canvas cloth to size and attached it behind the mesh with strong, water proof glue. I wanted to use the mesh to hang stuff and this also means michiko cannot tear it down.
Next, scrubbed and cleaned the walls, gave everything two coats of Asian Paints Royale ( I had half ice age and half br white and I mixed the two) and let it dry. I also painted the ugly steel rack with the same paint and ahem….don’t forget to check out the washing machine which got a coat of paint too. Hahaha, will it stay, yes. I added a coat of water proof clear lacquer on top.
Next, added the supplies. Candles (I always keep a few in here), a scented candle (great to cheer you on when you’re doing the load), natural coir brushes and scrubs (Both from Almitra Sustainables) and changed out the detergent container to a clear jar because for the love of God- I can never remember if I need to call for detergent. I also added a dedicated basket by OrganiseWithEase, about whom I spoke at lengths in posts before, you can see it here and here!
Ofcourse, how can there be no flowers in my house. So some flowers too!
I have also spoken with a very kind lady about making me a farmhouse style rack which will replace the basket on top and I am soooo looking forward to it.
Painted over one of my baskets and hung it here to transport ‘undergarments’ and socks with ease. Hahaha, undergarments. Love that word. So simple and self explanatory. The hand towel is actually the wrap in which my curtains came in from the Greige Warp.
And all together, they look beautiful if I say so myself.
I will have to wait for a while for that running rack. I also have a closed litter box + bench in pipeline and a wallpaper behind the machine but ok. For now, I am loving this part of my home, which I, quite frankly thought will never be able to save. Oh, what can’t you save once you have made your mind up. No?
Leaving you with one of my favourite shots of the area! Do tell me in the comments if you like it!
This is amazing Rukmini and only you could have thought about transforming the Laundry area into such a pretty spot. So motivating.
Thank you kamakshi. This place was needling me. I had to.
Looks lovely and inviting! Yes, your laundry area beckons me :-p
Thank you so much. Haha come share the load.
Just fantastic!! Not just the job, but also simply getting it done. I did spend a good few minutes squinting at the green bottle, wondering what brand of whatever comes in such a lovely green. Also, what is that orb in the ceiling? A light fixture or something like a porthole?
Hahahahahaha a porthole. To another space and time
Such an inspiration..!!
Thank you