On one side of the room the washer and dryer were divided by one of those plastic utility sinks... which had taken a beating over the years and was marked with stains and rust. On the wall above the washer/dryer was an exterior window (window panes left in and all) on a now interior wall. The other side of the room had an unfinished "built-in" closet made with exposed 2 x 4's and plywood. The floor was a vinyl sheet that was completly ripped up around the exterior door.
Now the after...
What we did:
1) Removed the exterior window from the wall above the washer/dryer and finished the opening.
2) Removed the utility sink and installed a free standing IKEA cabinet which houses the kitty litter. We finished the cabinet by adding and staining a small section of wood counter top. The basket on the counter holds dog towels for rainy and snowy days.
3) Added shelves for visual interest. Also added a chalkboard (not shown) above the dryer where I leave messages for our guests.
4) Removed the "built-in" closet and replaced it with 2 free standing cabinets and a bench. The cabinets are from RONA and are solid wood. They came unifinished and we painted them cream. They hold pet supplies, laundry and cleaning supplies, shoes, craft supplies and much more. The bench in between the cabinets is from Michaels and holds our winter hats, mitts and scarves. The bench came unfinished and we painted it cream to match the cabinets.
5) Removed the vinyl floor and replaced it with a neutral coloured ceramic tile. The tile was from the Home Depot and was super inexpensive. Stuart installed it himself.
6) Added a long shelf above the cabinets which houses my outdoor summer plants for the winter. This was more or less necessary to conceal a change in drywall depth where the wall goes from two pieces thick to one piece thick... don't ask.
7) Expanded the opening to the dining room. This was actually a fun job for me. Stuart was not sold on the idea so when I was alone in the house one day I decided to do the work myself. He came home to a large section of the wall missing. In the end I am glad we did it. The room is much more functional this way.
8) Added some hooks for jackets, etc. One of the major problems that I have had with this house is a lack of convenient places to hang jackets. This solves that and the hooks themselves are quite nice to look at on their own.
