organizing and styling a tiny laundry closet

I downsized last year into a small condo that I love. The problem is that I have only one storage closet, and it's one of those tiny laundry and storage closets that holds a stackable washer and dryer and pretty much nothing else. I really needed to make the most of this small space for storage capability and better functionality. And of course, to bring in some style!

There are 12 inches of space between the wall and the laundry machines, which is exactly what's needed for the IKEA LACK wall shelf.  It fit perfectly and tightly so I didn't even need to anchor it to the wall. It's tall so takes advantage of that awkward space and provides shelving for laundry soap, cleaners, an iron and lots of other stuff.

I wanted to make this room not only functional but pretty ( possibly even making laundry fun?) so I wallpapered some foam core board from the Dollar Store and cut it to size to go behind the shelf unit. This hides the mess of pipes behind it, and adds some interest. I then papered one matching strip on the opposite wall (it's removable wallpaper so great for renters) over which I hung pegs for air-drying clothes and keeping a small ironing board off the floor.

I continued adding style by using glass jars for laundry soap and mason jars for homemade cleaning solutions. Now I have them on hand quickly when I need them and can identify them by their handwritten labels.  I painted the lids black and put waashi tape around the cover edges.

I also took old cleaning spray bottles and covered them with scrapbook paper and filled them with natural homemade solutions (check out my pinboard for homemade cleaner recipes).

Baskets keep sewing supplies, shoe cleaning items, lightbulbs and candles tidy and easy to find. A matching large basket on top of the dryer allows for blanket and linen storage.

This easy organization not only takes the pressure off of finding storage space, it also makes cleaning and doing laundry fun! OK, maybe I'm going a little overboard there...

Hope this inspires you to get organized too.