Last week, I had the pleasure of working in the charming city of Baton Rouge.  I was in town to accessorize the laundry room belonging to the winner of the Wisk Laundry Room Makeover contest and also to watch the filming of the makeover (which will be featured on Designing Spaces in August).

Kristen and Matt Maurel entered the contest back in March by submitting this video.  If you haven’t already seen it, you must watch it!  Their video was so creative and so entertaining, I found myself laughing out loud at parts.  Kristen and Matt found out that they won the Wisk contest mid April, and then I had about two weeks to select the finishes and accessories for their laundry room while coordinating the makeover process with Whirlpool and Star Exhibits.

When I first went out to Baton Rouge for a site visit in April, I made sure to take tons of photos and measurements while I was there, to document their existing laundry space (and I knew I’d want to hold onto the original photos for some interesting Before and After comparisons!)

Their laundry room seemed even smaller in person than it appeared on their video (if you can believe it!)

{BEFORE}

Outdated vinyl flooring, an old washer/dryer, lack of good storage, and a poor room layout were just a few of the things that stood out to me on the site visit.  I knew that the room had a lot of potential and that it could look SO much better with more color, a little bit of pattern, and updated finishes.

Probably the most awkward part of the room was the window between the office and the laundry room.  This room was originally a sun porch, which explained A LOT.

The Maurels needed a new laundry room and needed it fast.  EJ Interiors to the rescue!

My intern Katie and I arrived in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and coincidentally enough, had our first meal two doors down from the Maurel’s house (I promise, we weren’t stalking!) Bistro Byronz came highly recommended and it did not disappoint.  Their blue cheese chips were a great start to the trip.

Wednesday morning we arrived at the Maurel’s home bright and early to start the decorating process.  The renovation had already been completed based on the finished we had specified a few weeks before, so all that was left was the decor.

The electrician finished installing the light fixture that morning, just in time!

And Katie (my awesome intern) measured the walls and cabinets in order to plan for the accessories.

The Maurel’s dog, Marty, was just a little overwhelmed by all the chaos and visitors, but was a great sport about it all.

After spending almost twelve hours putting the finishing touches on the room, we retired for the day and got ready for the big shoot that was to happen the next morning. Designing Spaces showed up bright and early Thursday morning along with Kristen, a scientist from Wisk.

{The Maurels, Katie, and Kristen}

At this point, Kristen and Matt had not seen their new laundry room yet and the big reveal was going to soon be on camera.

{Kristen and Matt two seconds away from seeing their new laundry room}

{Kristen from Wisk, showing them their new Whirlpool stackable washer/dryer and explaining to them that they must only use HE detergent in their HE washer/dryer}

All in all, it was a success and Kristen and Matt were overjoyed with their new room.

The color palette in their laundry room was taken from the rest of the house and its existing colors so it would all flow.   If you noticed in the previous photo, their kitchen is painted a grayed out blue/green color so this was the jumping off point for our design.  I chose a fabric from Duralee for the flat roman shade that incorporated this color and also a creamy white.  The creamy white color was then used on both the beadboard and built-ins (Benjamin Moore’s OC-13 Soft Chamois).

The flush mount light is Alexa Hampton for Visual Comfort (this fixture was love at first sight for me) and the ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore’s Gray Wisp (1570) to match the shade color.

Since Kristen and Matt told us their laundry personality was “Type A All-The-Way”, I made sure to include organizational pieces such as the numbered jars and woven baskets from Pottery Barn.  I decided to go with a lucite stool to add a bit of excitement and also since it takes up less visual space.  Towels are from West Elm and just happened to match perfectly to the window treatment and laundry basket.  The jute leather rug is also from West Elm and has flecks of blue/green in it which coordinated nicely with everything else.

I decided that yellow would be the accent color in there to add that extra bit of pop among all of the subdued colors.

Kristen and Matt- hope you enjoy your new laundry room half as much as I enjoyed working on it!