The laundry room is quite often a forgotten about place in the home, but provides a huge amount of practicalities for families in particular. As part of home remodeling projects we often get asked how to approach the design of the laundry room, what the best color schemes are and what type of paint is best too.
While it may be tempting for some to paint the laundry room in a vibrant and bright color to energize and uplift the room, this can actually have a detrimental effect. As there will be lots going on within the room when it’s laundry day, having brightly painted walls can be extremely distracting.
On this basis, we highly recommend keeping the laundry room cool with neutral and natural tones. Don’t worry! There are still ways to be creative.
Let’s take this opportunity to explore this idea further!
Choosing the Right Neutral Color
This may seem like a ridiculous section – but bare with us! – there’s much more to laundry rooms than pure white painted walls… You can still be creative with what you choose to use.
Of course the most obvious choice to some is white. While you may be tempted by this, we strongly urge you to steer clear of this option. Yes – the laundry room is a functional space, but it doesn’t mean it can’t have something fun going on too.
Instead of white, consider cream, beige and shades of gray to switch up the main neutral color of the walls. If you have a countertop area or custom cabinets these can absolutely be finished in white, but ensure you have a neutral accent color on the walls as well to help liven the room up. For laundry rooms without a window, always choose a lighter shade to help brighten the space.
This neutral color for your laundry room will hugely depend on how the rest of your home is decorated. If you have more grays throughout, then sticking with this will help to keep a cohesive design throughout. Alternatively if you prefer much warmer hues, creams and beiges will be a good option.
From this, you can then explore options for accent colors. Pale blues, greens and even baby pink are great possibilities to choose from. These accent colors are purely personal preference, but if you’re looking for something neutral, pale sage green looks beautiful with both grays and creams.
With your chosen accent color, incorporate this into the room through backsplash tiles (think herringbone or brick style for added interest!) or decorative accessories. You could even use natural wicker baskets that have been half colored with your accent color to really tie the room design together.
Choosing the Right Paint Type
Another important thing to consider when redecorating your laundry room is the paint type itself.
While matt finish paint looks fantastic, it’s not the most practical of finishes, especially for high use areas like a laundry room. It is best to avoid matt paint finishes here and choose something with a higher sheen level.
Satin paint is the best for laundry rooms because it can easily be wiped clean if needed. This finish will also help to protect the wall from any build up of moisture within the space. If your laundry room is particularly small and lacks good ventilation a satin paint finish is highly recommended. For larger laundry rooms, eggshell finish will work fine.
Above all, remember to keep it cool with neutral tones. What color would you choose for your laundry room in your next home remodeling project?
