the little things

by Susan RissoverJan 17, 2017ModLife0 comments

Eileen Pressler in her (our) laundry room circa 1967. Love the barkcloth curtains which were long gone by the time we bought the house!

They say it’s the little things that make a house a home. And then there are the things that make a home so very livable. For me, as lame as it sounds, it is our laundry room. Every time I think about downsizing, I realize that I would have a very difficult time giving up this important transition space located between our kitchen and garage. Back in the 1950’s when our house was built, the first floor laundry room was a brand new concept. For the first time, homes were being designed to make life easier for the homemaker. I must admit, architect Fred Pressler hit a home run with this one that he designed for his wife Eileen! We did a quick refresh when we bought the house in 1997, and a more major upgrade (lighting, flooring, cabinetry) last winter, but the basic format has remained the same since 1956. And after living here for almost 20 years, I still enjoy doing laundry 🙂

Replacing track lighting and a large fluorescent fixture with hanging globes with LED bulbs added a retro AND progressive touch. And way better light!

The center peninsula two sided cabinet/coat closet is a genius original detail. We added an Ikea cabinet on the end for even more storage. The room formerly had indoor/outdoor carpet which we replaced with hardwood in the hall area and solid vinyl tile in the laundry area. Love a white floor!!

This part of the room has seen the most changes. We added the sewing table and cabinetry (all from Ikea) and the kelly green Eames chair from Modernica. Hard wired LED under cabinet lights also added much needed task lighting.

A built in wine rack from Ikea filled the odd sized space next to the sink cabinet. And we just happened to have enough Daltile tile from our kitchen to do a matching backsplash here. The faucet is a larger sized copy of the Arne Jacobsen Vola faucet purchased for a fraction of the price on Amazon.