A Small Room, A Big Difference: My Laundry and Pantry Refresh

A Small Room, A Big Difference: My Laundry and Pantry Refresh

I didn’t plan a full laundry and pantry refresh. I just wanted the space to feel a little more like me. But, one crazy idea late on a rainy Sunday night and suddenly I was painting trim, swapping bins, and installing a new light fixture that caused me to dang near raise the dead with my, uh…word selection.

This room is a workhorse. It’s where I do laundry, store pantry items and snacks, grab tools for other projects, and occasionally pause mid-chaos to shoo a furry kitty out of the room. But, it was feeling tired, beat up (I patched so many holes!), mismatched, and just kind of neglected. Now? It feels like part of the home and so much better reflects my personal style.

Before:

What I Updated

Here’s what I changed during the refresh:

• Wall color + ceiling: Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt (satin finish). I’ve had it in my last three homes and it’s an all-time fave.
• Trim: Sea Salt in semi-gloss for soft contrast (God bless, paint is expensive!)
• Shelves: Spray painted the orangey wood (yes, orange) matte black
• Brackets & hardware: Also matte black
• Bins: All clear, uniform and finally not driving me nuts
• Curtains: Made from two tea towels I loved too much to just dry dishes with
• Rug: A soft sage striped beauty from Walmart that helps tone down the weird black and white floor tile that, oddly enough, looks like paint splatter (none of it mine though).
• Light fixture: A beautiful etched glass semi flush-mount that really keeps with the spirit and age of the house. But, we’ll talk about that in a second. 😵‍💫

Let’s Talk About the Light Fixture

Installing the new light fixture should’ve taken 30 minutes. Instead, it nearly broke me. I did everything wrong: wrong screws, wrong bracket, wrong assumptions about my own mental strength. I spent over two hours trying to get it to mount properly. The screws that came out wouldn’t go back in. The bracket didn’t match. It was raining. It was dark. My arms were jelly. My mood was…less than sunny.

Thank goodness for YouTube tutorials and a very patient ChatGPT conversation that walked me through every fix and freak-out. I finally figured it out and when that light clicked on, I swear it felt like a standing ovation from the universe (and also my son, Jack).

After:

The Cost

The whole laundry and pantry refresh came in at $438.50. That included:

• Paint in two finishes
• 4 cans of paint & primer spray paint
• 24 plastic bins
• New light fixture
• Curtain rod + towels
• Small decor upgrades
• 4×4 rug
• Painting tools and supplies

I did get lucky with a few Prime Day deals and a 4th of July sale at Sherwin Williams (did I mention how expensive paint is?). Without those, I probably would’ve spent at least $100-$150 more. And I did all the work myself, which kept labor costs at zero (unless you count my post-lighting emotional labor).

What I Learned from This Laundry and Pantry Room Makeover

• Clear bins really are life-changing. I see everything and feel less overwhelmed.
• Matching the walls, trim, and ceiling in one tone (Sea Salt) creates a calm, cohesive vibe (and hides a multitude of painting sins)
• You don’t need a remodel. You just need a reset.
• Installing a light fixture is not for the faint of heart. But it is doable, with stubbornness and the internet and at least one adult beverage.
• Also: you can paint your ceiling, trim, and shelves without spilling a drop or breaking a nail…but don’t lean on the wall mid-coat to shimmy the washing machine out just a little bit more. Take my word for it.

Why This Small Laundry and Pantry Refresh Was Worth It

It’s not a huge transformation. But now, this little room makes me smile. It’s calmer. Brighter. More functional. And it finally feels like it belongs in the rest of my home. It’s still doing all the same jobs. But now it feels like it’s doing them with a little more Tracy style.

• The YouTube light install video that FINALLY showed me what I was doing wrong
• A closer look at SW Sea Salt
• A peek at the rest of my house if you haven’t seen it before
• And if you really want to know more about the things I love click here