How To Turn Your Laundry Room Into A Retreat, According To Joanna Gaines

For many people, doing laundry is a chore they often procrastinate. But for Joanna Gaines, the routine chore is an opportunity to create a retreat in her home. The interior designer, who heads the Magnolia Network with her husband Chip Gaines, added a table and chair to the room. "The laundry room recently [became] a place in our house I retreat to," Gaines wrote on her blog, per Home Addict. "But I've learned that when you make your spaces creative and fun, it helps make the chores, like laundry, not so bad." Gaines appreciates the time she can spend getting a few chores done and a little time alone.

The trick to turning your laundry room into an enjoyable space is to add as much thought to the design as you would any other room. Joanna Gaines's laundry room features the same kind of modern farmhouse flair she's known for, which is implemented in the rest of her home. The walls feature white shiplap and brick, and there is a farmhouse sink flanked by gray counters and open shelving. A rustic round table sits in the center for folding laundry or for getting some other work done, Gaines claims. The space is comfortable and stylish, which makes doing a couple of loads of laundry not so bad.

Joanna's farmhouse laundry retreat features plenty of calming, neutral shades. On the walls, a crisp white covers the brick and shiplap. Shiplap by Magnolia Home is a creamier shade that adds plenty of comfort to a space. Quaint Cottage by Magnolia is a warm gray Joanna Gaines used in one of her client's homes. While renovating a castle, she chose Silos White in a satin finish for the walls and cabinets. But neutrals aren't your only option. In the past, Gaines has used a dark, misty green and a soft pink hue to paint the laundry cabinets in her client's homes.

Open shelving provides a way to stylishly store all laundry necessities. In Gaines's laundry room, L-brackets display white oak floating shelves. Although she chose a custom-made option, you can easily recreate the look with materials from the hardware store. Use glass jars to hold your detergent, fabric softener, and any other necessities alongside plants and other decorative objects. A large farmhouse sink serves as a wash basin for anything that needs handwashing or special attention to remove stains. Adding a table or flat surface to the room, as Gaines does, provides a space to fold and organize clothes. You may even want to pull up a chair and relax in your own laundry room while the load finishes.