Forget the Open Floor Plan--It's Time to Bring Back Walls

  What to Do Before You Start Think about your goals.  First, assess what your laundry room needs are. Do you plan to use it purely for laundering or will it also serve as storage space for other items? What types of laundry needs — handwashing, baby clothing, delicate items, hang drying — do you have? Second, what types of non-laundry items would you like to keep in the space? Give these two questions some in-depth thought before you purchase organization products or remodel your laundry room. Wendy Glaister Interiors Declutter.  As with most organizing projects, it’s best to start by paring down unwanted or unused items that are irrelevant to your goals for the space. Whatever you want to store in your laundry room is OK — it doesn’t have to be laundry-related if you have the space. Once you’ve decided on the items you want to keep in your laundry room, I suggest staying focused on those categories and trying not to let other random items creep into the mix. I recommend the following

  1. Pine cabinets Knotted pine cabinets (Getty Images) Ah, the cozy country look of pine. Pine cabinets reached their height of popularity in the 1970s and ’80s, and kitchens featuring them now look like they’re stuck in a time warp. Thankfully, as long as you’re willing to put some elbow grease into a rehab, you’ll be able to beam your kitchen back to the present day in a weekend. “As much as we love the old country look, pine furniture only dates a kitchen,” says  Catherine Mack , co-owner of House Buyer Network in Lewisville, TX. “You can transform your kitchen in three simple steps of just sanding, priming, and adding a slick of neutral paint over your kitchen cupboards.” You can buy everything you need at your local home store, or online at the  Home Depot . The price of all of the tools and paint will cost about $150. 2. Retro hardware and faucets Like pine cabinets, retro hardware and faucets can date your kitchen. Installing upgrades will not only modernize the space, they may

  1. Scandi-inspired seating No one knows how to ring in the colder seasons in style quite like the Scandinavians, and this Scandi-inspired seating from  @primrose.co.uk  illustrates the point perfectly. We love the minimalist vibe of the seating area made from recycled wooden pallets and faux fur rugs. “It’s a relatively cheap look to re-create and creates an ideal seating arrangement for a casual meal,” says design and remodeling expert  Ben Kuhl , of  Shelf Expression . “Use throw pillows and candles to enhance the look.” 2. Garden-path fairy lights Another easy way to bring a bit of soothing ambiance to your outdoor space is to line your backyard with string lights, like the ones seen here from  @camilliabloomsbury . “If you have a developed flower garden, this might be just the thing,” says Kuhl. “These fairy lights add romantic mood lighting to your outdoor space—making it perfect for a picnic date with your partner. Use a shepherd’s hook to get the right height for your lights.”