When we purchased our home 2 years ago, we had a list of updates we wanted to do right off the bat...then some that we would do in the coming years. The laundry room was a project that I wanted to do eventually, simply because it was outdated and needed a fresh look. But it was functional and still a bigger space than we had at our last house, so I was fine with putting that project at the bottom of the list.
Well, that changed at the end of April, during Covid Quarantine, when our washer started leaking.
Our washer and dryer were 20 years old, original to the home, and were left by the previous owners. However, a leaking washer was not something we were going to mess with, especially since our laundry room is on the second floor of our home. It was bad enough we were quarantined to our home with our kids home from school 24/7...we didn't want to add "major flood" to the list of awful things to happen in 2020. This is when we decided if we were going to do anything with the space, we should probably redo the floor prior to a new washer and dryer coming into the space.
Tom and I started researching washer and dryer sets based on reviews and the size we needed for the space. As we were searching, I came across a gorgeous Sapphire Blue colored set that ultimately, was the inspiration for our whole mini laundry room makeover. It was like I saw beams of light coming from my laptop screen...it was LOVE at first sight! It was different than any other set I had ever seen and it matched our home perfectly...I had to have it!
I Immediately called our local family-owned appliance store, Gerhard's Appliances, to see if they had what we wanted in stock.
Being that we were 1 month into the Covid shutdown, not many local small businesses were open, not to mention still offering safe delivery options. Also, stock was very low at a lot of places, so we weren't sure if we would even be able to get the set we loved.
When I called Gerhard's, Steph and Allie Gerhard were beyond kind and helpful on the phone, and both assured us they would able to safely deliver us the set within a few days. They took care of everything within a matter of minutes! I was so excited, but now this meant I needed to get the laundry room makeover together immediately, because a washer and dryer would be getting delivered a few days later.
We chose the GE Smart Front Load Electric Washer and Dryer with Steam and Sanitize capabilities in Saphire Blue and it is seriously gorgeous.
Once we decided on the color for the washer and dryer, we ordered ceramic tile called Clementine Cora by InDesign which is a Blue print to compliment them. We were able to order through Home Depot and do curb-side pick it up the next day...Tom and I cut, laid and grouted the tile ourselves over the next 48 hours. I ordered a new light fixture from Lightsonline.com and ordered a barn door as well as a butcher block slab to use as a "folding table" for laundry. We picked that up the next day as well, with everything we needed for the project to come to life (eg. stain, brackets, decorative "leg" etc). I wanted to add a small valance above the window, so we used scrap wood we had along with batting and fabric I had from a previous project so make a valance in under an hour!
Tom and I got SO MUCH DONE in a matter of 4 days and I couldn't be happier with how the space turned out. I still can't stop admiring my beautiful GE Washer and Dryer set and I'll be a lifelong customer of Gerhard's after receiving such wonderful and prompt service during the Covid shutdown!