Before & After: A Modern Laundry Room Makeover for an Ohioan’s Childhood Home

When Dan Bertolini was given the opportunity to move back to his hometown of Youngstown, OH and coach baseball at the local Division 1 college, he and his wife Bre jumped at the opportunity. Not only was it an opportunity for Dan to take a dream job, it also allowed Bre, Dan and their daughter Eloise to move into Dan’s childhood home with his father, Emil. “While our home is still technically owned by my father-in-law, he opened his doors to us when he found out we were moving back here. He was all by himself and although it’s a challenge at times, it’s been a really great thing for all of us,” Bre says.

Bre Bertolini, stay-at-home mother, DIY blogger and freelance graphic designer has been able to help Emil with things around the house, including the laundry. The first room they decided to tackle together was the laundry room. Emil owns a tile laying business and Bre has a great eye for home design and creating efficiency within spaces. “With a baby and three adults, there’s a lot of laundry. My goal for the laundry room was to make it unique, modern and functional. We don’t have much of an entryway so adding the mud room side of the room was perfect. We keep most of our coats and shoes there and the room is right off the garage where we all enter the house, so the location is perfect,” Bre says. “There’s also lots of storage, so while the room is pretty, I still have everything I need to wash and clean clothes. Plus the tall cabinets act as some extra pantry space, too. I definitely wanted it to be child-friendly as well for our daughter, and hopefully more children. I feel like sometimes modern doesn’t always scream ‘child safety’ but I think I did a good job of creating a balance.”

The renovation took six weeks to complete. The Bertolinis did it themselves from the design through the execution and finishing touches. Bre designed and DIYed the wooden bench and wall treatment on the far side of the laundry room. “This was our first renovation project, and all three of us worked really hard on it. Things went surprisingly well and we didn’t really run into any issues along the way. Having a solid design plan ahead of time definitely helped,” Bre shares. The laundry room is beautiful and functional. Moving into Dan’s childhood home was already ideal for this family, but with the help and support of Emil, they are turning it into a dream home. –Lauren 

Photography by Bre Bertolini