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










Just a gorgeous update! I love all the creative details like the wood bench back. Job well done, Bre.
so you made the wooden back to the bench?! I absolutely love it! I am in the process of designing our mudroom redo and I would love it if I could have you make that for purchase for me.
This room is beautiful. It makes me want to actually do laundry!
Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing.
In love with that floor, any idea what I should be looking for if I’d like to recreate it in my own home?
hey – that’s my hometown too! good for them moving back!
actually…i just realized that i went to HIGH SCHOOL with him!
I want to live in this laundry room
wow, laundry room heaven!
What is the blue color paint?
Anchors Aweigh by Sherwin Williams!
Thanks for sharing! It’s very usefull!
the before and after picture is lovely – it just makes something in my shoulders just untense a bit
Ha! I love this description. Seriously, it’s a beautiful room. Nicely done!
What a fabulous upcycle! The new room is unbelievably glamorous!! Like the subtle copper touch..
x Germarie
Love the rustic look and those blues! Thanks for sharing!
Love from Singapore,
Yeeling
I love all this inspiration ! It will definitely help me with my house !
I would like to know : what do you think of wall stickers to decorate a room ? (something like stickersforhome.com for example)
Excellent makeover – it is just lovely! I’m curious – I read that you painted the shelf brackets, did you find them at your local hardware store?
They are made by Crates & Pallet and they sell them online at The Home Depot!
Beautifully done! Congratulations on an incredible laundry space.
I hate doing laundry but I would happily do loads of loads in here!!! It’s so lovely :) x
And this is just ONE ROOM. ?
Obviously this is a gorgeous and well executed room, but anyone who has actually air dries any laundry knows a 3′ rod against the wall isn’t enough space to dry clothes! This bathroom would look great with an old fashioned pulley air drying rack, in case anyone looking at this post is into the vibe, but needs a more functional drying set-up.
Wow! This space was truly transformed. I love the mix of lights and darks in this space it makes the room feel larger but still keeps it interesting. My favorite features has to be the bench, what a great place to take on and off your shoes or pester mom while she does the laundry.
Where is that incredible pendant light from?!
I’m in love with the rug! Could you share where it’s from?
It’s from an Etsy shop called Urban Rug!
Who makes the pendant light fixture?
I got it from lamps.com!
Love, love this!! So beautiful. Perfect blue and that sink? Gorgeous! I’d love to know where to source the brass handle hardware on the cabinets if you have details, thanks! (I’m in Canada, fingers crossed we can buy ’em or ship ’em here!)
They’re made by Lewis Dolin!
So beautiful! I love the cabinetry- I have a similar sink and have been looking for a sink base to accommodate it- can you share where you purchased yours?
Hi! We actually had it custom built which is usually the best idea with a farmhouse sink, but if you’re skilled you could definitely adjust a regular vanity base to work!
Love it! What brand and color are the floor tiles?
Thank you! We bought them from a local tile shop but they are
12 x24 Porcelain Tile from Sintesi – Atelier Series in the color Fumo :)
Absolutely gorgeous!! Great way to transform a utilitarian space…beautiful and functional.
Great work and its done so beautifully. Thanks for the inspiration!
A great, great makeover that uses a lot of thoughtful little details (the labels!) Those stately, deep-blue cabinets and warm wood-and-metal finishes work together really well. The concrete pendant poses a function/form dilemma for me, though, because it would swallow most of the light, right?
Love this laundry room – will bookmark it!!
oh wow, from drudgery to dreamy. great job!
Awesome sauce! Well done with inexpensive materials and beautiful colors, this is so inspiring for creatives on a limited budget.
I love this. My current laundry room is like a junkyard, but this is inspiring me to clean it out and redo it!
This renovation was beautiful. I am a huge fan of your style and would love it if Designsponge would show all the before and after renovations you end up doing in this home.
This is the BEST laundry/mudroom I have EVER seen! Beautiful job, LOOOOOOVE your style. The Persian rug on the floor is stunning, though I am not usually in love with that kind of stuff. What color are the cabinets? Can you PLEASE share the rest of your home with us somehow? I would love to see it all… Please share!
Any chance you are selling these labels? We are redoing our laundry nook and I’d love to have these labels.