Laundry room clothespin curtains
Laundry… the bane of anyone’s existence, especially since I have two teenage girls. (And I never mastered the art of folding clothes.)
Our home has a cute (read: small) but functional laundry room, with just enough space for a washer and dryer and some walking room. It’s functional. But it’s not fun. (Does anyone think a laundry room is fun?) Most people wouldn’t worry how pretty a laundry room is, but since ours is the pass through to the only downstairs bathroom, it was a bit of a eyesore. Not fun at all.
I explored a lot on Pinterest to get inspiration. The result was a lot of farmhouse-style laundry areas, with lots of greige. Totally not my style. But one thing did catch my eye. Some of the designs had extra-large clothespins on the walls. I wondered if I could incorporate some in my mid-century home without it feeling ‘off’. So I did some research.
Essentially, the clothespin (the one with the wire spring) hasn’t changed much since it’s invention in 1853. (If you are interested in all the details The Economist has a great article.)
And I looked at mid-century laundry ads. Although washing machines were popular, dryers were more of a luxury. Hanging clothes on a line was much more common. It confirmed, if I did this right, giant clothespins could be part of my future too.
Clipping it all together
I made a bit more space for a less cluttered feel by hang laundry-related items including the iron and ironing board, as well as adding a wall-hung receptacle for lint. Then it was time to attack the one thing that really made the place look like horrible: the window. It wasn’t that the window was crappy; but just having a plain window blind made the area look dingy and tired.
I found a fun, mid-century style fabric that wasn’t too kitsch on sale for $2 a yard. Then it all came together. I would make double sided curtains that would be held back with the large clothespins. Instead of just using them as decor, I was going to make them more useful.
I bought ten, 6 inch of the clothespins on Amazon. After sewing the curtains, I hung the clothespins with Command Strips, and clipped the curtain to the clothespins. I also used two pins as curtain tie-backs.
The cool thing is you can make the curtain any way you want. I could have chosen to just do a valance and it would have looked just as cute.
Remember those mid-century ads I mentioned earlier? I downloaded a few of the sexist cliched ones, which I thought were funny. I printed them and put them in dollar store frames. They proudly hang on the walls. Always a conversation starter, along with those curtains.
Now I have 3 of those clothespins left. Any thoughts what I should use them for?
