Laundry room
Cast your eyes upon this inviting, multi-functional family laundromat. The space is small, but with some inventive thinking and a bunch of junk, we were able to get the wrinkles out. We received a laundry list of requests from our homeowners beyond just getting the clothes clean. Mom is a seamstress and the wrapper of gifts; Dad needed a place to put his dirty work clothes and keep his robe close at hand for after a soak in the hot tub nearby. As for the kids, they thought that as long as Mom and Dad were happy, they wouldn't be turning to the youngsters for help with the laundry.

Although the old laundry facility was pretty functional, it needed some added charm to flow with the rest of the home. Our first task was to create a clean slate, so for starters we disposed of the navy laminate countertops and cabinets, then painted over the busy, patterned walls with a neutral shade that provided a more pristine atmosphere. After that, completing the job was a snap. New upper cabinets were installed and the doors were removed from the lower cabinets. All were painted a bright white. A natural wood surface replaced the tacky blue laminate. The missing country charisma was now firmly in place.

 

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Excerpted from Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer Copyright © 2008 by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. Photographs Copyright © 2008 by Douglas E. Smith. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

The family cupboard
This is what we call "everything in a nutshell." A hold-it-all cabinet with coatracks alongside make for a streamlined mudroom.

 

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Excerpted from Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer Copyright © 2008 by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. Photographs Copyright © 2008 by Douglas E. Smith. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
 

 

The living room
Living areas should be comfortable as well as beautiful. For example, oversized, white slip-covered sofas with lots of stuffing will provide both elements to your room. Throw in a beat up old coffee table constructed from scrap wood and an iron gate, and you will have firmly established a junking good look of your own. However, furniture alone does not complete a room, it's just a good place to start. For example, the neutral color scheme also played an important role in this makeover. The combination of several soft shades of off-white on textured walls added a European flavor.

 

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Excerpted from Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer Copyright © 2008 by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. Photographs Copyright © 2008 by Douglas E. Smith. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

The powder room cupboard
Consider replacing built-ins with elegant antique furniture pieces that simultaneously confer character and give you more room to groom. We love this Welch dresser. It's relatively small in scale, providing the sense of spaciousness so desperately needed, and gave us the necessary catchall storage. The piece has plenty of open shelving up top and space below with doors for all of those items that don't really need to be seen. And voila, we accomplished what we set out to do with elbow room to spare.

 

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Excerpted from Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer Copyright © 2008 by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. Photographs Copyright © 2008 by Douglas E. Smith. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

Recycled vases
Pop the corks on vintage bottles, add water, and some sweet smelling flowers for a lavish touch to a campy latrine.

 

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Excerpted from Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer Copyright © 2008 by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer. Photographs Copyright © 2008 by Douglas E. Smith. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.