Her husband wasn’t believed by sue Ellen Ragsdale. Winning $50,000 to get a laundry room and bath? It sounded too good to be true. “She did not think me for a week or so,” says Michael Ragsdale. “We have never had anything like that happen.”

The Paducah, Kentucky, couple has lived in the exact same home for 18 decades, raising three kids (one is still at home) from the three-bedroom, two-bathroom area. Years of wear and tear away from children and toddlers had taken its toll in the laundry room and guest bathroom.

Due to some remodeling sweepstakes out of and Lowe’s, the two rooms have gotten a fresh start. Designer Susan Seay and builder Scott Walker have helped the Ragsdales create over both rooms, giving their home more distance and better company and style than they ever believed possible.

Photographer: Matthew McFarland, M Studio West
Products: Provided by Lowe’s

Missed this one? Enter our current sweepstakes here!

M Studio West

The Laundry Room: New Storage Keeps Clutter From View

The Ragsdales, revealed here, bought this reddish LG washer and dryer a year ago to update the laundry area, but they did not have much storage or any organization. “We don’t exactly entertain in the laundry area,” says Michael. “So fixing up it was not a priority for a short time.”

The winnings insured all labor, design solutions, taxes and materials for both rooms. At about $5,000, the chimney in the laundry area took the largest chunk of the $20,000 stuff budget.

Counter: Antique Mascarello Laminate, Formica; Granite: Amherst in maple, Diamond Reflections; flooring: Capri Natural Porcelain, Style Selections

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

The couple uses the laundry room door as a side entrance from the detached garage and terrace area, often leaving things in this room in their way to the family room around the corner. A curtain separated the two spaces, just barely hiding the view.

M Studio West

Michael concentrated on the practicality of this space and left the color and material options to Sue Ellen and Seay. “It is 1 thing to look pretty, and it’s another to be functional,” he says.

Obviously, Seay was concerned about practicality also — especially, if standard-size appliances and cabinets may all fit into this 5-foot-wide space.

Washer, dryer: LG; paint: Performance Lane, Olympic

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

Flimsy white wire shelves barely comprised the laundry area chaos and retained everthing in plain sight. The shelves’ height made it hard to access requirements, also. “The Ragsdales understood they did not have some functionality in their present situation,” says Seay.

M Studio West

Employing this very long wall for the main bank of cabinetry, Seay additional storage without crowding the walkway. Sturdy Formica countertops fit the budget and are now a workspace for folding and ironing.

Although the couple initially wanted a built in ironing board, it wouldn’t utilize the narrow design. Rather, Seay set a useful hook for the ironing board between the washer and dryer. “I really do all of the ironing in the home, so I really like this new area,” says Michael.

The newly organized laundry area has got the Ragsdales a different mind-set about their stuff. “I think it’s helped them see that in the event you don’t have a place for this, don’t keep it,” says Seay.

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

Sue Ellen enjoys blue and wanted to keep some of the previous colors in her new laundry area.

M Studio West

Seay took the icy blues out of the old room down a notch, adding just a touch of gray to the wall color and balancing it out with neutral tones from the countertops and floor tile.

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

The Toilet: A Complete New Layout and Appearance

The cramped guest bathroom presented a whole other set of issues. Seay wanted to change its design, therefore Walker gutted the distance, tearing down the wall that separated the vanity in the shower and bathtub.

The demo revealed an unpleasant surprise from the floor — termites and water had done some serious damage to the joists. Walker replaced the joists, bringing them up to code so they could encourage a new Jacuzzi bathtub.

M Studio West

Turning the bathtub to sit against the rear wall made space for the vanity and toilet. “I just didn’t need the toilet to be the very first thing you saw when you opened the bathroom door,” says Seay.

Flooring tile: Floriana Heather glazed porcelain, Style Selections; shower and wall: Calacatta White glazed porcelain, Style Selections; shower accent lighting: Floriana Heather Mosaic, Style Selections; showerhead, tub Suite: Victorian Stainless Tub and Shower Faucet, Delta; fan: Brushed Nickel Bathroom Fan With Light, Harbor Breeze; bathtub : H Cetra 1 Person White Tub, Jacuzzi

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

The previous design made the bathroom seem much younger, and there was no gap between the toilet and the shower.

M Studio West

The vanity and the toilet now feel different from the shower and bathtub. Seay used the exact same icy blue color from the laundry area in the restroom. Accessories along with marble help the blue at the walls stick out.

Vanity: Delancy White Single Sink Vanity, allen + roth; faucet: Windemere Brushed Nickel 2-Handle WaterSense Faucet, Delta

Before Photo

Designs by Susan

The prior short wall in the end of the shower made the vanity area feel cramped and dark.

M Studio West

A vanity area that was open was made by taking away the wall. Lighter materials make the space feel bigger, too.

The Ragsdales hadn’t worked with a designer approached the process warily initially. “I did not know Susan, also I did not know Scott, therefore I had to take a leap of faith there,” says Michael. “But it turned out all right.”

Vanity mild: 2-Light Antique Nickel Vanity Light, Portfolio; medicine cupboard: 20-Inch Metal Medicine Cabinet, Kohler; toilet: Cimarron White WaterSense Comfort Height, Kohler

And today there is a new sweepstakes: Input here

See related