Free downloadable set of six vintage black & white clothesline photos — perfect printable art for a laundry room.
Confession: I’ve been installing gallery walls since college. Back then, my version was a grid of black-and-white Paris photos cut from an old calendar and taped to my dorm cinderblock wall. Twelve sheets of paper felt like a major design moment.
That memory is exactly what inspired the latest update to our laundry room.
If you missed the progress, this is what the room looked like before the makeover:
We updated the space with Sherwin Williams Slate Tile on the walls, which instantly raised the contrast and gave the room a more grown-up feel.
We also installed a new bifold door and upgraded the cabinet doors and hardware to complete the look.
I struggled to decide what art would suit the space — something elevated, a little playful, and yes, still chic — even though it’s a room where underwear and jammy piles often congregate.
One of my favorite budget-friendly ways to source wall art is to search public domain archives. I found a collection of vintage clothesline photographs that felt perfect for a laundry room — evocative black-and-white images showing both city and country scenes hung with drying clothes.
These photographs are quietly beautiful and surprisingly emotional. Looking at them makes me think about the small, everyday rituals that connect generations — simple household tasks like washing and hanging clothes on a line.
For the project I picked six prints — three cityscapes and three countryscapes. I had the files printed as 5×7 photos at a local store for about $8, and framed them in matted black frames from IKEA for roughly $3 each. The total cost for the set was approximately $26, making this an affordable art update for a laundry room.
If you’d like to use these prints yourself, they’re available in the printable library — subscribers may already have access via email. (If you see a sign-up prompt in other versions of this post, follow the instructions there to access the files.)
One challenge we faced was an electrical panel located directly behind the stacked washer area. Covering it completely wasn’t an option for safety and access reasons. Instead, I painted the panel to blend with the wall and attached thin magnet sheets to the backs of the two frames that sit over it. The frames stick to the magnet backing so we can remove them quickly when the panel needs to be accessed. Functional, simple, and reversible.
To add texture and soften the window, I installed a driftwood Roman shade. Afternoon sunlight filtering through the weave gives the room warmth and complements the monochrome art.
The frame spacing isn’t perfect because the surrounding wall areas are uneven and we had to work around trim, an outlet, and the panel. Still, the finished arrangement is a major improvement and gives the laundry room personality.
Current laundry room to-do list:
Paint walls Sherwin Williams Slate TilePaint ceiling Benjamin Moore Simply WhitePaint cabinets and trim Benjamin Moore Simply WhiteReplace old hooksChange cabinet knobsReplace bifold doorHang woven Roman shadeHang laundry art- Swap light fixture
- Paint vinyl floor
- Build drying rack
- Hang ironing board
- Organize odds and ends
- Organize peg board
We planned to paint the vinyl floor this weekend, but a washing machine failure and subsequent leak delayed that work. Laundry life keeps things interesting — and often forces us into “dress-up” mode while clothes wait to be washed. Real-life decorating, right?
Have you discovered any public domain archives or vintage photo sources you love for free wall art? Do you have a favorite thrifted frame or a calendar you once cut up to make a gallery wall? I’d love to hear your tips and finds.
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