Wash ‘n slosh: Warman laundry room houses hidden speakeasy

WARMAN, Sask. — In the average laundry room you’ll find mismatched socks, a stash of half-used detergent bottles and a collection of spare change pulled from pockets.

But in the laundry room of April Dyck’s Warman home, you’ll find a hidden door that leads to a secret speakeasy.

Last year Dyck signed up for the One Room Challenge, an online event where participants renovate a single room in their home in a tight time frame.

“The goal is to finish a room in eight weeks,” Dyck explained.

She focused on an old workshop in her home, documenting the process on her Instagram account.

“It blew up when I first posted the photos,” she said. “It’s just so cool! You get all these comments… and it’s all been positive.”

Dyck said she and her husband have always wanted to create a secret room in their home, and this space was one of the reasons they chose to purchase this house.

“Our last home that we owned didn’t really have space for this,” she said. “When we did the walk-through and [saw] this room, it had so much potential to make it hidden. I was like ‘Yes!’”

Dyck is frequently asked about the cost of converting a dusty workshop and storage space into an inviting area for entertaining. She said thanks to some creativity and elbow grease, the project was surprisingly budget-friendly.

“It was about $2,000 total for the room,” she said. “A lot of the big-ticket items were DIY. Like the table here was free, and we just epoxied it with leftover materials that we had.”

One of her top tips for aspiring DIYers is to make frequent stops at local second-hand shops.

“There are lots of thrift stores around Saskatoon,” she said. “Just go out on an outing and see what’s available. Take your time, wait and something will show up.”

Dyck completed the One Room Challenge in May 2023. They’ve been regularly entertaining in their speakeasy for over a year, but she never grows tired of the reactions from friends and family.

“They are always a little stunned,” she laughed. “They’re like ‘No way!’ It’s always positive feedback.”

While there’s no secret knock necessary to gain entrance, Dyck does have a lot of fun playing up the mysterious speakeasy aspect of this space.

“Because you have to go through the laundry room, and all speakeasies have a secret code to get in or a secret name… This is ‘The Ole Lost Sock,’” she said. “Just start the dryer on your way in!”