Laundry Rooms Are Cleaning Up On New Designs!

Once tucked away in a dingy basement or the hum-drum pass through, the home of the washer and dryer has been transformed from a utility space to a multi-purpose family center.

Downstairs, lurking somewhere in a dark corner of an unfinished basement, is a cramped area housing the washer and dryer. It's a picture that most of us can see relate to, having at one time or another stood in a space like this.

Well, oust that image from your memory! Today's laundry rooms are not only bright and airy, they are places where people actually enjoy spending time.  They incorporate many amenities from other areas of the home and act as gathering spaces for a variety of activities. The desire for the spaces to have both high-end design and functionality is rising.

While storage is a necessity in a laundry room, cabinets and countertop looks are sometimes more important. These rooms are now extensions of the kitchens and living spaces.

The approach to designing today's laundry room is much the same as with other rooms. It's critical to understand how clients not only wash and dry their clothes, but also use the surrounding space.
Families tend to do laundry in different ways, so it's important to know habits and stresses. For example, if the family brings their laundry down in baskets and promptly takes the basket back to their rooms, open shelving is a practical way to go. But, if the laundry tends to pile up, storage behind doors may be a better idea.

Of course, a surface to act as a folding area is critical, and one size does not fit all. Think about placing counters at a back level, so there isn't a lot of bending around. Maybe opting for washers and dryers that fit under the counter. This provides a counter space more than long enough to fold and organize clean laundry.

An oversized sink is an important element, according to many designers. A laundry sink with a pull-down faucet is really nice because you can get in there and spray those stains out or pretreat. It can also be used to wash delicates and once those delicates are washed, areas for hanging become very important.

Drying racks and drip areas are a big deal. Pull-ou drying racks in the space between the top pf the front-load washer and dryer and the cabinet above is a great to utilize the space.

And while ironing may be akin to drudgery, ironing boards are important to the room's design, however they are not tucked in cabinets and out of sight until needed.

People also like to personalize the space with add-on features. Explore your personality a bit more in this room, because typically, it's just one family member running the show, unlike a kitchen or bath where you have to compromise!

Before picture of a laundry space in unfinished section of the basement. The homeowner's vision for this space was to use it as a multi-purpose room, where she could address all things laundry, but also be able to work on crafts and wrap presents if she needed to.

The end result was exactly what she was looking for. A suspended wood ceiling was used instead of standard ceiling tiles, giving the space another level of luxury.