One of the most often overlooked rooms in the home—yet also one of the most frequently used —the laundry room can get short shrifted when it comes to our interior design plans. But a well thought-out and pleasant area for cleaning our clothes and household items can go a long way in improving your day-to-day lifestyle, not to mention the value of your home. Take a look at these design suggestions from Better Homes & Gardens, and consider what might work well in your laundry room:
Improve storage. These days, the laundry room often doubles as a part-time pantry, utilities closet or sports center. Add an open-cube storage unit and outfit it with wire bins or baskets, or install overhead cabinets. These types of additions will allow you to attractively organize the miscellany from other parts of your home.
Stack the washer/dryer. By switching from a side-by-side to a stacked washing machine and clothes dryer, you’ll instantly open up square footage in your laundry room. This will allow you to add a shelving unit, a large hamper, a pet station and more.
Add counter space. Your laundry room lifestyle will vastly improve if you have a wide workspace for sorting and folding clothing. If you don’t have enough room to install a free-standing counter, place your front-loading washing machine and dryer side-by-side and install a butcher block on top.
Install a wall organizer. The laundry room is often the receptacle for brooms, mops and other household cleaning supplies. Get this cluster of tools that may be cluttering up your floor out of the way and neatly arranged by utilizing your wall space. An over-the-door shoe organizer can house rags, sponges, cleaners and scrubbing tools, and a row of hooks can be used to hang brooms, mops and the like.
Don’t forget design. Don’t neglect interior design touches when revamping your laundry room. Give it a new coat of fresh, white or light-colored paint, add a washable floor mat or area rug, and personalize the space by adding tile or trim where it makes sense. Hang a photo, concert poster or a fun quote on the wall. Touches like these will make your laundry room feel welcoming and help carry through the design from the rest of your home.
These steps will help make your laundry room a spot that’s both functional and pleasant for the entire family…and will check an important box on a prospective homebuyer’s list.
