Monday, August 9, 2010

Great Laundry Room Ideas

Your laundry room does not have to lack style.


A laundry room can serve many purposes therefore you should put some thought into the design process to get the most out of the space. Incorporating features such as storage and hidden compartments as well as furniture that makes the room dual-purpose, will enhance a general laundry room. Does this Spark an idea?


Storage


Adding storage to a laundry room makes it more functional and gives you room to work because the counters are not flooded with miscellaneous objects. The most simple storage options are shelves and cabinets. If you like the idea of a cabinet because it hides the items inside but do not want to extra work or costs of installing cabinets, consider purchasing decorative baskets you can place on shelves to keep your things out of sight. Do not forget about the space underneath floating countertops. You can add shelving, cabinets, or put your front loading washer and dryer in the space and free up their original location for additional storage.


Dual-Purpose


You can use a laundry room as a dual-purpose room such as a mudroom or an ironing room. These room options work well in an existing laundry room because a mudroom can attract just that-mud-from children playing outdoors so you can throw their soiled clothing directly into the washer upon them entering the house. Laundry rooms doubling as mudrooms work especially well if they are located near an entryway from the outdoors because your family can also leave their dirty shoes at the door and clean them in the same space instead of tracking mud into other rooms for cleaning. In this scenario, do not forget to include a utility sink.


Ironing often occurs after clothes come out of the dryer so incorporating an ironing board and other ironing necessities allows you to easily tackle both washing and ironing in one room. Using an ironing board that attaches to the wall or inside a cupboard and folds up when not in use maximizes space when it is up or doubles as a table when it is down.


Hidden Washer and Dryer


A washer and dryer does not necessarily work well as a decorative piece inside any room therefore placing it into a hidden compartment covered by cabinets or doors that match the rest of the room will make you forget it is even there. This design concept enables you to dedicate the space to other uses, including entertaining guests, which opens up additional living space in your home. Hiding general laundry room items such as soap and cleaning supplies in cabinets or baskets in the same room further lets you transform the laundry room to a space you can bring guests in without them knowing you use that room for laundering.

Tags: laundry room, laundry room, general laundry, general laundry room, ironing board, ironing room, room dual-purpose