5 Must-Have Laundry Rooms Features
Does your laundry room make doing laundry feel like drudgery? Here we’ll 5 must-have laundry room features. These are items that will make doing laundry less of a chore. They may even make you look forward to spending time in your laundry room.
Let’s get real — current laundry room design may seem a bit out of control. After all, some of the most elaborate ones are bigger than the average kitchen! But that’s because people are eking more function out of this utilitarian space. And they are opting to do it with style.
And don’t worry if your space is tight, most peoples’ are! We can help you work in the functions you need and give the space your personal style. To get started, we’ll take a look at 5 must-have laundry room features to consider when designing your own laundry room.
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #1: A Sink
Gone are the days when you needed an ugly utility sink in a mudroom-laundry room. Today’s laundry rooms have sinks that are kitchen-worthy, like this apron-front farmhouse sink. It’s a great size for working on tough stains, hand-washing or cleaning off mucky cleats.
Now this particular item did not make our 5 must-have laundry room features list, because it’s not a must-have. But it’s a very nice to have: Our clients love the wall-mounted faucet we installed in their laundry room. This is a sneaky way to save space that looks fantastic.
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #2: A Backsplash
When installing a sink for these splashy activities, we recommend a backsplash as well. This will not only provide a wipeable surface, but also elevate the look of your laundry room, because, why not?
A pretty room will transform doing laundry from a spot for drudgery to a welcoming place where you look forward to spending time.
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #3: Machines With Extra Height
Bending over to load, unload, and wipe up extra water from the washer can be difficult.
A must-have laundry room feature for a lot of our clients is some extra height for front-loading machines. This is a good feature to consider when planning to age in place. This is because having some extra height is more ergonomic for knees and backs that may be giving us more trouble as we get older.
Low front-loading washers are also less than ideal for tall folks. So if you’re tall, consider adding extra height for your machines. If you foresee a problem with a front-loading washer and/or dryer’s height for any reason, you may want a boost.
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #4: Durable Countertops
When working on the aforementioned splashy laundry activities, it’s also good to have durable countertops. When sorting out the air dry only from the load, you can plop wet clothing on top of them with wild abandon. And having a countertop near the dryer is also great for folding or quick ironing.
While the higher machines are more ergonomic, there is one sacrifice. You’ll lose the extra folding and sorting countertop space lower front loading machines afford (unless you are really tall!) If you’re short on space in the laundry room, this is a consideration.
With shorter models like the these, there’s plenty of room above the machines for folding. And you can even add an elegant countertop above them, like you see here.
Because this laundry room was a tight space, the lower machines with a counter made sense. This also allowed the cabinets to come down lower — it’s easier to reach laundry and other cleaning supplies inside.
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #5: Space To Dry Clothing
Must-Have Laundry Room Feature #5: Space To Dry ClothingA space to air dry special clothing is another laundry room must-have. In the case of this laundry room-mudroom, we were able to hang a rod over the machines for hanging clothing.
In this laundry room, we also incorporated drying racks into the cabinetry. These are especially useful for shaping sweaters for a good air dry. They are also a convenient space saver — sweaters take awhile to dry, so you don’t want them hogging up valuable countertop space.
For base cabinetry, think about what you want to store. If this is going to be the handiest spot for detergent and stain remover bottles, consider a deep drawer that will accommodate the height of such items.
Space was tighter in this compact laundry room. So we installed fold-down racks on the walls. These provide all the hanging room for air drying needed. Then when not in use, they fold up against the wall to save space.
By the way, even thought you may be seeing spacious laundry rooms all over Pinterest, Instagram, Houzz, and yes, in our portfolio, they are not that common. So don’t feel badly if your laundry “room” is a closet. You can still make it functional and special!
In this case, our clients could splurge on beautiful floor and backsplash tile without breaking the bank. They only needed a few square feet of these materials, so they could have a lot of fun with their choices.
Bonus Must-Have Laundry Room Feature: Wallpaper!
OK so we said there would be 5 must-have laundry room features but this one is just so good we had to give it an honorable mention. Recently we have had so much fun helping our clients find just the right wallpapers to make their laundry rooms feel chic, tailored, eclectic, elegant, modern, energized … you name the mood, wallpaper can help!
The great news is, because laundry rooms are small, you won’t have to buy a lot of it. This will help those of you with compact laundry rooms strike a big victory!
And after all, if you’re already getting another room wallpapered, why not have the hanger stay and pretty up the laundry room? This writer recently did just that and now leaves the laundry room door open all the time just to admire!
Ready To Install Any of Our 5 Must-Have Laundry Room Features?
We hope checking out these 5 must-have laundry room features has inspired some design moves for your own laundry room. If you need professional help with designing and remodeling, please give us a call or click the link below for a free consultation.
Whatever your needs and style, our interior design team is ready to help you make your laundry room a highly functional and beautiful space that’s tailored to your needs.
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