Utility and laundry rooms are often one of the hardest working rooms in the house so they need to be robust enough to withstand moisture, heat and dirt.
Here are six utility and laundry room design ideas to lighten your load.
1. Flooring it
Utility rooms and laundry rooms aren’t the place for fancy flooring. The flooring needs to be able to withstand moisture and be resistant to staining, bleach and wear. Vinyl flooring is a great option for your laundry room design. Unlike wood, laminate or carpet, which can be permanently damaged by standing water, it is impermeable. Ceramic tiles are also a great idea for your laundry room.
2. Quiet life
If you are designing a laundry room in a small house, flat or even one upstairs near the bedrooms or living areas make sure you recommend appliances that have extra insulation and improved suspension that promise quiet operation and reduced vibration. If the dryer doesn’t list a decibel (db) rating, it’s probably too noisy. The same logic might apply to washing machines with high-speed spin cycles (more than 1,000 rpm). They might vibrate too much for laundry rooms located near living or sleeping areas. Check out appliances that have been awarded the Quiet Mark
3. Task force
Your customers will really appreciate a laundry room that has been designed with tasks in mind. Sorting clothes, washing, drying, folding and ironing. Arrange the appliances and work surfaces to facilitate that flow.
4. Light it up
If the laundry room you are designing has good natural light that brightens it up and eliminates that consigned-to-the-basement feeling, that is a great bonus. But just as with kitchen design, your customers need good task lighting over work areas. Use under-cabinet LEDs to illuminate the countertop so they can match socks or check clothing for spots and stains that might require pre-treatment. Good lighting for the ironing area is also essential. As a nice finishing touch to your laundry room design, provide lighting that lets them see inside the washer and dryer to make sure nothing is left inside.
5. Smooth operator
Laundry room countertops made of laminate, stone, quartz-surfacing, or solid-surfacing make it easy to clean up spilled detergents or fabric softeners. Plus, their smooth surfaces prevent snags when folding delicate lingerie, blouses, or knitwear.
6. Mind the bend
Doing the laundry can be a back-breaking job with front loading washing machines. To eliminate that problem design your laundy room with the appliances raised to a comfortable height on cabinetry that also provides drawer and cupboard storage. And, if space is at a premium, a washing machine and tumble dryer that stack on top of each other, could be the solution.
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