Home Style Ideas

Laundry room designs can turn your least favorite room in the house to your most favorite space.  You may not like doing laundry but you can at least like the room that you do laundry in.  This will make chores easier and will also complete the entire house because every room will be decorated.

Laundry room storage cabinets add a focal point to the space and also provide much needed storage.  When you organize your laundry room it will feel more like a living space instead of the room where you go to do chores.  You may want to install an ironing board that folds down from the wall.  A kitchen island is useful in a bigger laundry room because you’ll be able to do craft and sewing projects as well as fold laundry at a comfortable height.  You can pick up used kitchen cabinets from the want ads or used building supply stores.  Hang the cabinets over your washer and dryer to hide away cleaning supplies.

Laundry room supplies take up the bulk of a laundry room but they can also be fashionable.  Install thick white shelves around the perimeter of the room for storage.  Place large baskets on top where you can hide unsightly items.  The shelves can work with your overall theme.  For a valance you can add a whimsical touch by pinning small baby dresses to an ordinary valance.  If your laundry room is disorganized you may just want it to feel clean.  Cool colors such as an ice blue can make a small space seem larger and will work nicely with a white washer and dryer.  If you’re short on space try a washer/dryer combination.  You can hang closet organizers on the wall so everything has a place.  Make a mount for the ironing board and invest in fashionable hampers.  You can even add a closet rod to hang dried shirts from so they don’t get wrinkled.

Laundry room flooring needs to be functional.  You’ll probably have wet clothes thrown on it and muddy shoes walking across it.  Vinyl flooring is inexpensive and adds color and pattern to your space.  For a vintage laundry room effect paint the walls a pale green and use a black and white checked floor. You can even lay peel and stick tiles yourself.  If you don’t want to redo the flooring in your laundry room make your own vinyl mat.  You can paint on the reverse side of the monogram; try making a rug full of whimsical cottage roses for a country room.

A basement laundry room or garage laundry room has a special set of challenges.  It’s probably a space that you don’t really want to venture into often.  You’ll need to bring in the appearance of light and order.  You can paint or stain the concrete floor in a garage so it feels more like a room.  Paint the walls a warm terra cotta color and add blue accents to make the room feel like Tuscany.  The warm color will take the place of natural light just as long as it doesn’t become too overwhelming.

When forming a laundry room design your biggest obstacle may be the washer and dryer.  Sure, they put the laundry in laundry room and you probably don’t want to go back to use a tub and washboard just for looks sakes.  The appliances can be unsightly.  If your laundry room is open to a bathroom or a hallway then partition the area off with stylish curtains or louvered doors.  If you’re investing in new appliances consider stylish alternatives.  Washers and dryers are now available in a series of colors and metallic finishes.  An orange washer and dryer may become dated quickly but if it’s been your favorite color for awhile, go for it.  Just getting a white machine with a metallic pearl finish can change the look of the room.

You can also work a white machine into your overall design.  Try painting white diamonds with alternating natural squares on an existing wood floor.  You can add in white cabinetry and then pick wallpaper that has white in it to tie the entire space together.  Laundry rooms can work with any design aesthetic, even modern.  Decorate it the way you would a kitchen.  Start with gray walls and a silver finish washer and dryer.  You can even install a counter on top of some front loading washers and dryers to bring in natural stone and add a workstation to the area.  Look for frosted glass cabinet doors and stainless steel frame for a contemporary space.

If the laundry room is in the back of the house it may also need to serve as a mud room.   Install lockers or cubbies for each of your kids so their school projects don’t back up.  Give each member of the family a basket to put shoes in and a coat hook to keep the room organized.  You may want another basket to drop mail and keys in when you first walk in the door.  You can also make a rule about when your kids should bring their laundry in and where they should put it so your room stays clean and functional.

A laundry room renovation doesn’t have to be expensive.  It’s just a matter of making a useable space beautiful.  Since it may be a room that only you venture into you can make it more feminine than the rest of the house.  Experiment with wall paper or an elaborate damask stencil.  Keep accessories to a minimum so the space doesn’t become cluttered.  Instead, look for large wood letters that you can spell out “laundry” or “wash”, you can also apply a word stencil directly to the wall.  The quote can be a favorite literally piece or something that reminds you of order.   Since laundry rooms use a minimal amount of space you may be able to bring in high end items like a touch of granite wall tile or a farmhouse sink. Laundry room design can make your chores more bearable.