The laundry room may not get much love in the home, but anyone with an active lifestyle can tell you it gets plenty of attention at least once a week.
From sweaty workout clothes to dirty soccer uniforms, your laundry room takes on a lot.
But what if you made the space do more than just clean your clothes?
“Most of us want welcoming and stylish laundry spaces. But getting the design right isn’t always a straightforward process. A space that’s too stylized, or not stylized enough, can quickly become unwelcoming. A more restrained approach to colors and materials usually delivers the right balance,” interior design site Houzz said.
One way to make the space welcoming is to keep it organized.
Home upgrade resource website Modernize advises homeowners to make use of vertical space and stack the washer and dryer. Doing so will provide more room for a small sink and the counter.
Another way to incorporate organization is cabinetry and shelving.
You don’t always have to enlist the help of a professional to build some either.
“Closed laundry room cabinets create a tidy, polished look, but open storage areas can also be helpful for organizing often-used items. To convert regular cabinetry into open shelving, simply remove the doors and fill in any holes left behind by hardware,” Better Homes & Gardens said.
DIY Network says you can use ready-to-assemble cabinets to save money on a pantry-area laundry room. With this option, you don’t pay the costs for the manufacturer to assemble them. Once installed, you can place an ironing board unit on the back wall of the pantry.
Finally, if your home lacks a dedicated laundry room, that doesn’t mean you can’t make space for the essentials.
Men’s buyer’s guide magazine Next Luxury says you can craft a laundry space from the hallway.
“If you want to tuck your laundry room out of sight while maintaining easy access, a hallway closet is your best bet. You can turn even a tiny closet into a small laundry room as long as the necessary utility hookups are there,” it said, noting that the most logical options are closets near the mudroom or primary bedroom.