January/February 2012

 Utility Room Redesign

Before                                                     After

I love redesign.  It gives me such a lift to make even small changes to various rooms in my home.  It may be simply changing out accessories, or if I am feeling more adventurous rearranging the furniture to get a new look.  It feels like a new room!  Probably two of the most forgotten rooms in terms of redesign are the laundry room and mud room.  You can't rearrange washers and dryers!  The closets and cabinets are pretty permanent, too.  A client of ours once commented that her laundry/mudroom was the first thing she saw when she walked into her house from the garage and how she wished that it could be a space that made her happy when she walked in the door.  And isn't that the truth?  It does feel good to walk in the door after a long day of work and what we see first says, "Welcome home!".

The photos above are the before and after of a laundry/mudroom we redesigned for a client.  The fixes for this room were pretty simple.  Removing the curtain was first.  It immediately opened the room up making it feel much larger.  We replaced the large armoire with a sleek console that offered storage and a place to drop keys and mail.  The scale of the console also gave the homeowner more maneuverability for carrying laundry baskets or groceries that were stored in the pantry to the right.  Note that the pantry and closet are much more easily accessed.  Dramatic artwork gave the space lots of color and interest.  The lamp added ambience in the evening.  Simply adding a few baskets on top of the shelves and hanging one above the laundry tub completed a very welcoming room.

When accessorizing a utility space, keep in mind the "less is more" rule.  It is all too easy to end up with clutter and defeat the purpose of the room in terms of work space.  Choose accessories that double as extra storage for small things such as keys, laundry supplies, gloves, hats, pens or note pads.  If your room has little wall space for artwork, consider a colorful area rug on the floor. Indoor/outdoor rugs have a variety of colors and styles and are durable for heavy traffic areas. They clean easily and can add warmth especially in the winter months. Changing cabinet and drawer hardware is an inexpensive way of updating the space.  We can't make laundry less of a chore, but we can certainly make the space you work in or come home to one that you love to be in!