The laundry room has evolved to become much more than a small room with a washer and dryer and a wooden folding rack.
The room often is a showcase of cabinets, countertops, appliances and storage spaces that blend with the designs in adjoining rooms. If you have to wash, dry and fold laundry, why not enjoy the view? Besides, the laundry room often is adjacent to the kitchen and in a well-traveled location.
This trend of adding design to laundry rooms is seen more commonly in houses priced from $400,000. The laundry rooms often are 6 by 8 feet to 9 by 7 feet and are located between the garage and kitchen.
When deciding what to include in a laundry room, consider how you plan to use the space. Someone with several small children, for example, may want a washer and dryer with a large capacity and plenty of room for folding clothes.
Also think about how much storage space you will need, as that will influence the layout of cabinets and countertops. When planning for storage try to use the vertical space as well as the horizontal, said Peggy Doughty, a buyer with The Container Store, based in Dallas. “If you’re using the vertical space over the washer and dryer, you’re virtually doubling the usable space.”
Many buyers start their laundry room design by adding elements from their kitchen. They may use the same cabinetry, but choose a less expensive finish.
“People are going to do a knock-off of what’s in the kitchen,” said Mark Farrahar, president of Reese Classic Residences, a custom builder based in northwest suburban Kildeer. “If you have raised-panel maple with a glaze, you might do the same cabinet in a flush panel in the laundry room. At first glance it looks like the same cabinets. You may be going down (a level) in door quality (in the laundry room) and in the kitchen have a higher defined, detailed door.”
By putting less expensive cabinetry in the laundry room, homeowners create an environment that blends with the home’s decor without the added cost of high-end cabinets. For further savings, they also can leave off the decorative molding, special cabinet hardware or custom door finishes that add detail in the kitchen.
Among the favorite cabinet finishes are white, oak or maple, as these are light colors that add a sense of openness to the room. Buyers want more design in their laundry rooms, but there are limits to what they will spend. “Even people without budgets don’t throw cherry cabinets in laundry rooms,” Farrahar said.
Not only are cherry cabinets more expensive, they take away from the bright, clean look people are seeking.
When selecting laundry room countertops, many choose a color that blends with the kitchen countertop, but in a less expensive material. The solid surface or natural stone countertops that are popular in the kitchen often are considered too expensive for a laundry room.
Laminates remain the top choice for laundry rooms, as they are more affordable and easier to clean than some other materials, Farrahar said. They also are available in a variety of colors. A homeowner could use a blue, speckled laminate countertop in the laundry room, for example, to match a solid-surface countertop in the kitchen that is white with blue trim.
Homeowners also are looking for more countertop space for folding and sorting clothes. This can be achieved by adding washers and dryers that fit under the counter. These appliances typically are 54 inches wide and 28 inches deep and have controls on the front.
“In most laundry rooms you’re getting 6 to 7 feet of counter space with conventional washers and dryers,” Farrahar said. “With the under-counter appliances, you get 12 to 14 feet, so there’s a big difference.”
There also are models that stack on top of each other, which uses vertical instead of horizontal space. The disadvantage to both layouts is they require more bending and stretching to reach the appliances.
Washers and dryers that fit under a counter range in price from $1,000 for a pair to $1,000 or more each, depending upon the brand and features, among other factors.
Some buyers even add a second washing machine to make the whole laundry experience move more quickly, said Penny Silich, a consultant with Constant Custom Homes, a custom builder in Long Grove. “If you’re doing a lot of wash, the wash cycle is always done before the drying cycle, so it’s just more efficient.”
Natural light also is important for making a laundry room more inviting. Depending upon the floor plan, builders will add windows along one or two walls. Often a row of windows is placed above the washer and dryer, and above a counter that will be used for folding clothes.
The disadvantage to adding several windows is that they take away from the amount of space that can be used for storage. One way to compensate is to add roll-out bins on each side of the appliances to hold detergent and other cleaning supplies, Doughty said.
There also are others issues to consider when deciding how much storage space to add, Doughty said. Do you want a long stretch of counter for sorting and folding laundry? Do you want storage bins on each side of the washer and dryer or above the appliances? Do you want a rack to hang wet clothes on or a place to hang clothes from the dry cleaners before storage?
Storage also can take the shape of closets near the the room’s entrance. These are used for storing a vacuum, mops, coats and shoes.
This is helpful if the laundry room is between the garage and kitchen, as it allows people to take off their coats and shoes and store them before walking into the rest of the house.
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Allison E. Beatty is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions regarding new home buyers’ products, write to Choices c/o Chicago Tribune New Homes Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
