Fitted Laundry Rooms

Laundry room built ins  fitted to the space is the direction laundry rooms are taking these days.

When I was designing my laundry room I wanted to take advantage of the 13-foot length of the space to build the longest possible counter. I knew that space would be invaluable for folding clothes and linens and, as a result, I created a few laundry room built ins, including a bank of drawers, a wine refrigerator, and a front loading washer and dryer fitted below a stone counter. During the year before the renovation, I’d had a laundry room with a top loading washer and dryer, no counter whatsoever,  and a freestanding plastic laundry sink. That may have served the previous owner but because our laundry room is also the mud room entered from the garage, it is arguably one of the busiest and heavily-used spaces in the house. It had to look nice and function well. The ugly sink has now been repurposed as a slop sink in the basement.

Lately, I’m seeing even larger and more elaborate laundry room built ins and some which are heavily accessorized. There is a palatial one in a Long Island show house [top] where  Hampton Design installed a trio of front loaders under a deep marble counter with a small flat-screen mounted in the corner. Adjacent to the machines is a desk-like section with a single drawer – the perfect built-in sewing machine table. In the center of the room, an imposing table adds another big surface for sewing or projects.

The opposite wall has adjustable open storage and cupboards with ample place for linens to be stored. And while the large marble laundry sink with matching counter strikes me as gorgeous but impractical, it’s one aspect of a trend towards making the laundry as appealing as a kitchen.

This laundry room is fitted but the concept is rooted in kitchen design. There’s an under-mounted sink, a backsplash of Walker Zanger stacked modern subway tile, and an Absolute Black granite counter. Because the jumbo machines are deeper than the cabinets – and actually stick out from under the counter when you look closely  – this isn’t the most sophisticated design. But how superb is the yellow and white cement tile floor? I love the brightness and color it provides, much like a rug. On the plus side, closed upper and lower cabinets are a boon for storage and the placement of the sink next to the machines is a practical as well.

In some homes, the only space for a washer dryer is in the kitchen. And while I would not personally want them as close to the dining room as these are, the attention to detail makes it work. Here, the cabinet housing the machines is built out to cover the tops fully, adding extra depth on the counter where it’s needed. Open shelves are versatile even though they demand a high level of organization since painting them white against such dark walls creates a focal point above the machines.

This minimalist laundry space has a washer and dryer in disguise behind cabinet panels. This may be the ultimate laundry room built in because when the doors are closed it’s hard to distinguish the washer and dryer from cabinets or even a refrigerator. European front loaders like these are designed to be stacked but I rarely see this configuration which essentially makes the machines disappear.

Who could resist the charm of this attic (or basement) laundry, with its classic checkerboard floor. With such a low, angled ceiling, it’s smart to build machines into a counter with open space on one side and a handy shelf above. This approach is basic, practical and timeless.

(Source: ikeanfans, homebunch, decorpad, freshome)

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