Laundry Room Ideas: Cheer Up Your Chores

Filed under: Your Home, Storage & Cleaning, Storage & Organization

Just because your neighbors' laundry rooms are plain and drab doesn't mean yours needs to be. Brighten things up with our expert's advice.


Help me! I spend so much time doing laundry -- I might spend more time in my laundry room than my living room! What can I do so that it's not so sad looking?

Home Rescue: Laundry rooms can get a lot of use, especially in large households. Yet most people don't even think of decorating this small space. Stop neglecting your washer and dryer -- they work hard for you! So we asked designer Patrick Hamilton: How can you cheer up a laundry room?

Laundry Room Idea #1: Add Art
"There is a great trend toward color to jazz up washers and dryers, but to me, it ends up looking like you tried to park a Ferrari in your laundry room (plus I think it will become dated very quickly)," Patrick says. The better way to pump up the visual action? A painting, framed photo anything else to add color to your white space. "It's something to gaze upon while you're waiting for the rinse cycle."

Laundry Room Idea #2: Keep It Consistent
"You shouldn't feel like you've been put in a 'time out' when you're off folding your delicates. Extend the same kitchen cabinets, countertops or flooring into the laundry room," says Patrick. Sound too expensive for a room that's rarely seen by guests? Who cares? It's seen by you.

Laundry Room Idea #3: Light Things Up
Relying on a bare bulb or cast-off floor lamp in here? Upgrade. "Under-cabinet halogen or Xenon lights, incandescent or halogen overheads banish the blahs from wash day," says Patrick. And if you can, go with the best (and cheapest) option: Natural light. If you've got it, flaunt it.

Laundry Room Idea #4: Make a Storage Switch
When you walk into the room, are you greeted by detergent bottles? Change things up. Patrick suggests banishing open storage boxes for decorative ones with lids, replacing open shelving with closed cabinets and making sure you've got that laundry room staple: A foldaway ironing board. Just because it functions as a laundry room doesn't mean it has to look like a laundromat all the time.

Thanks for the tips, Patrick! We know have a cheery, bright -- not to mention organized -- laundry room.

And be sure to check out our other home rescues to save the rest of your home:
3 Steps to Curb Appeal
Bedroom Design Online

 

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