New This Week: 6 Laundry Rooms With Inviting Style
See how soothing cabinet colors and restrained material palettes can create inviting and beautiful spaces
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. Here are seven examples from design pros on Houzz.
2. Furniture-Style Functionality
Designer: Rebecca Foster Design
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Homeowners’ request. “This is a secondary laundry room for a busy, active family,” designer Rebecca Foster says. “It is right off the garage to handle sports gear and beach gear before [items make their] way into the rest of the home.”
Main feature. Furniture-style folding-and-storage station with marble top. “While I don’t typically use real marble in high-use areas, this marble was so beautiful, and given the veining, it hides dirt and use beautifully,” Foster says.
Other special features. Wide-plank floors. Cushioned bench.
Designer tip. “Don’t be afraid to use dark colors in small spaces,” Foster says. “In this room, the Farrow & Ball Mole’s Breath paint was the perfect color to bring warmth to a room while also helping hide dirt and grime in a high-use area of the home.”
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Designer: Rebecca Foster Design
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Homeowners’ request. “This is a secondary laundry room for a busy, active family,” designer Rebecca Foster says. “It is right off the garage to handle sports gear and beach gear before [items make their] way into the rest of the home.”
Main feature. Furniture-style folding-and-storage station with marble top. “While I don’t typically use real marble in high-use areas, this marble was so beautiful, and given the veining, it hides dirt and use beautifully,” Foster says.
Other special features. Wide-plank floors. Cushioned bench.
Designer tip. “Don’t be afraid to use dark colors in small spaces,” Foster says. “In this room, the Farrow & Ball Mole’s Breath paint was the perfect color to bring warmth to a room while also helping hide dirt and grime in a high-use area of the home.”
Browse laundry hampers
3. Terrific Terra Cotta
Designer: Ashley Martin Home
Location: Winter Park, Florida
Size: 54 square feet (5 square meters); 6 by 9 feet
Homeowner’s request. “The homeowner wanted to completely overhaul this space and give the space a warm and inviting feel,” designer Ashley Martin says. “With three kids, she spends a lot of time in the laundry room. The space was very dated, with white cabinets and basic flooring. This smaller space was a great place to go bold with the terra-cotta floor tile. We added a new base cabinet with upper cabinets for great storage and floating shelves for all things pretty.”
Main feature. “The terra-cotta floor tile is the most significant design detail, and the whole design was based around the flooring,” Martin says. “The tile is a bold and impactful choice but still subtle with the warm and natural texture.”
Other special features. Light taupe custom cabinets (Worldly Gray by Sherwin-Williams). Light fixture with woven shade. Quartzite countertop.
Designer tip. “Don’t be afraid to pick a tile that is bold,” Martin says. “You can find balance by using more subtle touches with the other elements in the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “When the original light fixture that was selected for this room arrived, it just wasn’t right for the space,” Martin says. “It just felt too bulky. I am so glad that the original choice didn’t work, because plan B is so much better.”
Wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
Designer: Ashley Martin Home
Location: Winter Park, Florida
Size: 54 square feet (5 square meters); 6 by 9 feet
Homeowner’s request. “The homeowner wanted to completely overhaul this space and give the space a warm and inviting feel,” designer Ashley Martin says. “With three kids, she spends a lot of time in the laundry room. The space was very dated, with white cabinets and basic flooring. This smaller space was a great place to go bold with the terra-cotta floor tile. We added a new base cabinet with upper cabinets for great storage and floating shelves for all things pretty.”
Main feature. “The terra-cotta floor tile is the most significant design detail, and the whole design was based around the flooring,” Martin says. “The tile is a bold and impactful choice but still subtle with the warm and natural texture.”
Other special features. Light taupe custom cabinets (Worldly Gray by Sherwin-Williams). Light fixture with woven shade. Quartzite countertop.
Designer tip. “Don’t be afraid to pick a tile that is bold,” Martin says. “You can find balance by using more subtle touches with the other elements in the room.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “When the original light fixture that was selected for this room arrived, it just wasn’t right for the space,” Martin says. “It just felt too bulky. I am so glad that the original choice didn’t work, because plan B is so much better.”
Wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
4. Pattern Play
Designers: Danielle Matthies of Homes by Tradition (interior designer) and David Charlez Designs (architect)
Location: Rosemount, Minnesota
Size: 80 square feet (7.4 square meters); 8 by 10 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The vision for this space was to create something playful and interesting that would distract from the mundane task of daily laundry,” designer Danielle Matthies says.
Main feature. “We fell in love with Benjamin Moore’s Boothbay Gray early on in the design process and envisioned that as our ‘something playful,’” Matthies says. “But once we found the floor tile, that stole the show.”
Other special features. Oversize white picket tile backsplash. Quartz countertops. Drying rod. Pullout hamper. Matte black cabinet hardware and faucet.
Designer tip. “If you have an unused wall in your laundry room and you’re looking for a little extra storage or hanging space, a row of hooks is easy for anyone to incorporate,” Matthies says.
Designers: Danielle Matthies of Homes by Tradition (interior designer) and David Charlez Designs (architect)
Location: Rosemount, Minnesota
Size: 80 square feet (7.4 square meters); 8 by 10 feet
Homeowners’ request. “The vision for this space was to create something playful and interesting that would distract from the mundane task of daily laundry,” designer Danielle Matthies says.
Main feature. “We fell in love with Benjamin Moore’s Boothbay Gray early on in the design process and envisioned that as our ‘something playful,’” Matthies says. “But once we found the floor tile, that stole the show.”
Other special features. Oversize white picket tile backsplash. Quartz countertops. Drying rod. Pullout hamper. Matte black cabinet hardware and faucet.
Designer tip. “If you have an unused wall in your laundry room and you’re looking for a little extra storage or hanging space, a row of hooks is easy for anyone to incorporate,” Matthies says.
5. Wonderful Windows
Designer: Eric Johnson and team at Christopher Strom Architects
Location: Minneapolis
Size: 192 square feet (18 square meters); 12 by 16 feet
Homeowners’ request. For this new-build home for a young couple and their three kids, architect Eric Johnson says he and his team did the most design iterations for the laundry room. “It was really important to them to have a high-functioning space,” Johnson says. “They are a big hockey family and wanted a place where they could come into the house from the garage and drop all the gear and coats and boots.”
Main feature. Johnson says the most important design decision was to sacrifice additional upper cabinets to add two windows that frame a view of rolling hills and natural white oak savanna. “To us, if you can make a space actually enjoyable and want to be in [it], then everything else falls into palace,” he says.
Other special features. Robin’s-egg blue cabinets feature some open shelves for storage baskets. The doorway to the left leads to a laundry chute that allows the family to toss dirty clothes down from the second floor into a large laundry cart on wheels. “It was important not to have a bunch of trips down the stairs,” Johnson says. The countertops are quartz.
Designer tip. “Often overlooked in laundry rooms: having a drain in the floor,” Johnson says. “We build those right underneath the washer and slide the washer over so the drain is hidden. If something happens to the water line and it bursts, then it’s not going to flood the space.”
Designer: Eric Johnson and team at Christopher Strom Architects
Location: Minneapolis
Size: 192 square feet (18 square meters); 12 by 16 feet
Homeowners’ request. For this new-build home for a young couple and their three kids, architect Eric Johnson says he and his team did the most design iterations for the laundry room. “It was really important to them to have a high-functioning space,” Johnson says. “They are a big hockey family and wanted a place where they could come into the house from the garage and drop all the gear and coats and boots.”
Main feature. Johnson says the most important design decision was to sacrifice additional upper cabinets to add two windows that frame a view of rolling hills and natural white oak savanna. “To us, if you can make a space actually enjoyable and want to be in [it], then everything else falls into palace,” he says.
Other special features. Robin’s-egg blue cabinets feature some open shelves for storage baskets. The doorway to the left leads to a laundry chute that allows the family to toss dirty clothes down from the second floor into a large laundry cart on wheels. “It was important not to have a bunch of trips down the stairs,” Johnson says. The countertops are quartz.
Designer tip. “Often overlooked in laundry rooms: having a drain in the floor,” Johnson says. “We build those right underneath the washer and slide the washer over so the drain is hidden. If something happens to the water line and it bursts, then it’s not going to flood the space.”
6. Tile Treat
Designer: Design by Debra Sippel
Location: Weston, Connecticut
Size: 145 square feet (13 square feet)
Homeowners’ request. “This busy young family needed an organized and aesthetically pleasing first-floor laundry room and full bathroom that also has access from the pool,” designer Debra Sippel says.
Main feature. Hand-painted floor tiles.
Other special features. Custom cabinets painted charcoal gray. Honed-granite countertop. Farm-style sink.
Designer tip. “Nonslip tile is essential in this room that can be directly entered from the pool,” Sippel says. “Plus, the radiant-heat floor makes it comfortable to enter with wet, bare feet from the pool.”
Wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; project photography: Anna Guzzi Photography
More on Houzz
How to Remodel the Laundry Room
Browse newly featured laundry rooms
Find an interior designer
Shop for laundry room products
Designer: Design by Debra Sippel
Location: Weston, Connecticut
Size: 145 square feet (13 square feet)
Homeowners’ request. “This busy young family needed an organized and aesthetically pleasing first-floor laundry room and full bathroom that also has access from the pool,” designer Debra Sippel says.
Main feature. Hand-painted floor tiles.
Other special features. Custom cabinets painted charcoal gray. Honed-granite countertop. Farm-style sink.
Designer tip. “Nonslip tile is essential in this room that can be directly entered from the pool,” Sippel says. “Plus, the radiant-heat floor makes it comfortable to enter with wet, bare feet from the pool.”
Wall paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; project photography: Anna Guzzi Photography
More on Houzz
How to Remodel the Laundry Room
Browse newly featured laundry rooms
Find an interior designer
Shop for laundry room products
Designer: Marie Flanigan Interiors
Builder: Frankel Building Group
Location: Houston
Size: 130 square feet (12 square meters); 8 feet, 10 inches by 14 feet, 8 inches
Homeowners’ request. Create a bright space with functional storage and durability for an active family.
Main feature. The layout of the space allowed for ample storage and features, such as a deep sink and an extra refrigerator for the home.
Other special features. Light blue cabinets (Lullaby by Sherwin-Williams) with brass hardware. Brick flooring painted white (Alabaster by Benjamin Moore). Custom open shelving designed to hold a laundry basket.
Designer tip. “A laundry room should be functional, first and foremost, so I recommend designing the space specifically for you and your family’s individual needs,” designer Marie Flanigan says.
Find an interior designer in your area