When designing this home, we purposefully put our bedroom on the same end as the garage and laundry room. In our last home, if we were headed out for the day and realized we forgot our keys or something, we had to walk to the complete opposite corner of the house to retrieve them. Also, the laundry was on the opposite end as all the bedrooms. This never made sense to me. Personally, I prefer to get my 10,000 steps while walking outside, not back and forth across my house. This time around, I wanted my bedroom to be closer to the laundry as well as the garage. As a bonus, I designed a doorway from my closet directly to the laundry room for even easier access.
Goals for this room:
- Separation of lockers and laundry
- Maximized storage
- Close to the kitchen and my bedroom
Laundry Room
I really prefer a raised washer and dryer for ease of use, but the standard lifts that are available to buy make them too tall to fold on. This is a very compact room, so there was simply no space for a separate folding counter. The solution was to design the cabinetry to raise the washer and dryer some amount from the floor without them being too tall to put a folding counter over the top. It turned out just right for us. I have plenty of folding and sorting space and a partially raised washer and dryer organized all on the same wall. I squeezed in a utility sink and storage cabinet as well. Apart from our clothing closets, this room and the locker area are really the only storage spaces in the house. This is a hardworking room, and I really had to maximize every inch.
The upper cabinet on the end stores extra school and office supplies. The lower is used for my photo gear and sewing equipment. The full-length cabinet at the opposite end holds all my carefully organized cleaning and ironing supplies. I also installed some wire racks on the back of the cabinet door for first aid. There is an additional small closet on the opposite wall for food storage and pantry overflow.
At the far end is the sneak-through door to my walk-in closet. I absolutely love this door. It is so great to be able to start a load of laundry first thing in the morning and have it so convenient to put them away when finished.
Lockers
Storage for coats, backpacks, and other random things that end up being dropped by the back door is not fancy, but essential. This small area is right next to my bedroom door, so it had to be attractive and easy for people to use. I separated the laundry room from this area on purpose. In our last home, the laundry counter, facilities, and lockers were all in the same room. As easy as I tried to make it for people to put their things in their assigned spots, it was easier just to plop it all on the laundry counter. With this new arrangement, the laundry counter is generally available for its intended purpose, while backpacks and miscellaneous flotsam reside happily behind closed cabinet doors. So far, people are pretty good about putting their things away. The ledge across the front is just wide enough to put your foot on and tie your shoe, but not wide enough to stash their things on.
Things I’m still working on:
I’m still working on some organization here. The cleaning closet is working well, but the office supply is not orderly. Ultimately, I would also like to have a section for gift wrapping supplies. And the pantry closet needs some serious help. Also, it might be fun to see some cute wallpaper or pretty tile above the counter and sink. Every home has its work rooms, and it’s so much nicer to use when they are both practical and pretty.
