At HW Interiors we know a thing or two about well designed laundry rooms. As busy moms with a lot of kids (and therefore a LOT of laundry) we can appreciate the value in infusing a little luxury into what is typically seen as a utilitarian space.
Here are 5 tips on how you can easily, and affordably, elevate your existing laundry room
With seven children between us, Heather and I are no strangers to the laundry room. Aside from our kitchens, it is easily the second most used room in the house. In every home we design, we try ensure that the laundry room is a destination… the kind of room that makes hanging out in every night while you try to catch up on the never-ending piles of your teenager’s laundry somewhat tolerable. We get it. We live it.
We’ve had the opportunity to do a few really spectacular laundry rooms. They’re all different in their own right, but each is super functional because as I said, we get it. A really good design should take into account the client’s functional needs as well as aesthetics. The list of customization is endless, and we try our best to incorporate the way our client’s want to live.
We also know that not everyone wants to spend a lot on their laundry during a remodel, so we have a few tips on what laundry room upgrades will give you that expensive look without necessarily the price tag.
Tip #1 - Splurge on the hardware
First in our #CypressIslandhw project, We used a rich navy cabinetry (our kitchen islands were navy so we carried it through to the laundry room just down the hall). The cabinetry was a simple navy shaker and the countertops a simple white quartz, but we splurged on the hardware and did a brushed gold finish on these amazing pulls.
PSA for the day… don’t cheap out on the hardware! It’s the jewelry, and it is the difference between taking white shaker from Lowe’s cabinetry to looking like custom cabinetry sometimes.
Slate colored tile on the floor and full floor to ceiling backsplash of an incredible wood-look patterned tile made this laundry room a showstopper. The downstairs laundry at #cypressislandhw also features a functional dog shower with incredible metallic blue hex tile on the floor.
Tip #2 - Skip the sink, add a dog shower!
We love us a dog shower! Nothing is more functional for hosing off a dirty dog, or in my case, a kid or two.
Dog showers are one of our favorite features to highlight in any laundry room. Most (if not all) of our clients have a beloved furry friend, and we can’t think of anything more practical to have than a dog shower.
Not only can you bathe your pup, you can also use it in lieu of a sink to pre-treat stains or even throw a pile of dirty pool towels until you can get to them later.
In our #kipsbaypalmbeach project, we utilized some insanely beautiful materials such as backlit onyx floors and custom bleached white oak cabinetry to make a statement, as this laundry room was visible from the entry of the home.
Tip #3 - Open, styled shelving
Another popular feature of the HW laundry room is floating shelves. This is a great way to cut back on the costs of cabinetry but also open shelving is very practical in a laundry as we love to style it with cute containers that hold your detergent pods and anything else you may need to have readily on hand.
Everyone knows that Moms are always trying to get one last load of laundry in before we run out the door! Having everything accessible and organized (and don’t forget nice to look at) is just one more way we take form and function into account when designing.
Tip #4 - Be creative to save
Occasionally, the laundry room is not as important to the client and we needed to make it look fabulous while being gentle on the budget. On the wish list for the #SilverliningHW classic laundry was plenty of hanging space, so in lieu of cabinetry on the back wall we tiled floor to ceiling and installed a hanging rod between two end towers. It looks great with the pretty porcelain accent tile, and it certainly helped to reduce our cabinetry budget in that room. A simple painted grey shaker cabinetry and a clean white quartz helped to keep the costs down but again we splurged slightly on good quality chrome hardware to match the faucet.
Tip #5 - Tile all the way up
The laundry is also a great place to take some risks and have some fun, since it is typically a space that is kept private from guests. Choosing a painted cabinetry finish in lieu of boring white automatically ups the fun factor, as does incorporating a 3D tile or a fun pattern on the backsplash. We’ve even done custom penny round inlays to have a little fun with word play.
Of course we ALWAYS tile the entire backsplash, because that is the difference between builder grade and designer-worthy, even if you are using an inexpensive tile such as a penny round. It doesn’t have to be marble to make an impact in this traditionally utilitarian space.
Or this is the perfect opportunity to use a bold wallpaper that you love. Most people won't take a huge risk in a kitchen, but in a small laundry room why not have a little fun with color and/or pattern?
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to this space and we encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and have a little fun! There is nothing more mundane than laundry, so why shouldn’t your laundry room be a destination that makes one of life’s most tedious chores a pleasure?
Want more luxury laundry room inspiration?
Check out our video on Youtube "Must Have's For a Luxury Laundry Room"