As you move forward & the washer/dryer continue to age (mine gave out at about 12 years) replace each with a front loader as they fail. You then can stack them. This one move will save you tons of space. Of course you will want to have a place in your shelves to store baskets since the top of the washer/dryer will not be available. We used ours unstacked for a while until we re-did the laundry room. You may also want to evaluate your water savings, as well soap savings -- not published, but my Tide bottles last 3 or 4 times longer than with a top loader -- & may be able to justify changing the machines earlier. You may also consider a pocket door into the kitchen which will save you floor space. Also consider the possibility of having your garage door swing outward (if room in garage) to save some more floor space & open some wall space. Good luck!

I'm not sure what sort of crafting you do, but some of the members here have posted photos of their craft areas which include some wonderful ideas for making efficient, yet still attractive, use of the available storage space. Since you are not planning on including a w/d in the utility room, I would suggest moving the sink over towards the drip dry area and putting a nice large cabinet next to your craft table or, depending on the type of crafting, put in open shelving uppers along that wall to keep a more open feel and maintain that nice long stretch of counter top. The exception to that would be if you have children who will be doing a lot of painting in that area, lol, in which case you might want to keep the sink adjacent to the table ;-)

Reader, the prints in the bathroom are called Serengeti I and II by Tandi Venter. The artist is from South Africa I believe. DH and I had the opportunity to go on a safari in SA with our church group a few years ago, and although these are just common art posters, they make me think of our personal trip. I bought the prints on eBay and made the frames out of door casing trim. They are fantastic posters, but the odd size made buying stock frames impossible (and custom was more than I wanted to spend ;-) Lynn, thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad you commented on the cabinet color; I haven't seen many painted to blend with the walls, so I wasn't sure of the reception it would get. Those original cabinets are extremely sturdy and well built but didn't have anything going for them in the looks department. I wanted to downplay their appearance and size but maximize their function. It didn't hurt that using all one color allowed me to just spray on the paint willy-nilly, either!

My laundry room is only that; it's not a mud room or utility room. I have lots of shelves - hub built most of them and installed them. There are huge hooks he installed for me to hang clothes on (I hang and fold clothes as I'm taking them out of the dryer). He also installed a nice rod/shelf above the dryer so that I can hang or lay things there to air dry. Other than machines, hooks on the wall, and shelves, I have lots of laundry detergent, a jug of vinegar, a huge jug of fabric softener (one lasts more than a year), a box of OxiClean and Color Catchers for when I combine colors in a load (I don't do that often, but I have a thing about only washing full loads). And a tall kitchen size trash can which seems to stay full - I haven't figured that out yet. Mine is very utilitarian, but it works for me and is in a very handy location.