Farmhouse-Style Laundry Room Brings the Outside In
A design team creates an old farmhouse-style laundry in its clients’ new country home
Farmhouse-style design. Although this is a new home, the homeowners wanted it to feel lived in. The build and design team stuck with traditional farmhouse materials and then used a mix of antique furniture and new distressed pieces to furnish the home.
Color accents are introduced through furniture and accessories, but everything is subtle so it won’t compete with the natural environment outside the windows. Traditional six-pane windows highlight the barns, donkey area and river on the property while ushering in natural sunlight.
“By having a neutral, bright palette, you tend to look past the room and are automatically drawn to the colors of the outside,” says interior designer Emily Yoakum.
Sink. The laundry room also serves as the mudroom and general storage space for the family. A sink makes the area more functional when cleaning up after a busy day outside or hosting events. The team chose concrete for the sink because it creates contrast to the subtle color palette and natural materials.
“People should consider natural elements if their space has a lot of man-made or new products,” Yoakum says. “This always adds to the story of the space as well as the interest.”
Counter. The countertop is laminate edged with aluminum. One of the homeowners loved this look in his grandparents’ home and wanted to bring it into their new home. This approach ended up working well with the design, being functional for the laundry room and saving money in the project.
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Find a farmhouse sink
Color accents are introduced through furniture and accessories, but everything is subtle so it won’t compete with the natural environment outside the windows. Traditional six-pane windows highlight the barns, donkey area and river on the property while ushering in natural sunlight.
“By having a neutral, bright palette, you tend to look past the room and are automatically drawn to the colors of the outside,” says interior designer Emily Yoakum.
Sink. The laundry room also serves as the mudroom and general storage space for the family. A sink makes the area more functional when cleaning up after a busy day outside or hosting events. The team chose concrete for the sink because it creates contrast to the subtle color palette and natural materials.
“People should consider natural elements if their space has a lot of man-made or new products,” Yoakum says. “This always adds to the story of the space as well as the interest.”
Counter. The countertop is laminate edged with aluminum. One of the homeowners loved this look in his grandparents’ home and wanted to bring it into their new home. This approach ended up working well with the design, being functional for the laundry room and saving money in the project.
Wall paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Find a farmhouse sink
Storage. Providing enough storage for this busy weekend home was the biggest challenge for the designers. Although they put upper cabinets above the washer and dryer, they opted not to install any upper cabinets in the rest of the space so they could have lots of windows. Instead they put lower cabinets along two walls and brought in two tables. Cleaning and picnic supplies can be stored discreetly in the lower cabinets, while blankets and tablecloths are displayed on the natural wood table. The blue table has a little storage space in the drawers, and the family likes to use the top for folding laundry.
Pro tip. Think about your biggest priorities and then design from there. “Don’t be afraid to limit wall cabinets in order to max out windows and natural light,” Yoakum says. “The laundry room may become one of your favorite rooms in your home.”
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Pro tip. Think about your biggest priorities and then design from there. “Don’t be afraid to limit wall cabinets in order to max out windows and natural light,” Yoakum says. “The laundry room may become one of your favorite rooms in your home.”
More
Read other stories about laundry rooms
Find a professional to help with your laundry room project
Browse laundry room products
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two adult daughters
Location: Near Knoxville, Tennessee
Size: 114 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Jonathan Miller Architecture & Design
The Jonathan Miller Architecture & Design team built a weekend home for a couple and their two adult daughters outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Rather than building a mountain retreat or a beach house, these homeowners wanted a getaway that was close to home and work.
Although their new house is not a working farm, the family members use it to run with their dogs, go fishing and keep miniature donkeys. The new home also hosts Young Life retreats and wedding events. In such a busy house, the homeowners did not want to feel stuck inside while doing chores such as laundry.
Design goal. The homeowners wanted to feel as if they were still enjoying the beautiful outdoors when they were standing in this room. From the outside, the laundry room appears to be part of a wraparound porch. The exterior windows let in an abundance of natural light and give the homeowners an incredible view of the property.