Room of the Day: Lovely Laundry Room Invites You to Stay Awhile
The last room on everyone’s mind turns into the room that welcomes you home
Morgan Province
April 19, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Enjoying a life of travel around the world and writing fun stories along the way. In my spare time, I plan my dream home on Houzz, read all kinds of books, and cuddle with my two Westies.
Houzz Contributor. Enjoying a life of travel around the world and writing fun stories... More
Many people are able to keep their dirty laundry discreetly hidden inside the house. Matt and Marin McFadden, however, have a combination laundry room-mudroom that is usually the first thing visitors see upon entering the Cincinnati home. When greeting guests at the door, the couple tended to say hello and then promptly apologize for the mess.
Then the McFaddens brought in Candice Mayhall, owner and designer at Sunday Home Interiors, to rejuvenate the room. Mayhall planned to create a space the family members could enjoy whether they were unloading backpacks, washing the laundry or welcoming guests.
Then the McFaddens brought in Candice Mayhall, owner and designer at Sunday Home Interiors, to rejuvenate the room. Mayhall planned to create a space the family members could enjoy whether they were unloading backpacks, washing the laundry or welcoming guests.
Before Photo
“After” photos by Dana Trilk
Laundry Room-Mudroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matt and Marin McFadden and their three children
Location: Cincinnati
Size: About 70 square feet (6.5 square meters)
Designer: Candice Mayhall at Sunday Home Interiors
BEFORE: The exterior door in the laundry room leads to the driveway and is the main entrance to the house. Additionally, this room is right off the kitchen, and many of the items not used on a daily basis, such as serving platters and extra bottles of wine, are stored here. And most obviously, this is the family’s laundry room. Because there was no effective storage system, everything kept in this space quickly piled up.
Laundry Room-Mudroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Matt and Marin McFadden and their three children
Location: Cincinnati
Size: About 70 square feet (6.5 square meters)
Designer: Candice Mayhall at Sunday Home Interiors
BEFORE: The exterior door in the laundry room leads to the driveway and is the main entrance to the house. Additionally, this room is right off the kitchen, and many of the items not used on a daily basis, such as serving platters and extra bottles of wine, are stored here. And most obviously, this is the family’s laundry room. Because there was no effective storage system, everything kept in this space quickly piled up.
AFTER: The room’s first job is to be functional, but this family of five also wanted it to be fun. “The goal was to make a light-filled, layered and lovely laundry room that would include a home for every item and leave room for collections to grow, as well as make storing, organizing and washing the laundry a bit easier,” Mayhall says.
She started by lightening up the place. The color she chose for the custom cabinets — an off-white shade of canvas — lifted the look of the entire room. “This color is a great alternative, bright neutral color if you can’t or don’t want to use pure white in a space,” Mayhall says. Finally, she added pendant lights to make the room even brighter and more inviting.
This busy room is narrow, so Mayhall chose custom cabinets to maximize the space. She removed the rarely used sink and then used all the vertical space along one wall by bringing in custom-built cabinets from KraftMaid. The doors below the folding counter are actually pullout laundry baskets, which hide any dirty laundry that is waiting to be washed. And the McFaddens often host get-togethers with family and friends, so the adjustable shelving in the cabinets allow them to neatly store their serving, cooking and decorating tools when not in use.
Originally, Mayhall had planned to use a butcher-block countertop for the folding area, to the left of the washer and dryer. She wanted a rustic look, but she soon found that butcher block was way out of the project’s budget. Her Plan B was to have her handy husband make a butcher-block countertop from scratch. It soon became clear that even DIY butcher-block countertops were still expensive and not easy to make. Finally, Plan C: Mayhall found a beautiful wooden countertop from KraftMaid that looked slightly aged and was priced just right.
“Don’t panic if everything doesn’t come together as planned,” Mayhall says. “Sometimes the unexpected changes will bring about something better than what you originally planned.”
The wallpaper on the wall behind the folding counter completes the lightness of the room. The feather pattern also adds the fun element that the family wanted for the space.
Wire hanging organizer: Marshalls; custom cabinets: KraftMaid; Garden City wallpaper in Putty Rouge: Walnut Wallpaper
She started by lightening up the place. The color she chose for the custom cabinets — an off-white shade of canvas — lifted the look of the entire room. “This color is a great alternative, bright neutral color if you can’t or don’t want to use pure white in a space,” Mayhall says. Finally, she added pendant lights to make the room even brighter and more inviting.
This busy room is narrow, so Mayhall chose custom cabinets to maximize the space. She removed the rarely used sink and then used all the vertical space along one wall by bringing in custom-built cabinets from KraftMaid. The doors below the folding counter are actually pullout laundry baskets, which hide any dirty laundry that is waiting to be washed. And the McFaddens often host get-togethers with family and friends, so the adjustable shelving in the cabinets allow them to neatly store their serving, cooking and decorating tools when not in use.
Originally, Mayhall had planned to use a butcher-block countertop for the folding area, to the left of the washer and dryer. She wanted a rustic look, but she soon found that butcher block was way out of the project’s budget. Her Plan B was to have her handy husband make a butcher-block countertop from scratch. It soon became clear that even DIY butcher-block countertops were still expensive and not easy to make. Finally, Plan C: Mayhall found a beautiful wooden countertop from KraftMaid that looked slightly aged and was priced just right.
“Don’t panic if everything doesn’t come together as planned,” Mayhall says. “Sometimes the unexpected changes will bring about something better than what you originally planned.”
The wallpaper on the wall behind the folding counter completes the lightness of the room. The feather pattern also adds the fun element that the family wanted for the space.
Wire hanging organizer: Marshalls; custom cabinets: KraftMaid; Garden City wallpaper in Putty Rouge: Walnut Wallpaper
One complaint the homeowners had with their former setup was that they had to constantly bend over to load and unload the laundry, so Mayhall elevated both appliances. Sounds like a simple solution, right? Well, the process was much more involved than expected.
Contractor Mark Fredricksen helped with the logistics of elevating these large appliances. First, to have easy access to the water’s shut-off valve, they had to relocate it to the basement. Second, they had to make sure the custom-made cabinetry would fit around the washer and dryer. Mayhall, when designing, also left a few inches around the appliances, which will be helpful if they ever need to be moved or replaced. Lastly, the team had to prepare for possible leaks. Because this is a high-traffic area of the house, the family was not worried about undetected ones. Just in case, though, the storage under the washer and dryer is not attached to the rest of the cabinets, making replacement easy if it gets damaged.
With the exterior door being a popular place to come and go, the designer had to make sure the washer and dryer would not be in the way. Luckily, Marin says it has never been a problem because the machines are located in roughly the same spot as they were before the remodel. Marin says the family members simply close one to use the other. Easy as that.
Capiz Lotus pendant shades: Cost Plus World Market; floor runner: Amazon; Natural Linen wall paint: Sherwin-Williams; front-loading washer and dryer: homeowners’ own
Contractor Mark Fredricksen helped with the logistics of elevating these large appliances. First, to have easy access to the water’s shut-off valve, they had to relocate it to the basement. Second, they had to make sure the custom-made cabinetry would fit around the washer and dryer. Mayhall, when designing, also left a few inches around the appliances, which will be helpful if they ever need to be moved or replaced. Lastly, the team had to prepare for possible leaks. Because this is a high-traffic area of the house, the family was not worried about undetected ones. Just in case, though, the storage under the washer and dryer is not attached to the rest of the cabinets, making replacement easy if it gets damaged.
With the exterior door being a popular place to come and go, the designer had to make sure the washer and dryer would not be in the way. Luckily, Marin says it has never been a problem because the machines are located in roughly the same spot as they were before the remodel. Marin says the family members simply close one to use the other. Easy as that.
Capiz Lotus pendant shades: Cost Plus World Market; floor runner: Amazon; Natural Linen wall paint: Sherwin-Williams; front-loading washer and dryer: homeowners’ own
Another design element Mayhall used for this room was layering. She chose to use wood tones because they added dimension to this airy space, mimicked the adjacent kitchen’s style and completed the rustic design of the whole house. The wooden frame of the mirror was even stained to match.
The room is now so neat and tidy that the kids end up doing homework on the folding counter, Marin says. Why not? They can hang up their backpacks, finish their homework and then repack their bags to be ready for the next morning. Plus, the counter acts as a phone charging station for anyone hanging out in the room.
Another benefit to having your laundry room right inside your home’s main entrance is that kids can easily deposit dirty clothes and shoes before running through the rest of the house.
Mirror: Hobby Lobby
The room is now so neat and tidy that the kids end up doing homework on the folding counter, Marin says. Why not? They can hang up their backpacks, finish their homework and then repack their bags to be ready for the next morning. Plus, the counter acts as a phone charging station for anyone hanging out in the room.
Another benefit to having your laundry room right inside your home’s main entrance is that kids can easily deposit dirty clothes and shoes before running through the rest of the house.
Mirror: Hobby Lobby
The side opposite the cabinets acts as a closet for the family. The McFaddens keep their shoes on the main level to make coming and going easier. The stacked basket organizer keeps the room cleaner while still allowing them to store the shoes near the door. The wall hooks are great for backpacks, coats, scarves and hats, and again, they organize everything neatly in one place.
Mudroom hooks: Anthropologie; storage baskets: Marshalls
General contractor: Mark Frederiksen at Timeless Custom Design
Cabinet glazer: Gayle Hixson at Studio 117
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Mudroom hooks: Anthropologie; storage baskets: Marshalls
General contractor: Mark Frederiksen at Timeless Custom Design
Cabinet glazer: Gayle Hixson at Studio 117
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Thank you for sharing the square footage of the laundry room. Would you share the specific dimensions! Looks so great for a narrow laundry room!
For those who have experienced washer breakdown when the water intake didn't automatically turn off - well, I've BTDT several times. Now, I try to be home when I do the laundry in case something happens, but then a few years ago, I was home in my office when I notice water creeping across the floor. I immediately went to the laundry area where there was about an inch of water all through a good portion of the house. I shut off the valve. Because my floor was concrete aka patterned foundation, I had no real damage and used my shop vac to suck up all the water.
With my cottage in the woods project I am a bit concerned over water breakdown, so I'm having a linear drain system put in to catch water flow plus an alarm. Easy to put in and not that expensive when one is building. Not sure about costs in a renovation.
i'm just discovering this story after it's been posted for several years! just wanted to note: i LOVE that the utility room has been elevated to the status of kitchen, with an emphasis on flow and comfort, high quality appliances and usefulness. i'm in the beginning stages of a renovation with one of the main obstacles being a kitchen with a back door to the garage, which just makes me crazy. tracking in gunk through the garage, the vehicle exhaust coming in to the kitchen...so i'm gathering items for addressing this, and your project is very helpful!