The Dream Laundry Room That Helps a Family Stay Organized
A designer’s own family laundry room checks off her must-haves, including an industrial sink
Morgan Province
January 24, 2019
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
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Photos by Michelle Parsley
Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Sharon and Jeremy Barrett and their three teenagers
Location: Rutherford County, Tennessee
Size: 86 square feet (8 square meters)
Designer: Sharon Barrett, principal designer and owner of Sharon Barrett Interiors
Sharon and Jeremy Barrett have lived in six houses in the past nine years. Along the way, Sharon, a designer, made notes of what did and didn’t work in each home. As the couple built their new (hopefully forever) home, Sharon became her own client as she designed the laundry room of her dreams. She drew out the plans for the room, allowing for enough space to do laundry and crate the dogs while away.
With three teens who go through a few wardrobe changes per day, the Barretts needed a room with enough space to manage the never-ending chore. Sharon wanted to make use of all 86 square feet of the laundry room and created working areas on both sides of it. The washer and dryer sit along one wall, just out of reach of the door. Baskets for dirty laundry, a folding table and sink sit on the opposite side of the room. Drying hooks are mounted on the back wall, and a dog bed is tucked behind the door.
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Laundry Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Sharon and Jeremy Barrett and their three teenagers
Location: Rutherford County, Tennessee
Size: 86 square feet (8 square meters)
Designer: Sharon Barrett, principal designer and owner of Sharon Barrett Interiors
Sharon and Jeremy Barrett have lived in six houses in the past nine years. Along the way, Sharon, a designer, made notes of what did and didn’t work in each home. As the couple built their new (hopefully forever) home, Sharon became her own client as she designed the laundry room of her dreams. She drew out the plans for the room, allowing for enough space to do laundry and crate the dogs while away.
With three teens who go through a few wardrobe changes per day, the Barretts needed a room with enough space to manage the never-ending chore. Sharon wanted to make use of all 86 square feet of the laundry room and created working areas on both sides of it. The washer and dryer sit along one wall, just out of reach of the door. Baskets for dirty laundry, a folding table and sink sit on the opposite side of the room. Drying hooks are mounted on the back wall, and a dog bed is tucked behind the door.
Find rolling laundry hampers in the Houzz Shop
In this room, Sharon referenced transitional, coastal and traditional design styles and worked to mix classic and trendy elements to give the design longevity. Although this is a hardworking room, she used bold patterns to make this a pleasant place in which to spend time.
“The reason these all work together is because of the subtle tie-ins,” she says. The gray in the floor tiles are seen in the wall, the base of the folding table and the grout between subway wall tiles. This same gray color appears throughout the house, tying the entire interior together.
Wood tones in the butcher block countertop, wicker baskets, pendant light and artwork frames add warmth to an otherwise cool palette, Sharon says. The canvas rolling bins below the folding table add an industrial feel to the room.
Since this room is near the house’s side entry and mudroom, it was important to Sharon that the floor be beautiful and functional. The sturdy tile holds up well under traffic, and the pattern hides dirt.
As a busy family of five, the Barretts have created a system for doing laundry. Each person brings their dirty clothes to the room and separates them into whites and colors in the canvas bins across from the washer and dryer. Sharon washes and dries the clothes, but she leaves the rest up to her teens.
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“The reason these all work together is because of the subtle tie-ins,” she says. The gray in the floor tiles are seen in the wall, the base of the folding table and the grout between subway wall tiles. This same gray color appears throughout the house, tying the entire interior together.
Wood tones in the butcher block countertop, wicker baskets, pendant light and artwork frames add warmth to an otherwise cool palette, Sharon says. The canvas rolling bins below the folding table add an industrial feel to the room.
Since this room is near the house’s side entry and mudroom, it was important to Sharon that the floor be beautiful and functional. The sturdy tile holds up well under traffic, and the pattern hides dirt.
As a busy family of five, the Barretts have created a system for doing laundry. Each person brings their dirty clothes to the room and separates them into whites and colors in the canvas bins across from the washer and dryer. Sharon washes and dries the clothes, but she leaves the rest up to her teens.
Shop for tile on Houzz
“When clothes come out of the dryer, I put them in each person’s basket and everyone folds their own clothes,” Sharon says. The baskets sit above the washer and dryer on a shelf, and family members’ names are written on the chalkboard tags so everyone knows which is theirs.
Obviously the room has a machine dryer, but Sharon also made room to air-dry clothes. The hooks to the right of the washer and dryer allow the family space to air-dry items, and for convenience she also keeps a small trash bag on a hook. She says, “It helps to keep the lint dust contained if the disposal spot is close to the dryer.”
Paint: Skimming Stone (walls) and Blackened (trim), Farrow & Ball
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Obviously the room has a machine dryer, but Sharon also made room to air-dry clothes. The hooks to the right of the washer and dryer allow the family space to air-dry items, and for convenience she also keeps a small trash bag on a hook. She says, “It helps to keep the lint dust contained if the disposal spot is close to the dryer.”
Paint: Skimming Stone (walls) and Blackened (trim), Farrow & Ball
Find an interior designer in the Houzz pro directory
Sharon had the sink picked out before the family’s new house was even framed, so she designed the room around this fixture. The family uses the sink to hand-wash laundry, wash up after being outside and fill the dogs’ water bowls.
Initially, Sharon planned to place the sink under a window. However, an expansion on the wall had to be added to support the sink’s pipes. “I moved the sink over to the corner where the protrusion would be less noticeable,” she says.
She had her heart set on using this Kingston Brass wall-mount water faucet, so she had to find a way to make it work despite the new wall thickness. The wall protrusion stops a little above the top of the sink, and the faucet was installed above that. “It all worked out great, but it was a little touch and go for a while,” she says.
Shop for a utility sink for your laundry room
Initially, Sharon planned to place the sink under a window. However, an expansion on the wall had to be added to support the sink’s pipes. “I moved the sink over to the corner where the protrusion would be less noticeable,” she says.
She had her heart set on using this Kingston Brass wall-mount water faucet, so she had to find a way to make it work despite the new wall thickness. The wall protrusion stops a little above the top of the sink, and the faucet was installed above that. “It all worked out great, but it was a little touch and go for a while,” she says.
Shop for a utility sink for your laundry room
Rather than use another bold pattern on the wall, Sharon chose a classic option: inexpensive white subway tile with oyster-colored grout.
Because they were tiling the whole wall, this material choice made the most sense in terms of cost. “I think the whole laundry room wall cost less than $100, but it makes a huge impact on how the room feels,” she says. These same tiles and grout are used in two other rooms in the house, arranged in different patterns. Looking back, Sharon says the design in the laundry room works because the room stays organized and makes the chore of doing laundry tolerable.
“The windows keep the space light and bright, and the view outside makes doing laundry less laborious and more enjoyable,” she says.
Although her husband, Jeremy, is not a full-time contractor, the couple were able to finish this room in about three months. “I’m the idea person and he’s a masterful executioner,” Sharon says, “so it’s a match made in heaven.”
Your turn: Do you use an organization system in your laundry room? Tell us about it in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel the Laundry Room
See laundry room photos for inspiration
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for laundry room products
Because they were tiling the whole wall, this material choice made the most sense in terms of cost. “I think the whole laundry room wall cost less than $100, but it makes a huge impact on how the room feels,” she says. These same tiles and grout are used in two other rooms in the house, arranged in different patterns. Looking back, Sharon says the design in the laundry room works because the room stays organized and makes the chore of doing laundry tolerable.
“The windows keep the space light and bright, and the view outside makes doing laundry less laborious and more enjoyable,” she says.
Although her husband, Jeremy, is not a full-time contractor, the couple were able to finish this room in about three months. “I’m the idea person and he’s a masterful executioner,” Sharon says, “so it’s a match made in heaven.”
Your turn: Do you use an organization system in your laundry room? Tell us about it in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel the Laundry Room
See laundry room photos for inspiration
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for laundry room products
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@jean_f35: It all depends on what you are drying. What you require will be different than the homeowners in the article. BTW, I use hooks as part of my drying solution. It's easy to hang a hanger with a shirt on it from a hook than throw it over a line. That's just an example. I hang my wet raincoat and other coats on a hook. If you have a different system, that's wonderful.
I also had an apartment that had no dryer but a washing machine in the bath. I put all my stuff on hangers and hung them on the shower curtain rod. Things that didn't hang, I hung on hooks. One does what one needs to do to get things done - laundry room or no laundry room. In the meantime - dream away. :)
I love this laundry room. It beats mine by a mile. That folding table is what I really need for mine. I will do that some time. I would have added a drying rack and clothes line across the room because I rarely put my own clothes in the dryer, but that's the only change I would make. I wanted that sink when we put ours in five years ago, but it was too expensive. I still intend to get one like that sometime. Priorities.