Runny detergent. Lint. That one lost sock. If your laundry room has turned into the junk room, it’s time to make a clean sweep.
Fortunately, there are plenty of companies and products ready to help you achieve a fresh start.
Once relegated to a dark corner of the basement, washers and dryers are now handsome and high-tech enough to occupy more accessible and visible areas of the home. Recently, during a major renovation in a French Normandy-style home in Haddonfield, a laundry room was added directly off the kitchen. While its improved accessibility is a plus, the room has become a high-traffic area, serving as a pass-through to the garage.
Laurie Wolfson, a designer with Wolfson Custom Homes in Woodbury, designed the laundry room to take advantage of its convenient location. And since the South Jersey homeowner is a passionate year-round gardener, Wolfson chose the theme of a French potting shed to make the work room more appealing.
“You see that room constantly,” Wolfson says. “So we wanted it to have a whimsical feel. Laundry is such drudgery. It’s usually just a utilitarian, I’ve-got-to-do-this-darn-job space. With a more pleasant surrounding, you have a better attitude.”
Chiseled limestone floors, rough cabinetry made of lumber reclaimed from the original house, a faux painted closet, stone island and backsplash, and concrete countertops create a rough, older look. Wolfson also added rustic baskets and metal tins to store laundry and supplies.
A stackable, front-loading washer and dryer unit frees up more space. The walls, painted in a neutral, cool shade—Benjamin Moore’s French Canvas—make the 11-by-12-foot space seem much larger.
Adding to the whimsical style is a metal chandelier from Golden Oldies in Gibbstown featuring hand-painted flowers, including hydrangea, a favorite of the homeowner. Since the room has no windows, Wolfson hung an acrylic painting she made herself over the sink to create a fresh focal point.