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LAUNDRY: OUT OF THE CLOSET

With the average family doing 8 to 10 loads per week, laundering has earned a room of its own.

by Deborah J. Carr

The laundry room is fast becoming the next must-have room. Traditionally it has been one of the worst planned areas of the house, with appliances hooked up in a basement or crowded into closets, corners and smallish, uninspired rooms. With little thought devoted to space requirement relative to task—and no thought given to ambience—it is no wonder that doing laundry seemed boring, frustrating and repetitive. The surge in remodeling and the “cocoon” boom have focused attention on this overlooked but important room.

Until recently, the addition of a laundry room has been a footnote to larger, more glamorous remodeling projects (kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom, for example). Minor concessions were made to the laundry’s importance, perhaps liberating it from the basement to the garage or a larger closet-size space. With the average family doing a minimum of eight to 10 loads per week, laundering has become an activity that deserves a room of its own.

The growing interest in the laundry room—also referred to as the laundry “center” or “family studio”—may reflect a convergence of lifestyle needs, architectural awareness, home-design sophistication and technological advances, as well as health, safety, convenience and comfort concerns. Many homeowners are remodeling with an eye to “aging in place.” Because they hope to remain in their homes as long as possible, they want a laundry room that’s accessible, convenient, comfortable and multi-purpose. Lugging laundry up and down stairs is a definite negative for most homeowners; limited space for sorting, ironing and drying is a constant annoyance.

THE NEW LAUNDRY ROOM
The new laundry room bears scant resemblance to the damp, dark, dumping ground where unclaimed clothes remained in scattered heaps. The new laundry room is consistent with the current preference for quality amenities, such as top-of-the line materials, state-of-the-art appliances and luxury appointments. The laundry room is assuming the style and décor of surrounding rooms, with coordinating features such as durable but elegant flooring, granite countertops and custom-designed closets and cabinetry.

When Mike and Arlene Whelan remodeled the kitchen in their South Yarmouth home, they decided to include the laundry room in their renovation. The once under-used space has been transformed into a stylish and functional room that provides all the amenities of the new, more highly conceived laundry center.
“I wanted extra storage and convenience,” says Arlene, “a place to fold laundry and to iron. And with the pool, I needed storage for towels and suntan lotion.”
Along with a Formica countertop for folding laundry, there is a desk/office niche, where Arlene pays bills and writes letters. In addition to the wall fitted with washer and dryer, there is a broom closet, built-in ironing board, extensive storage cabinets and slide-out wall pantry. A back-up refrigerator is an added plus for entertaining needs. The room reprises the same quality craftsmanship and detail in the flooring, lighting and countertop surfaces as the adjacent powder room and kitchen.

In addition to the functional accoutrements associated with the laundry process (standard detergents, as well as the new boutique detergents and aromatherapy offerings), the new laundry room may include a flat-screen TV, sound system, comfortable armchair, desk and/or computer. The new laundry room is a comfortable place to sit, relax, sift through mail, read a book or exercise while waiting for the cycles to run.

The laundry room is best removed from high-traffic areas, but it should remain close to the main activity areas of the house. Some homeowners choose to place the laundry room near the largest source of dirty clothes, which in many homes would be the bedrooms. A preferred location for a laundry room is close to the kitchen. With the close proximity to the kitchen, the laundry room can serve other functions (storage, work station, mail drop).

The laundry may generate humidity, dust, lint or vapors from cleaning solutions, so the room should be properly ventilated. Storage of some foods might not be appropriate for the laundry environment. Because appliances are upgraded constantly, the room should allow extra space for new installations.

For those who realize the demands and joys of keeping house, the laundry room symbolizes cleanliness, order, regularity and ritual. When properly appointed, it is a room that encourages health and safety. It can become a place to retreat and relax while contemplating the relief of having the space to do what needs to be done.