HOW TO HAVE THE UTILITY ROOM OF YOUR DREAMS

For what tends to be one of the proportionately smallest rooms in the house, a utility room benefits from a disproportionate amount of planning!

Installing a utility room from scratch is a rewarding project but there are several fundamental things to think about before you start. Take a look below at some of the utility room ideas we have come across or designed at Falchi Interiors.

Space: The first consideration is how much space you have. Over the last decade and in conjunction with the introduction of open plan living, laundry equipment tends to have moved out of the kitchen. While a room dedicated to the purpose is a lovely thing, as long as you have access to plumbing and drainage, your utility area can be as small as a cupboard housing washing machine and tumble dryer. It could also be housed in another room in the house, combined with for example, exercise space, a spare bedroom, a home office or a boot room.

Practical use of limited space

Location: Another common assumption is that the utility room aka laundry room, has to be on the ground floor, but without being too personal, where do you store your dirty washing? Where are you going to do your ironing? It may be that you have a small bedroom adjoining the bathroom that could do the job. Even a large landing and cupboard could serve the purpose. “I came to the realisation that I was carrying laundry up and down the stairs unnecessarily several years ago,” says Marion Falchi, our founder. “Now I have the washing machine and tumble dryer set up in the family bathroom.”

Function: What do you want your utility room to do? This sounds like an obvious question but apart from housing the washing machine and tumble dryer, will you want to iron in the space? Will you be cleaning up muddy paw prints? Will you want storage for cleaning products, vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners? “When I extended the ground floor of my house, the utility room was an afterthought,” says Jaki Willson, our office manager. “Consequently, while it has all the services I need, there’s not enough floor space to swing the proverbial cat, let alone get the ironing board out and do the ironing.”

Ambiance: You want to love this space rather than loathe it, so take some time to think about the décor, choosing finishes that bring pleasure to this utilitarian space. Be sure the flooring is practical: if this room is going to double up for washing muddy paws or walking boots, you need a surface that is easy to clean. It is quite possible that your utility room may end up in the interior of your home without a window of its own, in which case good lighting and ventilation are essential. As well as good lighting, fit LED strips in cupboards, alcoves and above shelves and use mirrors to make the room feel lighter and larger. Although it may not have a window it will certainly need an extractor and preferably one that has a duct to the exterior. Don’t fall into the trap of putting everything behind cupboard doors. Open shelving gives a sense of space, looks attractive and can be used for laundry baskets, recycling boxes and so on.

Love it or loathe it? You’d want to spend time in this room

Kitting it out: If space is an issue and you have a small utility room, stack your washing machine and tumble dryer, either using a shelf between them or consulting with the supplier to ensure they are stackable or whether there is a special piece of equipment to enable you to stack them. Similarly, take cupboards up to the ceiling, using the top storage for things used infrequently. Use wall hanging for ironboards and vacuum cleaners. One sink is pretty essential, two very useful. If possible include somewhere to hang and dry clothe: a cupboard with a thermostatically controlled heater will become indispensable. If space is at a premium, avoid dryers that take up floorspace and try, instead, a flip down wall rack, under-mounted hanging rails, a pulley rail or even hooks on the wall. Finally, a heated towel rail is a great idea as it can double up for drying the smalls.