apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm one of the 56.7%, but unfortunately our laundry room is the dumping ground of the house -- basically everything that's on it's way to the attic, garage, or charity ends up there. Plus, being in an area prone to flooding, we have a nasty sump-pump in a corner w/ ugly piping. I'd love to see some realistic high-falutin' ideas to help me get back into favor with the mrs.

I'm sorry. I can't cope with designer laundry rooms unless they are seen from primary living spaces. It's starting get kinda neurotic. Organized I can dig, but designed?

I sort of get it. There aren't too many people who *enjoy* doing their wash, so why not make the laundry room someplace that you don't mind going to. Laundry rooms now frequently appear on living floors, near bedrooms or kitchens, so it just makes sense that they should be designed cohesively with those adjacent spaces with storage and efficient layouts.

My dream come true--heart, heart, heart--there are a lot of things I can live without, but a laundry room with a drawer or "closet" for hanging dainties is to die for. ;D Of course, with a room like this, I'd have to throw out the rest of my place.

Obviously no McMansion is complete without it's custom McLaundry room. It helps to keep the McMaids happy.

Oh, that laundry room is so pretty! I rent and my laundry "room" is a corner in the basement and there are big gross laundry tubs and cobwebs everywhere. I know it seems excessive but if I had the money to own and the money to make it pretty I would. I don't know about hiring a designer though, probably could figure it out on my own.

I'm just lucky if there isn't a homeless man taking my clothes out of the dryer and trying them on.

Designer laundry rooms? So, so, so, so, so, very stupid, but being LA, people will definitely take the bait.

It makes perfect sense, after all...why else would you buy a pretty blue washer and dryer if you were just going to shove it in some moldy basement.

I'd consider it a luxury just to not have to drag my clothes over to the laundry room, to not worry about what the previous person to use the machines had put in them, and to not wonder if my clothes will be ok if I go back to my apartment to do something else while they're washing/drying. It would be beyond luxury to actually have even a small space to hang the clothes that don't go into the dryer without them festooning my whole apartment. But a television screen? Even folding my usual 4 loads a week (2 people sheets/towels) doesn't take long enough to turn on a TV. Besides, that's one of those chores (like washing the car if you have one and a place to do it) that provides some time for quiet, introspective thinking, planning something...

In the UK it is common for houses to be designed with the laundry in the kitchen area just like you would have a dishwasher or stove. I would hate to have to take my laundry into the kitchen as I tend to associate laundry with mess. These designer laundry rooms have a place for everything. I would never hire a "designer" to build me a functional, pleasant and organized space to do laundry- but I'd gladly do it myself. It's quite a luxury really, and I can imagine it would be any laundry-doers dream. I remember lugging big heavy baskets down three floors to my mothers basement as a child, where it was always cold and had the muggy wetness feeling of the underground. A "designed" (though not "designer") laundry room is easily added to my list of dreams.

Once the laundry room is in the house, isn't lack of design itself a design decision?

Ours isn't "luxury" (it's basically a large closet that also contains shelving), but it's important to me that it be pleasant, organized, color-coordinated, and consistent with the adjacent kitchen. If we had a luxury-level kitchen, I'd probably extend the flooring and cabinetry into the laundry room, just because that's usually the easy way to handle it.

(Of course, I demand that closets be tidy enough to entertain in...)