No matter what your laundry room situation, we have ways to make it more efficient and inviting.

People in most households spend an estimated time of five to seven hours a week in their laundry rooms, yet these spaces are often drab, dull, and uninviting. Make yours part of the home by taking tips from three successful setups. You may find yourself a little less hesitant to do the laundry.

Reconstructing a Laundry Room

Tip 1: Evaluate your laundry room, and ask if a new floor plan is needed. One homeowner was dissatisfied with the efficiency of space in her galley laundry room and adjacent pocket bath. Her solution was to marry the two rooms. Removing one wall created a more functional space. A knee wall offers privacy for the bath while also serving as a shelf for folded laundry.

Tip 2: When rethinking space, evaluate your current appliances. Consider the longevity of your washer and dryer. Today's models conserve energy and time, including dryers that eliminate the need to pretreat laundry and that adjust cycle lengths to compensate for dampness.

Watch Video: Laundry 101

Tip 3: Choose between open or closed storage. Laundry rooms need storage because they often act as a household's drop-off point. Include adequate storage in your planning. Items can be concealed in floor- to-ceiling wall cabinets. Cleaning agents and other accessories are easily accessible in cabinets above the washer and dryer.

Tip 4: Continue your home's decorating scheme into the laundry. Once the wall cabinets were chosen, the homeowner used the rich, natural tones of wood and the warm hue of Laura Ashley Home, Brick 6 in satin. This combination transforms the laundry room into a seamless continuation of the home.

Tip 5: Add ample lighting. The homeowner replaced one fluorescent overhead unit with four recessed lights, bringing a remarkable amount of brightness to the room.

Tip 6: Ceramic tile stands up to high traffic. With damp and dirty clothes in the area, a tile floor was the perfect option for this homeowner. Not only do ceramic tiles offer resistance to damp clothing or towels on the floor, but they also help conceal dirt. Leftover tiles were even used to create the sink's countertop and backsplash, completing the vanity area.

Rough cost estimate for the room shown above: $6,000
Cabinetry: $2,000
Appliances: $1,350
Other Materials: $600
Outside Labor: $2,000
Rough time estimate: 2 weeks