Laundry Room

Helpful Laundry Room Storage Ideas and Solutions

The toughest item to store in a laundry room is the ironing board. Luckily there are a number of ways to store it out of the way. You can even eliminate having to wrestle with it every time you need to use it. This post goes over a list of laundry room storage ideas, from using your draws as drying racks, to how good looking storage containers can help style your space.

Ironing Boards

You kind of need to wrestle ironing boards to get them open and to close them up again. A good way to get rid of this problem is to either fit a fold out ironing board in a draw, or have an ironing board that folds down from a wall. For pictures and more ideas on how to store your ironing board, have a look at my post here: Wrestling With Your Ironing Board: Ideas on How To Store It and Hide It.

Simple and Inventive Storage Ideas

Draws: Fitting storage pieces into draws makes everything so much more convenient. Doing this also helps create a clean look in your laundry space, since it can all be hidden away when not in use. Above I mentioned how you can fit a fold out ironing board into a draw. Picture (5) shows a dryer rack that pulls out, picture (6) shows laundry hampers that can be stored away into cabinets, and picture (7) shows a handy pull out shelf that helps with sorting clothes out before they go in the washer.
Railing: See if you can fit a railing to hang clothes on. This railing can be fitted in between cabinets, hung on the wall, or have it hanging down from the ceiling. You could go with a standard steel piece for your railing. Or more decorative options include a copper pipe, or how about a long branch for a more DIY rustic look.
A Line: Have a look at the laundry room in picture (2) and you can see that a simple laundry line has been put up. Use it with pegs to hang up delicates.
On the Inside: The inside of closet and cabinet doors can be modified for extra storage space. The doors can be fitted with hooks, railings, and baskets to store items.
Hooks: Simple hooks can be fitted to the walls to hang up towels, jackets, etc.
Wall Cabinets: Built in cabinets would be the best way of creating storage in a laundry room – since they make the best use of your space and are designed to blend in with your room. But hanging up a simple wall unit is another way to create wall storage and hide supplies away just like in picture (4).
Going Portable: The rolling cart in picture (5) is a good storage solution if you have a small laundry room. This can be rolled out when it is needed, and stored away (say under a counter) out of sight when not in use.

Good Looking Pieces

If you need to store things out in the open, then look to get good looking storage pieces. This way they will also act as decor pieces for the room. Have a look at the wire basket in picture (1).

Other good looking laundry room storage solutions include: wicker baskets, wooden crates, glass jars, a set of matching containers, enamel pieces, and copper/galvanized buckets.

Replace the packaging of your store bought laundry supplies. Supplies such as detergent can be poured out into a good looking container (say a glass jar), and can then be stored out in the open – adding to the style of the space.

Here are some other laundry room posts to get more ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

May 31, 2016 in Laundry Room, Storage

Wrestling With Your Ironing Board: Ideas on How To Store It and Hide It

Ironing boards can be quite a hassle, having to wrestle them open then close them up again – then shove them out of the way. Plus they can be a bit of an eye sore. So here are some ironing board storage ideas that can make your life just a little bit easier:

Fit a hook, rack, or ironing board hanger on a wall (7) or on the inside of a closet (just like in picture (2)) or cabinet
It is big pain to have to unfold and fold up an ironing board. Some ways to get around this hassle is to fit a fold up ironing board in a draw so you can just pull it out (1).
Or how about fitting an ironing board to a wall so that it simply flips down, and latches back up
You can also get racks that hang over your door, not just to store the ironing board (9), but so it can fold down for you to use while it is still attached to the door – just like in picture (8).
You can hang up a tall canvas piece, framed painting, or framed mirror. Hang this up using hinges so that you can open it out (sideways) and hide the ironing board behind it.
A wall cabinet can be fitted to a wall to store your iron, ironing board, and cleaning products. You can always fit the ironing board so it flips out ready for use – just like the cabinets in pictures (5) and (6)
Or how about a creating a built in storage unit – just like the one in picture (4)
Another creative idea is to fit an ironing board to a cart. Your ironing board becomes portable, and you have storage space under it (3)

Here are some other posts to get more storage and laundry room ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

May 28, 2016 in Laundry Room, Storage

Style Guide: Modern Laundry Room Ideas and Storage Tips

A modern laundry room is going to be a clean and fresh looking space, just like how you want your laundry to come out. This post on modern laundry room ideas and design tips will show you how to design your space to make it look good, and show you how to make the most of the space with the right storage ideas.

The Right Color Palette

From the pictures in the mood board above you can see that most modern laundry rooms are white. A white color palette gives a fresh, clean look to the space. Black and grey are some other color options to consider, just like the laundry rooms in pictures (4) and (6).

How To Add Some Warmth

If you do pick a white or light grey color palette for your laundry room, you will want to add some warmth to the space, otherwise it can look a bit sterile. Infusing natural materials is one way to do this. Wicker baskets (1), a wooden backsplash (2), wooden cabinets (3), and adding some plants (5) are some ideas.

Modern Storage Ideas

Any room in a modern house will be clutter free and look sleek. In the laundry room this means storing everything out of sight. You’ll want to put as much as possible inside of cabinets, with very little stored out in the open.

Hide away the ironing board by hanging it inside a tall cabinet
Or have a fold out ironing board fitted into a draw, just like in picture (8)
Have a look at the clever pull out modern laundry hamper draws in picture (7)

For more ideas and for some photos on how to store your ironing board, have a look at my post here: Wrestling With Your Ironing Board: Ideas on How To Store It and Hide It.

If you need to store things out in the open, then look for good looking storage containers. Matching containers work best. Have a look at the wicker baskets in picture (1) or the matching plastic containers in picture (3).

Helpful Laundry Room Storage Ideas and Solutions

Try and fit in as much counter space as you can, along with a sink. A railing can also be a useful thing to have in a laundry room to hang up clothes – just like the laundry rooms in pictures (2) and (5).

Good Looking Cabinets

Built in cabinets are the way to go to create a modern looking laundry room. And take advantage of the height in your space, and build storage from the floor to the ceiling.

To create a modern looking laundry room, you’re going to want to make sure you have the right look when it comes to your cabinet doors since they take up a lot of ‘visual space’.

The most modern look is to not have handles. Since you don’t have anything sticking out, you are left with smooth, sleek surfaces – have a look at pictures (2) and (3) to see what I mean. To do this you can go with doors that push pop to open, or have a groove that act as a handle – just like the cabinets in picture (1).

If you do need to have handles then try and find sleek looking metal ones, seen in pictures (5) and (8).

Design Tips For Modern Closet Doors

4 Design Tips

Modern Lighting: Recessed lights are the way to go in a modern laundry room. The light fixtures are fitted inside of the ceiling, hiding all of the parts, creating a sleek look. And if you have a sink, you might want to bring the light down from the ceiling either by having a pendant light or under cabinet lighting.
Window Treatments: If you have a window that you want to add privacy to, then some modern options include hookless curtains, blinds, or shutters just like in picture (4).
Easy Washing: Have a look at how the washing machine and dryer are elevated in picture (7) making it easier to load and unload them. And the platform doubles as storage space.
Hide Away: If you are putting the laundry area in another room of the house (in the kitchen, or bathroom) then it might be a good idea to store everything (including the washing machine and dryer) inside of a cabinet – just like in picture (6). This way you can hide it all away when it is not in use.

Here are some other posts to get more ideas from:

image credits 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

May 27, 2016 in Laundry Room, Modern

Style Guide: Vintage Laundry Room Decor Ideas

Storage Ideas That Also Decorate a Laundry Room

A lot of the functional things in a laundry room can be doubled as vintage decor pieces. For example, storage containers play a role in the room’s decor. Some containers that work well for a vintage styled room include porcelain enamel metal bowls as seen in picture (2), wire baskets (3), wicker baskets with a vintage patterned fabric or lace lining (4), and glass jars or bottles.

Vintage style fabric can also be used to create a slip cover for the ironing board or to create laundry bags as seen in picture (5). Then there vintage clothing pegs which look amazing (6), as well as a vintage styled hook rack (7).

Furniture and Lighting Ideas

When it comes to furniture pieces like a table, shabby chic wooden furniture with that weathered painted look work best. If you are fitting a sink into the laundry room, a porcelain one will look great – like the one in picture (8). Also in picture 8 you can see a barn light hanging over the sink, a go to style choice (barn lighting) if you are installing light fixtures.

For ideas on how to store your ironing board, have a look at my post here: Wrestling With Your Ironing Board: Ideas on How To Store It and Hide It.

Simple Vintage Decor Ideas

Other vintage laundry room decor ideas to consider include decorative vintage irons (9), vintage signs and clocks, and a metal bucket to use as a trash can. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9