If you’re lucky enough to have a space dedicated to your laundry, you know how great that is. The rest of us are silently (but aggressively) waving our fists at you. But having four walls and a door that create a dedicated laundry-doing space doesn’t mean that that space is serving up a whole lot of function for you.
That was the issue for our clients in Project MillOnChelt, or MOC. They had a great dedicated laundry room, but the space wasn’t maximized for storage, organization, or productivity. The room had one wire shelf running above the washer and dryer, and a simple chest holding spare towels, but I knew we could pack a whole lot more style and function into that room.
And here’s the plan for maximized functionality:
For starters, the big goal for Project MOC was creating a folding surface that made it easy to finish the laundry all in one room instead of taking it out of the dryer and then into another room with space to set things down. I built a butcher block countertop that would run above the dryer, and extend over a base cabinet that would go between the washer and dryer. This base cabinet made the most of that available floor space between the laundry units and provided additional square footage for the countertop.
It was also important to help them avoid the dreaded Socks-Behind-The-Dryer, so that space was closed off by creating a waterfall edge that met the countertop, and a top ledge behind the dryer that serves as additional surface space (for easy access to often-used items, or just a shelf for pretty things). The most important thing to consider here was to not build the dryer into the space. If it ever needed to be serviced or replaced, I wouldn’t want to build something that blocked it in, because then they’d have to destroy the countertop to get the dryer out. The ledge and waterfall are one connected piece, but the countertop is separate, and fully removable. There is space above the dryer to allow for the natural movement of the machine when it’s in use, and the countertop rests on a panel leg between the dryer and the wall.
Up above the units, there was so much space to create even more storage and function, so that wire shelf had to go. It just wasn’t an efficient use of such great wall space. Two upper cabinets got added in the corners, providing lots of additional room for extra cleaning supplies, linens, etc. In between the cabinets was the perfect space to add a hanging bar for those clothes that don’t get folded. The wood shelf on top of the bar brings a nice texture to that upper wall while providing additional space for pretties. (Yes, you need pretties in the laundry room. Laundry is much more enjoyable if you have nice stuff to look at while you’re doing it.)
So that’s a lot of added space in this room, but there’s still another wall to jazz up! The wall opposite the washer and dryer is a big expanse, but anything too deep along that wall would make it more challenging to open the front-loading dryer, so it was crucial to keep it skinny. (But remember, that’s no big deal).
A wall mounted shelf is a great spot for small grab-and-go items, and the hooks provide additional hanging storage for towels, swimsuits, and mesh laundry bags. Below that, a special request for shoe storage was met with this cubby system (I couldn’t help but bring in a fun pattern by alternating the painted and wood tones). If you look closely you can also see where we anchored this piece to the wall. With two young boys running around, it was imperative to make sure everything was as safe as possible.
I was so thrilled to be able to pack so many different solutions into a relatively small space, and I can’t wait to see the room completely in use! I always try to pick my favorite part of a project, but it’s hard with this one, the waterfall ledge and countertop are so crisp and beautiful, but I sure love that cubby as well. We’re currently building an amazing new pantry for Project MOC, which will get installed this weekend, and shared soon. Stay tuned for more of our recently completed client projects!
