DESIGN A new spin on laundry rooms
Many such rooms are being designed with beauty and multiple purposes in mind.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Debra Willett Hupman lives in a house most people dream about. It has a large master bedroom, lots of windows and a kitchen that would wow any amateur chef.
But to her, the most appealing feature in this extremely livable house is the sunny laundry room, with a 12-foot cathedral ceiling. Hupman and her husband, Steve, added it two years ago.
"It's absolutely incredible," Debra Hupman said. "I love it."
Considering the average household washes 7.4 loads of laundry per week, and that 88 percent of laundry is done by women, it's not surprising that women such as Hupman are asking for bright, well-equipped laundry rooms.
"Enhanced laundry rooms are quite common in new construction," said Mac Crawford, president of Crawford Builders, which builds about three upscale houses a year and does numerous house renovations.
These decked-out rooms frequently include custom cabinets, a counter for folding, a sink, a built-in ironing board and a closet or racks for hanging clothes.
Growing capacity
When the Hupmans built their house in Lexington nine years ago, their children were little.
"We had no way of knowing how kids' stuff accumulates," she said. "So I had a teeny-tiny laundry room, about 5 by 8."
In the new space, 10 feet by 12 feet, each child has an individual cubby for coats, hats, gloves, shoes, book bags and sports equipment.
"It all stays organized right here," Hupman said. "I don't know how we functioned without these cubbies."
One open cabinet has wicker baskets for dirty clothes; another has wicker baskets for clean, folded clothes. The children can take the baskets to their rooms.
"Normally it's in new construction you find a room like this," said Hupman, an interior designer specializing in kitchens and bathrooms for Creative Kitchen & amp; Bath.
In addition to cubbies, people are adding all kinds of amenities to make laundry rooms more convenient, such as putting the washer and dryer on a platform so users don't have to bend as much, said Tom Padgett, president of Padgett Construction.
Dee Dee Moran has a herniated disk in her back. When she and her husband were building their house, she had architect Tom Wilmes design counters ergonomically correct for her height.
Another convenience Moran requested was metal fronts on each cabinet door in the laundry room, "so I can have magnets and hang things," she said.
Choices of floor
In older houses, the washer and dryer are likely to be found in the basement, but new houses frequently put these essential spaces on the first floor, Crawford said.
Plus, they're bigger than ever, and prettier.
The Hupmans' laundry room is on the main floor between the garage and kitchen.
"Everybody comes in my back door. One of the main things I wanted was for it to be pretty, and not look like a laundry room," Hupman said.
The walls are bright yellow; some cabinets are painted white, others are natural cherry. Pots of spring flowers bloom on the counter.
"It looks more like a kitchen than a laundry room," Hupman said. The room has "practically become an extension of our living space," she said. "We have parties and people go in there."
Moran loves the window with an extra-deep sill. It's not only attractive; it's also a favorite resting spot for the family cat. The gray tile floor looks smart and doesn't show dirt.
The room "works beautifully," she said. "I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Multipurpose rooms
Even when renovating, people are asking for more laundry-room space. Paul Isenhour of Isenhour Custom Builders is renovating a house where the laundry room will be 16 feet by 20 feet.
In addition to a washer and dryer, there are cubbyholes for the ironing board and clothes steamer and a big work table in the center of the room. "They're calling it a projects room," Isenhour said.
Moving in the direction of a multipurpose room is another trend in laundry rooms, Crawford said.
"We see a lot of dual uses. A laundry room will double as the gift wrap center, a potting room or maybe a place to bathe the dogs," he said. "Rarely do I build a laundry room strictly for doing laundry."
When Patty Foster and her husband were designing their 10,000-square-foot house, she did not want "just a utility room."
She ended up with a 10- by-12-foot laundry room with a large closet for clothes, a window and lots of custom cabinets and drawers for storage.
Pocket doors can be closed, hiding the washer and dryer. The front portion of the room then functions as a wet bar with a sink and ample counter space when the Fosters entertain.
Caroline Host's laundry room has a dual identity -- it's also an office. One side has the washer and dryer, the other side a desk, bookshelves, a television hookup, places for files and a computer.
"It's where I do all my paperwork," Host said.