Help me with my laundry room

[ksr5377]

On the left side of my laundry room will be a floor to ceiling cabinet and then the washer and dryer with cabinets above them. I'm not sure what to do on the other side. I have 4 feet. I could do floor to ceiling cabinets, which would make me feel better about storage since my pantry is only an 18" wide cabinet. Or, I could do a base cabinet with a countertop and uppers. My concerns are that I won't have enough storage and that the counter may turn into a catch-all and constantly look messy. There is no door from my kitchen to the laundry room, so anyone in my home can see it and you have to walk through it to use the first floor bathroom. What I like about the counters is that I think it will look nicer(I think the room may feel crowded with all the floor to ceiling cabinets) and then just counters to fold things on! I have never had that and it sounds great!

So, what says the hive? Will I use those counters or will I just carry the clothes next door and fold in front of the TV? I wish I knew, but before this my laundry has always been buried in the basement away from everything.

[Dynamite5]

On the left side of my laundry room will be a floor to ceiling cabinet and then the washer and dryer with cabinets above them. I'm not sure what to do on the other side. I have 4 feet. I could do floor to ceiling cabinets, which would make me feel better about storage since my pantry is only an 18" wide cabinet. Or, I could do a base cabinet with a countertop and uppers. My concerns are that I won't have enough storage and that the counter may turn into a catch-all and constantly look messy. There is no door from my kitchen to the laundry room, so anyone in my home can see it and you have to walk through it to use the first floor bathroom. What I like about the counters is that I think it will look nicer(I think the room may feel crowded with all the floor to ceiling cabinets) and then just counters to fold things on! I have never had that and it sounds great!

So, what says the hive? Will I use those counters or will I just carry the clothes next door and fold in front of the TV? I wish I knew, but before this my laundry has always been buried in the basement away from everything.

I have upper cabinets with a hanging bar below, as I fold/hang everything immediately when taking it out of the dryer.  Underneath the hanging bar sits clothes baskets, where folded clothing goes.  Each person has 1/2 of a basket and puts their own clothing away.  Although there are a few items I walk out of the laundry room to fold on a flat surface, I would not take advantage of a countertop to justify it exclusively for folding.  

 

However, if you need a more pantry, floor to ceiling cabinets make work best.  Can you draw the room in different configurations and think about how you would use it and where things would go in each instance?  For example, what about mail?  Will it get put on the counter in the laundry room?  If you don't have countertops, where will you put mail?  What about cleaning supplies or bigger appliances such as mixer?  Only you really know what you need!  You might also check Pinterest for ideas.

[Sara in AZ]

I tried to post a picture, but my file is too big. My laundry room counter is ridiculous, like piled two feet deep. I don't know what you would do with a counter, but dob't do that!

Edited November 17, 2016 by Sara in AZ

[KatieJ]

I always wanted a folding counter, but I think I'm stuck with the couch/coffe table in front t of the TV method.

So decide if you will fold quickly , and put away whe you are through. (Coffe table method makes me keep,it clean)

Hanging rod is a must for me, whether it's out In the open, or behind doors, I have to have them. Space for an ironing board is also a must for me. Depending how you iron would decide what you install. Quick touch ups in e. Regencies, fold down and away.

Iron all dress shirts needs a full size board with a place to store it.

 

Where do you store your vacuum and brooms? Can they find a new home in your laundry room. Add outlets in a closet for your dust buster.

Do you want a sink for hand rinsing, potting plants?

Space for a garbage can for the lint and tags you cut off new purchases.

Could your counter space double as a gift wrap,station?

Place to store xtra laundry baskets.

Edited November 17, 2016 by KatieinMich

[ksr5377]

I tried to post a picture, but my file is too big. My laundry room counter is ridiculous, like piled two feet deep. I don't know what you would do with a counter, but dob't do that!

 

This is what I am worried about since there is no way to hide the laundry area.  I'm thinking that it would look nicer with a counter - but only if we keep it tidy.  My dream is that it would sit there with a basket for each child, and that I would fold everything right out of the dryer and into the correct basket.  My nightmare is that I would just throw everything onto the counter and we would live off the clean clothes pile, and then scramble to hide all the clean clothes whenever we had company.  So the plus side of no counter is that the floor to ceiling cabinets are cheaper way cheaper than cabinets with quartz counters!

[Um_2_4]

I would do floor to ceiling cabinets. Especially if you have limited storage else where. I want to redo our hall closet (we are in SoCal, so no need for winter gear) into more/better organized storage.

I think the key is to make sure the storage is organized before you start. In other words, think what you need/want to store and label/divide the space and have the right equipment (bins, baskets,boxes, etc) to store it. Just stuffing stuff in there is not helpful.