Laundry Room Inspiration

Lately I'm a little obsessed with beautiful, well laid out laundry rooms. My laundry room is one of the hardest working rooms in our house, as it is in most houses. But hardest working doesn't mean that it can't also be a lovely oasis. Check out these pictures for inspiration:

I think of this as the creme de la creme of laundry rooms. The beautifully appointed storage, multiple machines, large table for folding/projects; even the vintage looking glass canisters on the counter above the machines are both beautiful and functional. I LOVE this space.
This is a great example of a laundry in a smaller space. I like the built in look with the counter top and above storage. Not sure I'm a fan of the functionality of the curtains in front of the machine...though it does look pretty.

I love the wall color in this laundry room and the beadboard ceiling. It all comes together to make it feel more like a ROOM instead of just a dumping ground for laundry. And that great vintage sign makes the whole space.

This space just feels happy, owing to the floral curtain and that jaunty striped rug. I'm also partial to the world map on the wall. Again, while storage is important it is equally important to bring objects of beauty and even quirkiness into the laundry area to make it into its own SPACE, to give it its own IDENTITY.

And for our final inspiration picture, I give you this very generously sized room. Can you imagine washing and folding laundry in a room this size? What a beautiful space. Although it is large and well appointed (love the marble topped island) it is a bit devoid of character, in my opinion.

We spend a lot of time caring for our clothing. If your house is set up anything like mine, the laundry room may also act as a pantry of sorts, so food storage and cleaning supplies may be housed in this space as well. Just because the laundry room is a workhorse doesn't mean it can't be beautiful, however.

Take a look at your space today. What can be organized a bit better? What can be beautified? Can a wall be painted a bold color? A rug runner laid down in front of your machines that alters the look of the room? Changing a few things around may make you want to spend a little more time in the laundry room after all :)

Next week I'll bring you a few pictures of my laundry room.