...because home doesn't happen overnight.

 

modern family laundry 1

modern family laundry 5

James and Kristina‘s laundry room is less of a room and more of a hallway that runs between the kitchen and garage.

modern family laundry before

The original laundry room consisted of nothing more than a washer and dryer. James and Kristina were looking to add storage without adding square footage.

modern family laundry

So they built up! James created a platform for a front-loading washer and dryer and took advantage of wall space by installing horizontal wall cabinets from Ikea. (They are a nod to similar cabinets above the kitchen sink.) A laminate countertop provides a surface for laundry detergent and grab-n-go early morning coffee. Keeping the coffee maker in the laundry room frees up counter space in the minimal kitchen.

modern family laundry 4

Kristina is a hair stylist for friends and family and works out of the house so a separate utility sink for washing and rinsing clients’ hair is a must-have. Food and water bowls for the family’s two dogs sit at the base of the sink cabinet. The entire space is tiled in the same porcelain tile as the entry, dining area and kitchen. (Sock feet photobomb.) The wall color is Behr ocean pearl, the same color used in the entry and family room.

It just goes to show that a laundry room needn’t be big (or even a room) to be tidy and functional. I’m especially inspired by how the space flows so well with the rest of the house due to repeated elements like the horizontal wall cabinets, floor tile and paint color. Way to work with whatcha got!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

11 Comments

16.October.2014

I love this house tour! Can we see the rest of the house too?? :)

16.October.2014

Can we see the bedrooms next?!?! This house is gorgeous!

16.October.2014

Wait…so she washes client’s hair in that sink? Over the dog bowls? In a little hallway? Or is the “salon” area in the grage near there? It’s a little odd. It’s a nice laundry area, but the washing of client’s hair thing throws me for a loop. I also wonder about re-staining the doors, since they seem to clash with the more modern wood tones in the spaces.

16.October.2014

The bowls are removed and a chair is pulled up to the sink for clients. Before kids, Kristina used to work in a traditional “salon” but decided to stay home and go back to school after her kids were born. Many of her clients that are also family and friends insisted on following her and asked to continue having their cut / colored / styled. So she does it from home part-time, free of charge. She wanted a sink just for clients – not the kitchen sink or a bathroom tub. It works for her!

16.October.2014

Please, please, please tell me you know where that amazing sink is from! Great house tour Dana.

16.October.2014

Thank you thank you for this inspiration. I too am a hair dresser. And while I don’t have the desire to every client at home I’ve been jonesing for a better system than the kitchen sink for my family members! This could easily be achieved in my home without taking value away. I am curious however if the clients actually lay back in a chair or if they have to stand & bend over the sink. Again I can’t thank you enough for this inspiration.

17.October.2014

I love the before and afters of this house! Hope we can see more of it!

17.October.2014

Curious about the platform for the washer and dryer. Was it to raise them to a comfortable height for the counter or was there another purpose? Our dryer vent comes from the floor behind the dryer but the vent on the actual dryer is out the back. This prevents us from being able to push the dryer back against the wall. I was wondering if something like that was coming into play here and if anyone had a workaround for me.

17.October.2014

Love to see more. Also, I’d love to know what she uses on her stainless steel appliances; they look so shiny, just fabulous.

18.October.2014

It was just to raise the machines to a more comfortable height.

20.October.2014

Hi,
I love your blog! May I ask where you got those b/w dog bowls? They are cute!

Thanks,
Amy :)