Smart and Stylish Laundry Rooms

Once upon a time, laundry rooms were overlooked and made to be utilitarian only. The typical laundry room had a washer, dryer next to the furnace and a drain in the middle of the concrete. They were also located in some dungeonous part of the basement where only Mom dared to venture. Now they’ve moved to more practical places in the home. For instance, most two-story homes have a laundry room on the second level where all the bedrooms, hence the clothing, is actually located. Makes sense. In one ranch style models you’ll often find the laundry room is also what’s called a mud room or a drop zone. That means it’s a room where you can come in from the garage and drop the items that don’t need to be in the house or need to be laundered, keeping the house organized and free from superfluous sports equipment and uniforms.

Utility and Style

Often you will find cabinetry in laundry rooms, but the latest trends are to have attractive cabinetry not something that’s been recycled from a kitchen renovation. The cabinets will tie your laundry room in with the rest of the house making it look like an intentional space. Putting in a sink is also a great way to rinse muddy items, paint brushes or other things you might not want to put in your kitchen sink. To add a little style to the room that you probably spend more time in daily there are wonderful paint colors to invite your laundry room into the present day. For instance, robin’s egg blue might not be a color you would use on your kitchen cabinets but for a smaller set of cabinets it can really transform the space into a pleasing and brighter place. Add some brushed brass cabinet hardware and voila!

Tile It!

Again, to make your laundry room a place where you don’t mind going, hand painted tile on the floor might be nice. And don’t be afraid to go bold. Beauty and function don’t have to live separately in your home. Tiling a backsplash, which isn’t often done in this room, makes a lot of sense, especially on the wall where your sink resides. It’s practical so that you don’t ruin your walls and if you add countertop to ceiling tile you add a design feature that is also esthetically pleasing. Don’t be afraid to decorate this space. After all, you spend a lot of time there. Why shouldn’t it be pleasant?

Decorate It!

Yes, I said decorate it. As you can see in this photo from a home, I personally designed we added a vase and some artwork. If there is a blank wall, why not put something pretty there. Have a large countertop? Add an artificial plant just to liven it up. There’s no reason why you can spice up the laundry room with a vignette of items. Place them strategically so they don’t get in the way of folding clothing or ironing but do put some out so that this room is part of your house rather than the place no one should go.

Lighting

Gone are the days of stark, florescent lighting in the laundry room. There is absolutely no reason to have lighting that is so bright white, you can see into the future. Do something dramatic and put a hanging light in there. With today’s LED bulbs you’ll still get enough light without getting a sun burn. Try something casual like a wicker shaded hanging light or a flat black metal light as the center piece of the room. If you have a flare for the dramatic and really want to enjoy doing laundry, hang something with a little more bling like a small glass chandelier. I personally have a flare for the bling, so I highly suggest the latter.

To read more blog topics and to find out more about Priority Group go to www.omahaprioritygroup.com

Tile to Make you Smile

In all my years in design I’ve never seen tile as exciting as the tile that is out today. My partnership with Nathan Homes gives me an opportunity to keep up with the latest and greatest and use the most recent styles on a regular basis. There are many tile materials, colors, sizes, shapes, and patterns making it easy to find something to suit each client’s taste. Take a journey with me down this lovely, tiled lane and discover all that is possible.

Antiqued Pattern Tile

This colorful, vibrant and yet a little bit boho tile is my favorite. It’s called Islander and we used an 8-inch by 8-inch size. It really pops even in earth tones. Adding some pattern to your tile design brings fun, interesting, and eye-catching style to any project. It’s the perfect splash to contrast solid colors like we did in our Riviera model bath with solid beige tile on the side walls. Additionally, these tiles are finished in an antiqued surface to make them more appealing and artistic. We found these gems at Floor Source here in Omaha Nebraska.

Marble Look Without the Maintenance

Want to create a custom marble look without the expense of marble? This tile product made in Spain and sold by Omaha based vendor Premier Tile is the ticket. It’s called Conde and not only is it more cost effective but the white with gray veining is rich and elegant. It also doesn’t have the same upkeep as real stone which made it optimal to use in our Organic Modern model to make the master bath shower a spa like experience. We complimented it with octagonal mosaic tile on the floor and high-end fixtures to finish off the space.

Colors and Shapes

This triangle configuration was created with four separate tiles in different gray colors. It’s an accent tile combined with subway tile for a pretty contrast sold by Premier Tile. We chose this geometric design to make our Prairie Zen model Jack and Jill bath stand out as a unique yet stylish design. It matches the Zen yet modern them in this house and is soft despite the hard-edged shapes. The color of course is muted so as not to cause too much chaos and to accent rather than be the center of the bath plan. It pops without overwhelming which is what I was going for in this space.

Want to know more about these models and other new construction? Go to www.omahaprioritygroup.com