Years ago, each area of the home had its own room. The kitchen was closed off from the dining area, the living room was secluded, but now the living style is almost like a loft minus the open bedrooms. The way we live has become very multipurpose, not only is the kitchen a place to prepare a meal, but it is also where we eat, work, and within steps watch a movie. The possibilities are endless for making any room multipurpose, even unexpected rooms like the laundry room and pantry! These once back of mind spaces are getting a major upgrade. 

The pantry, a small room or closet off the kitchen that houses food items and maybe a cookie sheet or two. Not anymore, the pantry has gotten a major multipurpose upgrade in recent years going from food storage to practically a small kitchen. Today’s pantries feature a small sink, cabinets and counter space, coffee bars, you name it! Pantries have replaced the traditional china cabinet by allocating space for dining ware that is not typically used daily. Now, let’s talk about how food is stored in the modern-day pantry, everything is either labeled or in a jar or basket. Pantries have morphed into an organized, stylish and very efficient “room” in the home.

This room has become much more than just a household chore, the laundry room is one of the most multi-functional rooms in a home. The laundry room has transformed into a stylish space full of storage for everyday tasks. A mudroom is the perfect and most seamless transition to add to a laundry room. A mudroom and laundry room are often off the garage or the point of entry into a home making it a great drop off area for kid’s sports equipment, backpacks, etc. An increasingly popular trend is incorporating pets in areas of the home. The laundry room is the ideal area to store everything for a pet from beds, food, and even a pet bathing area! Lastly, not only could a laundry room be used for a ton of extra storage, it can be used for other multipurpose areas such a craft room or wrapping station.

The possibilities seem endless for these once never thought about spaces. These spaces are just as important as the rest of the home in terms of style and functionality. The best characteristic of pantries and laundry rooms as they become larger rooms in the home, each homeowner has more opportunity to personalize the functions of these once never thought about spaces.

The laundry room takes a lot, it cleans an entire household of clothes, it’s pet storage, it’s where clothes are dried and hung and it can be much more from home to home.

With all the use the laundry room endures, it deserves some attention to detail from time to time. Since laundry room size varies drastically it may sometimes be difficult to make major changes to the space, but there are plenty of ways to increase storage and design in both large and small spaces.

Bold and Bright Cabinetry

One amazing way to make laundry a little less drab is installing brightly colored cabinetry. One of the best aspects of a laundry room is it does not have to “match” the rest of the home. Since it’s such a personal space, and house company typically will not be meandering into the laundry room, go crazy with the cabinetry. Get the royal blue cabinetry you’ve always wanted. If a ton of bright cabinetry is not your style, install some accent cabinets paired with neutral cabinets for a bright look but not an overload on the eyes.

Built in Accessories

It seems like what makes a room fun is the hidden gems within it. There are many fun extras to add to a laundry room such as pet accessories! Dogs are part of the family and if space allows, why not add a built-in dog shower or built in eating and water bowls for the pups! Another accessory that may be overlooked is installing drying racks for the delicate clothing that must be hung up. Lastly, if making the laundry room dual purpose is the goal, installing a bench with hooks and cubbies make for the perfect “mudroom” area.

Go Contemporary

Any size laundry room can be impeccably organized and going entirely contemporary with cabinetry and finishes will make it feel less like a laundry room. The beautiful stream line style gives the space the look of a pantry rather than a high traffic work area. For a big impact of contemporary chic, sapele ribbon cabinet doors are very sleek and can store anything from large laundry baskets to a built-in ironing board. A way to keep the laundry room looking sleek and contemporary is by concealing the washer and dryer within cabinetry.

Make it Clean

In efforts to keep the land of cleaning organized and tidy, adding an island to the mix provides more counter space for folding and more storage. Another important feature of a laundry room is a large sink. It will surely come in handy and a farm sink just looks gorgeous! Lastly, if you are tight on space, adding beautiful metallic racks between the washer and dryer with a couple baskets to hide the clutter would work wonders. To dress up the racks, consider a rose gold finish and add some accessories for a stylish look.

They say everyone has something to hide, but not always in the way you might think. Some want to hide their prized possessions, jewelry, documents or even secrets of being a pack rat. Cue the James Bond secret room! Secret rooms are becoming increasingly popular in homes of any size.

These rooms can be placed practically anywhere in a home, but there are a few things you need to know before secretly installing one. Such as where you plan on installing the doorway. An already existing doorway is always best, but creating a doorway is far from impossible, it’ll just cost more in labor and materials.

Some common ways to make the doorway secretive is by installing a book case (this is most popular) or a floor to ceiling mural, a large framed mirror, anything that will make it seem it is supposed to be there. A bookcase is the most popular because most people will assume that it is a built-in bookcase and of course it provided extra storage making it dual purpose with style.

But, the real question is, why do people install secret rooms and why is the most popular option a book case door? The quick answer to both questions are because they are just cool and unique. How many homes have you been that had a revolving book case as an entry to another room? While having secret rooms are extremely popular for storing firearms and other self-defense and survival supplies, they are also used for more practical purposes. Such as, entering the man cave, child’s play room, or home theater in Bond style with a bookcase door.

Basically, if you have the opportunity to install a book case door into a secret room or an existing room, do it! It’s an aspect that is unique to a home and it will be more than likely unique to every home. Secret rooms are perfect for storage of precious items or just a cool way to sneak into a special area of the home.

If you have the opportunity to work from home, you have so many more advantages than just working in comfortable shoes. You can make your home office whatever you want to make it. It should be an inspiring space that promotes creativity and productivity, a place that makes you excited about the work day. But sometimes, with all that an office needs to function, it can become, well, just like your traditional cubical.

With the excitement of a blank office canvas, the possibilities are endless in creating the perfect work place that will get the productive juices flowing. The following are some ideas in creating a home office worth staying home for.

Hide the Unappealing Technology

We understand that functionality is important, but that fax machine may not be the most pleasing the eye. If you happen to be installing custom cabinetry, designate an area where the unsightly office appliances can go. That way, you still have access to them but they’re out of sight. Or if you can afford to rid your space of these sort of supplies, throw them away or get a new, sleek replacement.

Introduce Art, Family Photos or Aspiration Motivation

This suggestion may seem like a no brainer, to add images around your work space that make you happy. By adding art work whether in the form of photo, painting or sculpture, promotes creativity. Add some family photos and images of the places you aspire to go one day, because these are the things that make us happy and work hard.

Bring Nature in

On those high stress work days, having plants in your work space will create a calming sensation. The plant can be real or fake. If it is real, be sure to follow the directions of care or get a low maintenance plant. Orchids are beautiful and relatively low maintenance.

Aroma Work Therapy 

Another soothing aspect to add for those extra stressful work days are candles and aroma oil diffusers. Scents like lavender and jasmine are calming related scents. While the smell of lemon promotes concentration and rosemary for memory retention.

These are small changes you can make to your in-home work space that will enhance the experience of working from home, just in case those slippers were not enough!

Already 5 months into 2017, it is evident what is important to home owners and prospective homeowners. Yes, an updated kitchen or bathroom is still high on the list, but increasingly, so are the areas that remain unseen by house guests.

Places such as closets, pantries, and the new crowd pleaser, the mudroom. The mudroom has quickly become one of the most desirable features of a home for both the seller and the buyer, because it is bringing much success to the seller and provides storage and a designated loading zone for the buyer, especially if they have children.

But what does make a mudroom so appealing? Imagine this oh so often occurrence: you’re rushing out the door to get the kids to school and yourself to work, but as soon as you have all the kids buckled in, you notice your little one is missing a shoe. It is now your job to search the house for the missing shoe or get a new pair entirely. Wouldn’t it have been easier to quickly check the loading zone, aka, the mudroom where all family footwear is stored? Or if a bustling family isn’t your situation, a mudroom is a life saver because after a long day of work, life is much better when you can just drop everything in the designated area and not have to worry about it until the following morning.

It is one of those nicely added upgrades that will work wonders while living in the home and when putting the house on the market because it provides great resale value. Now, the question is, where is the best place to install one? The most obvious placement is near the main entry of the home. This could be the front door of the garage, but if you’d like to keep the front door neat and clean for guests, the garage or within the laundry room make great spaces for the all-important mudroom.