The Conners; Fuller House; And Just Like That. Like so many of our favorite shows, the laundry room and mudroom are getting a reboot. Gone are the days when these once utilitarian spaces were synonymous with smelly, dingy, and/or a catch-all for discarded stuff. Basic sink basins with faucets with lackluster finishes and functionality—86’d. Cheap, industrial flooring with a little “lipstick on a pig” treatment by a “There is no place like home” door mat—Sayonara. Canned lighting and fluorescent lightbulbs—Well, you get the idea, it’s all “Na, na na nana na na, hey hey, goodbye,” and hello to luxury laundry rooms and mudrooms.
“Luxury laundry rooms and mudrooms are a thing,” said Jake Gartner, CEO and owner of Hammerhead Custom Builders. “Back in the day, the laundry room would get second-tier lighting or flooring, but now they are getting tied into the rest of the house, especially the kitchen.”
“We have noticed our clients are really focusing on their laundry rooms and mudrooms and making them both attractive and functional. Also, because of where we live, we have heard of mudrooms referred to as sand rooms, which we thought was funny,” said Christa Fortney, project administrator and customer liaison of Hammerhead Custom Builders.
Likewise, Shelley Wilkins, owner of S. Wilkins Interior Design, says her clients are looking to freshen up their laundry rooms or mudrooms. “I mean think about it. The laundry room is like Grand Central Station there is so much going on in there. And you might spend two to three hours doing laundry, so of course you want it to be nice.”
Gartner, Fortney and Wilkins proceeded to lay out the trends they are seeing for today’s revamped laundry room and mudroom.
Custom made
The overarching theme for laundry rooms and mudrooms in 2022 is custom made. “Lockers for the kids, window bench seats, folding islands, cabinetry—it’s all custom made these days,” Wilkins said. Gartner agreed. “Everything now is custom built to the homeowner’s specific preferences.”
Cabinetry
With the trend of more custom made room elements, cabinetry takes center stage. Not only are cabinets being built to the client’s specific needs, but people are choosing bolder cabinet colors and nicer hardware. “Laundry rooms are fun. They’re more personal and can reflect the homeowner’s personality,” Wilkins said. “Clients are not just choosing basic white but rather a fun color like navy. The laundry room or mudroom is not a public space like the living room or dining room. You can make it about you and make it colorful,” Fortney said.
Wall colors and wallpaper
As far as wall colors go, Fortney said, “There’s no real change in wall colors. Because we live on the coast, still a lot of blues and whites, but there is a trend away from gray. Browns are back.” Also, she and Wilkins said people are now selecting expensive wallpaper as another way to add color and texture to the room.
Accoutrements
Then you have what Gartner calls accoutrements. Apparently, homeowners have washed their hands of outdated appliances and are taking a new approach to laundry duties. “Ironing boards are passé. People are now doing steam closets and heated towel racks,” Gartner said. “We are also installing gas-powered dryers.”
Countertops and backsplashes
Hammerhead is also putting in more high end countertops and backsplashes. Referring to a recent project Hammerhead completed on Sandhill Crane, Fortney showed a picture of a laundry room with beautiful mosaic tile. “We also have clients that will continue high end countertop materials like quartz or granite to the backsplash,” she said.
Artwork
Many of Wilkins’ interior design clients are choosing artwork. “My clients are choosing nice pieces that make the laundry room or mudroom feel like a true room,” she said.
Flooring
Flooring is another way homeowners can make the laundry room or mudroom not look like an after-thought but rather part of the home’s overall design concept. “One thing to consider is the same flooring throughout. For example, continuing the same wood flooring from the kitchen to the mudroom so that the look is cohesive and continuous,” Fortney said.
Lighting
Similarly, Wilkins said her clients are also livening up their lighting. Agreeing, Gartner said, “No more basic lighting. It is much more upscale. We are seeing ornate lighting, sconces and even chandeliers. We’re installing automated lighting packages with motion detection and night lights that are under the cabinets and are diffused so it gives off a soft light.”
Washer and dryers
Because homeowners want to be efficient and avoid messy mounds of laundry, more people are installing more than one washer and dryer in the laundry room, as well as additional ones in the master closet or upstairs. Also, people are pickier about their appliances. “People like what they like,” Gartner said. “The difference now is, with more custom made cabinetry, we can give people exactly what they want.”
Dog friendly
Dogs are also getting in on the luxury laundry room and mudroom movement. Wilkins is using furniture designers like Bobby McAlpine who designs consoles that include a dog bed and has seen an increase in pet doors. “We have included a lot of dog-washing stations in the laundry room or mudroom as well as custom built dog kennels and feeding stations incorporated into the cabinetry or room,” Fortney said.
Comfort
“Because of COVID, everyone is spending more time at home. People care about comfort. It hasn’t hit Hilton Head yet, per se, but where design is trending is rather than hard edges, you will see rounder design elements—not traditional, but softer in general,” Fortney said. The main take-away is that laundry rooms and mudrooms are no longer a forgotten space. They have value now. People may think of laundry as a chore and something they do not really like to do, but at least it can be a pretty and functional space.”
