Brighten Your Loads
10 Tips For A Better Laundry Room

The laundry room is one of the most functional rooms in your home and yet it’s probably the room least considered in terms of look and feel. Considering how many times a week you use it, it’s a shame not to spruce it up in such a way that doing laundry stops feeling like such a chore.

1) Let There Be Light
Most laundry rooms feel like dimly-lit dungeons. Some good lighting, say a fluorescent cloud style, can brighten your load – in more ways than one.

2) True Colours
Summer inspired colours like pale lime green, lavender blue or a mellow yellow help cheer up the room and it off-sets your white laundry cabinets and appliances perfectly.

3) Label, Organize & Declutter
Keep smaller items organized by adding drawer inserts into cabinets or small wicker style baskets onto shelves.

4) Bold Appliances
Consider making a stylish statement if you’re in the market for a new washer and dryer. On top of being energy efficient, they now also come in a variety of designer colours, like “chili red” and “viper silver” with front load access. This new focal-point can take your room from drab to fab in no time.

5) Art Works
In small rooms, artwork shouldn’t be mixed and matched so stick to a singular subject like a grouping of similar themed black and white prints. Or you can hang a series of botanical flower posters. And talk about the perfect place to surround yourself with simply framed family photographs.

6) Hanging Out
Hooks are a great and easy way to keep your floors clothing-clutter free. You can also add a telescopic rod between walls to hang hand washed shirts, nylons or delicate cloths. If you have limited space, try a slide-out wall rack or fold-down valet rod.

7) Mirror, Mirror
If you don’t have a window in your laundry room, create one. Hang a framed mirror with (French door style) trim across the glass to fool the eye into thinking there is one. It’s also a great way to reflect light back into the room.

8) Apothacary Style
Accessorize with panache. Use sturdy glass apothecary jars with lids for your laundry soap powder and clothes pins.

9) Basket Case
You can never have too many laundry baskets – especially of the same make that can stack into each other. Label some baskets Whites (or Lights) and others Darks to help make restocking your wardrobes easier. And if you have kids, label baskets with their names for exactly the same reason.

10) The Beat Goes On
Music can help make any job more enjoyable so consider getting a portable stereo or speakers that you can put your mp3 player into.