The Basement: Laundry Ideas

We should have some walls up in the basement by the end of this week. I'm excited to see the whole basement come together, but I'm especially looking forward to the laundry room. Its going to be a narrow room with no natural light so we'll have to do our best to keep it from feeling like a tiny cave.

Laundry rooms are often the most neglected rooms in the house. When we were house hunting, I can't tell you how many laundry rooms we saw that we were basically machines plunked in unfinished basements, sitting on concrete floors with creepy lighting and no storage or countertops. I don't know why that is. Like, what about that says "clean clothes"? I'd much rather wash my skivvies in a room that has elements like these...

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This room packs it all in - counterspace, a mix of open and closed storage, good symmetry, nice textures, ample natural light and overhead pot lights. I like how they've painted the cabinet fronts a colour similar to the washing machines too.

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This one has a lot of features that were already in my plan - Ikea cabinets, and a rod to hang wet clothes. Counters over the washing machines are also a must.

Is it just me or are you seeing horizontal planking everywhere? I love the look, a little bit beachy, a little bit traditional. Sort of like my basement :) The tongue and groove ceiling is fabulous too. I wonder how that would look in a room that only has 7" ceilings?

Using a graphic wallpaper like this helps to break up all the cabinetry. Since our laundry room will also house our pantry and linens, we'll need a lot of closed storage. Pattern like this can help the room feel less heavy.

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HandyMan says he wants a TV in the laundry room. If it gets him to do the laundry, then I'm all for it ;)

What does your laundry room look like? Scary or sublime?