While the process of sorting, washing, drying, folding, and hanging clothes is often dull, the dedicated space in your home to do this chore doesn’t need to be. In recent years, there’s been a trend to make laundry rooms more fun and functional.

And this trend makes sense. Not only is the laundry room a space that many homeowners—especially parents—spend quite a bit of time in, but it’s typically a relatively small space, giving homeowners a boost in bravery when it comes to applying bold design elements.

If you’re in the drafting and design phases of a semi-custom or custom LifeStyle home, we encourage you to think through how your laundry room can best serve you and your family. And if you need a little help to get started, here are four laundry room ideas that are gaining in popularity.

1.Cabinetry and Storage Solutions. The laundry room is an ideal place to invest in cabinetry solutions that make the task of doing laundry a bit easier. For example, an ironing station can be built into custom cabinetry, or even just wall mounted behind a cabinet door. Rods installed in between cabinets can be used to hang shirts, blouses, and other items. Open shelving installed over or near the washer and dryer allows for quick access to detergents and fabric softeners. And of course, ample countertop space with cabinets underneath, or even a centered island, offers a perfect place to fold clothes.

2.Bold and Beautiful Design Elements. The laundry room has emerged as a haven for creativity and novel design trends. Because it’s typically smaller and more private relative to the kitchen, it’s the perfect space to get bold without a major commitment. The ways in which homeowners are jazzing up their laundry rooms include design elements like brightly painted cabinetry, decorative wallpaper, avant-garde tile backsplashes installed behind open shelving, patterned encaustic tiles on the floor, fun scones and lighting fixtures, unique handles and pulls, and much more.

3.Mudroom Space. Often, the laundry room will pull double duty, also acting as the home’s mudroom. A mudroom is essentially an area to drop “muddy” shoes, jackets, umbrellas, and backpacks, so the laundry room is a great place to carve out mudroom space.

What’s trending now is an area finished with custom cabinetry or carpentry. Modern mudrooms invite you to sit down and remove your shoes in the designated cubbies underneath, hang accessory items on hooks, and place other items in additional storage spaces above.

Homeowners are having more fun with their mudrooms as well, adding painted shiplap trim work, chalkboard walls, cabinets with locker-style doors, and many other creative design elements.

4.Sophisticated Pet Stations. There are very few things many of us love more than our pets. That’s why today’s homeowners are thinking about pet needs when designing their new homes. And the laundry room has landed as a place to cater to pet needs. For example, dedicated dog-washing stations are on the rise. The LifeStyle team even incorporated a dog-washing station into one of our most popular floorplans, the LifeStyle Kauai, which can been seen firsthand at Bent Pine Preserve. For those who don’t want to install a full dog-washing station, homeowners are using deeper and wider laundry tubs. There’s also a trend to add pet food cabinets which pull out to reveal food and water bowls.

If you’re in the process of designing your dream home, or browsing our portfolio of home plans, don’t overlook the laundry room. And when you’re ready to get moving on your dream LifeStyle home, give us a call at (321) 727-8188.