Room of the Day: Family Gets Crafty in the Laundry Room

These homeowners knew there would be a lot of laundry in their future. With their two young kids, a baby on the way and plans for more, keeping enough clean clothes on hand surely would be a Herculean task for years to come. Because they were building a new home, they were able to take advantage of a current trend — a laundry room that serves multiple functions. Creating a space where the children could do crafts while the mom sorted and folded was just the answer for how to turn a mundane task into something more significant: more quality time with the kids. Taking all of this into account, interior designer Ashley Winn created a utilitarian space that inspires creativity, functions beautifully and welcomes children.

Photos by Kate Osborne

Room at a Glance: Laundry Room
Who lives here: A young family with 3 children
Location: Alpine, Utah
Size: 196 square feet (18.2 square meters); 14 by 14 feet (4.2 by 4.2 meters)

In this new house, lots of thought went into how the laundry room would function. An orange sliding barn door marks the entry into what can be a fun zone (or that even just feels like one when one’s only activity is folding and ironing). “The door added more color into the adjacent mudroom and marks the laundry room as a kids’ space; it adds an element of surprise and inspires creativity,” Winn says.

Barn door paint: Sunset 6626, Sherwin-Williams


The cabinets are blue and the stools chartreuse for the same reasons — the colors are inviting to children and inspire creativity. Baskets and jars are there to hold ribbons, crayons, markers, glue, stickers and more. While they were empty on photo shoot day, Winn says they now are full of crafting supplies.

As for function, rolling baskets provide plenty of room for the family to keep their laundry sorted.

Paint by Benjamin Moore: Stonington Gray HC-170 (window casing) and White Dove (walls); baskets: The Container Store; light fixtures: Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.




Clever cabinetry allows for the baskets to be rolled in beneath the laundry chute, which is also disguised by a cabinet. Whoever is doing laundry can roll the full bin over to the machines, replace it with an empty bin and use the other two for sorting.

Cement floor tile: Agadir, Cement Tile Shop; backsplash tile: Jeffery Courts 4- by 12-inch Super Glass white tile, The Home Depot; bar pulls and knobs: Emteck


The encaustic tile floor adds pattern and a durable concrete surface.


A sink for stain removal and hand washing is always handy to have next to a washing machine. It’s also a must in a craft room, where little hands inevitably wind up covered in paint and sticky glue.

Countertops: Quartz Reflections 7141, Caesarstone; faucet: Kohler


Chartreuse stools add a playful punch of color. The workspace enjoys views and light from the windows. The cabinets here provide room for craft supplies, gift-wrapping materials, linens and cleaning supplies.


In this area the counter makes a good folding table and gift wrap station. The bins can be removed to turn it into an extra homework station or a grown-up workspace.

Steele canvas laundry bins: Rejuvenation

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