Luxe laundry rooms with loads of style

Laundry rooms are more than just your typical rinse and repeat. Over the last decade, these hardworking hideaways have evolved from utilitarian to downright dashing representations of style, function and organizing acumen. Here are some of our favorite multifunctional spaces, from mud rooms and wrapping stations, to crafting centers and doggie domains.

The Little Blue Box

Interior designer: Wendy Black Rodgers
Designed to evoke the timeless luxury of a Tiffany & Co. jewelry box, this robin’s egg-hued cleaning hideaway marries style with function. “The client wanted a respite for laundry and gift wrapping,” Rodgers says. “The challenge was trying to fit everything in the small space and make it functional and charming, but we managed to pull it off.” To warm up the muted blue cabinetry, Rodgers used repurposed brick for the flooring and backsplash. Stainless steel countertops ensure cleanliness and durability, while a pull-down drying rack and wrapping station add extra utility.

Sew Chic

Interior designer: Isabel Dellinger Candelaria
Formerly a garage, this alluring  laundry became a haven for both cleaning clothes—and making them. “Creativity and crafting have always been important to us, especially with three daughters,” says owner Jill Sciarappo. “Having a space to make a mess, yet still look beautiful and inspiring was essential.” The room houses four sewing machines, an area for painting and drawing, an island for cutting fabric and plenty of storage space for yarn, beads and other tools of artistry. White paint provides a clean backdrop for displaying their children’s colorful artwork. “Isabel and her team took a completely boring, utilitarian room and made it a highlight of our house through their choices of color and tile,” Jill concludes. “Instead of being embarrassed and closing off the space, we are proud to leave the door open.”

Prints Charming

Interior designer: Sherry Engle
The defining feature of this dusky, charcoal-hued space is the dramatic wallcovering. “We wanted to create something a little moody and different from a typical laundry room,” Engle says, “a place that felt special and just as beautiful as the rest of the spaces in the home.” Warm rift-cut modern oak cabinets, flush mount light fixtures and concrete floors complete the look.

Elegant Enclave

Interior designer: Alex Stark and Elina Daugstrup
“When you walk into this space, you don’t feel like ‘Oh, I’m in the laundry room,’” says Alex’s husband, Rick Stark, of their historic home refresh. A center island with quartz countertops surrounded by windows and plenty of additional surfaces and storage makes it feel more like a kitchen than a cleaning room. “I spend a lot of time here because it’s everything to me,” Alex explains. “It’s an office, it’s an arts-and-crafts area for our grandkids. And the light is wonderful with windows on all three sides.” Cabinets are festooned in Alex’s favorite hue, blue, which she says engenders feelings of happiness. 

The Spanish Rose

Interior designer: Jaimee Rose
In keeping with the main house’s old hacienda vibes, this laundry room blends a bright, fresh aesthetic with traditional Spanish embellishments. “The original home had lots of warm wood tones and terra cotta tile,” Rose says. “We brought those elements into this room by incorporating a handcrafted copper faucet from Romania and cognac leather straps on the hanging rod.” The outcome: ‘qué magnifico.’

Top Brass

Interior designer: Kylie Ray Syburg
“The entire vision and inspiration for this laundry room came from the floor tile,” Syburg says. “We used handmade and hand-painted star-cross tile in another project, and when the client saw it, she knew she had to have it in her own home.”  The owner, a mom of three young boys, envisioned a bright, serene respite with two washers and dryers for multitasking, a drying rack and a built-in desk for getting work done. Oversize brass dome light fixtures add a dramatic focal point to the otherwise neutral space. “We felt it was important to bridge functionality with aesthetics and make sure we created a room that was both peaceful and inspiring,” the designer notes.

All Fur Love

Interior designer/architect: Tate Studio Architects
Julie Jones, studio manager at Tate Studio Architects, says the only thing more showstopping than this laundry room is the owners’ English retriever, Lulu. “Clearly, she is the main factor in this space,” jokes Jones. “We wanted to create an inviting room with multiple purposes—mud room, dog room/washing station and laundry.” Blue accent tile delivers an uppercut of playful pattern and color, while porcelain floors protect from mud, splashes and the winter snow in Flagstaff. When not in use, a pull-out dog-bowl drawer conceals kibble troughs. The finished result is, of course, Lulu approved. “We met with the owners and their pup on a regular basis to get the best fit for all of them,” Jones affirms. Now that’s fetching.

SOURCES

THE LITTLE BLUE BOX—Interior designer: Wendy Black Rodgers, Wendy Black Rodgers Interiors, Scottsdale, wbrint.com. Cabinetry: Finely Designed, Phoenix, finelydesignedinc.com. Builder: Bob Gallant, Schultz Development, schultzdevelopment.org.

SEW CHIC—Interior designers: Isabel Dellinger Candelaria and Nikka Bochniak, Earth and Images, Phoenix, earthandimages.com. Architect: Mark Candelaria, AIA, Candelaria Design Associates, Scottsdale, candelariadesign.com.

PRINTS CHARMING—Interior designer: Sherry Engle, Reverie West, Phoenix, reveriewest.com.

ELEGANT ENCLAVE—Builder: Rick Stark, Starion Custom Residences, Phoenix, starioncustomresidences.com. Interior designers: Alex Stark and Elina Daugstrup, A&E Interiors, Phoenix, aeinteriorsaz@gmail.com. Remodel architect: Meredith Thomson, Candelaria Design, Scottsdale, candelariadesign.com.

THE SPANISH ROSE—Interior designer: Jaimee Rose, Jaimee Rose Interiors, Phoenix, jaimeerose.com. Cabinetry: Rysso Peters, (602) 272-2956.

TOP BRASS—Interior designer: Kylie Ray Syburg, THELIFESTYLEDCO, Gilbert and Phoenix, thelifestyledco.com. Architect: Cory Wiebers, CW Architecture, Scottsdale, cwarchitecture.net. Builder: AFT Construction, Scottsdale, aftconstruction.com. Floor tile: Tabarka Studio, Scottsdale, tabarkastudio.com. Cabinets: Rysso Peters, (602) 272-2956. Countertops: Arizona Tile, Tempe, arizonatile.com. Washer/dryer: lg.com. Windows: pella.com. Plumbing: kingstonbrass.com. Hardware: atlashomewares.com. Light fixtures: rh.com. Drying racks: dryaway.net.

ALL FUR LOVE—Architect: Mark Tate, AIA, Tate Studio Architects, Cave Creek, tate-studio.com. Interior designers: Julie Jones and Justine Chandler, tate-studio.com. Builder: Builders Showcase Inc., Flagstaff, builders-showcase.net. Cabinetry: Classy Closets, Scottsdale, classyclosets.com. Plumbing fixtures: ferguson.com. Tile installer: Flagstaff Tile & Stone, Flagstaff, flagstafftileandstone.com. Counter installers: AllPride Marble & Granite, Mesa, allpridemandg.com.