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Make The Most Of It

How To Transform A Laundry Room Into An Organized, Multifunctional Space

The combined laundry room and mudroom at the Gebhardt’s house might be just 167 square feet, but Suzette employed a few design and organizational tips to give the room multiple purposes.

“I try to think in zones when I’m setting up a room,” Gebhardt says about the room’s laundry, cleaning, school, and dog zones. “It’s one room, but it’s really four zones.”

Suzette, the owner of Suzette Gebhardt Organizing, worked with her builder on the interior of the three-bedroom Loveland home she and her husband, Chris, had custom built. She was adamant not to waste space, and she wanted the floor plans of each room to be functional while maintaining an organic and modern coastal style.

The plans include the combined mudroom and laundry room, which is right off the garage and serves as a drop zone for outerwear, sports equipment, and odds and ends.

“I wanted to have a space where everything could live when we came in,” Suzette says.

The mudroom is on the left of the house and has hooks for hanging coats, a whiteboard with a calendar, and a pet bed and bowls for Judy, the family’s beloved 5-year-old golden retriever. On the right is a space coined ‘the school zone.’ It has three gym lockers with footlockers, hooks for coats and sports gear, and baskets for storing seasonal items.

The laundry zone has a stacked washer and dryer with cabinets above to hold items that are not used often. There’s also a folding counter with a sink for handwashing clothes, a hanging rack, open cabinets with bins for sorting, and open shelves for daily-use items.

“It’s all right where I need it,” Suzette says. “If I’m doing laundry and need the stain remover, I don’t have to switch rooms.”

The cleaning closet is used for storing laundry and cleaning supplies in addition to tools and dog food. There is a door organizer on the back of the door with enclosed shelves to store paper products and other random items.

“More than anything, the best thing to do in order to stay organized is to make sure everything has a home, and you know where it goes,” Suzette says. “It keeps things off the kitchen counter.”

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in an organized home. Suzette recommends starting with a list of needs and trouble spots. For her, a trouble spot was stuff ending up all over the floor in her previous home. After locating the target areas, prioritize goals for the space, such as how the room will look and function in its ideal state. 

To make the most use of that space, Suzette suggests door organizers for the backs of doors. In her opinion, this is an overlooked space that holds the potential to keep things out of the open. Another overlooked space is the metal area of the washer and dryer. That space is ideal for locker organizers that can store small items. For an area without a dedicated mudroom or laundry room, hang a row of hooks with shelves and baskets above and a bench with shoe storage underneath.  

Suzette refreshes her room for the start of the school year—she has two children, Gabby, 10, and Jordan, 6. She brings out a rolling cart with craft and homework supplies and sets up a table for doing homework.

“Another tip is to make it fun and fit your personality even if it’s a functional space,” Suzette says. “I put more thought into a space so that it works hard for me. Then, it becomes a happy place.”

For more pictures of how Suzette organized her laundry room visit www.citylifestyle.com/make-the-most-of-it.  Be sure to check out Suzette’s website, blog, facebook and instagram for more inspiration! 

https://suzettegebhardt.com

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