By Sue Ridgeway
Every room in a model is an important marketing investment. And as such, each room should be designed with the goal of selling in mind. While it can be a challenge to make the laundry room, a space specifically dedicated to doing a household chore, an exciting ‘destination’ in a model walk, it doesn’t have to be boring or uninspiring. See some of the considerations designers use to create a memorable, efficient, and effective laundry room design.
Layout
As with all rooms in a model, taking your buyer profile into consideration is key even in the smallest of spaces, especially with the layout of the laundry room. The key to the success is: know your prospective buyers.
As a builder you should be asking:
How often are your prospective buyers doing laundry? In other words, is this a single family home designed for families? If so, then the answer is often, maybe even very often! Conversely, if the model is in a 55+ community where children and grandchildren will not be living there (perhaps just visiting a couple days a month), then the laundry room will have less use for washing but may need more concealed storage for hobbies.
Another buyer profile consideration is: what is the lifestyle of the buyer? Is this a home in a mountain town where bulky ski clothes need to be washed and large storage drawers or closets available when not in use? Or a beach town where sandy towels are deposited daily, and hooks and bins for sandals are a requirement? Who is using this room and how does it need to perform for your buyer? The answers to these questions (and more) will help to create the design layout that can take a good laundry room and make it great.
This large UT model home is in a community that attracts families, and as such, includes a large, well organized laundry room. Understanding that this prospective buyer has children and probably a dog or two, a dog wash area is included within the laundry and brick flooring makes it a warm and happy place for doing some messier chores.
Flooring
Flooring is another important consideration when designing a laundry room. The flooring should be slip proof and easy to maintain. At the same time, it doesn’t have to be drab. This is where flooring can be a creative designer’s best friend.
This model home was designed with families in mind and includes an interesting patterned tile floor and a bright backsplash to make the space more inviting.
Storage
We all know that the laundry room, in addition to storing the household cleaning supplies, also becomes the family dumping ground. Therefore, we like to include as much storage as possible within the laundry room design.
Understanding that not every home will have expansive space for storage within the laundry room, builders and designers need to be as creative as possible. Baskets, shelves, and other storage options are a key part of laundry room design. We want the prospective buyers to see the space and think “it would be easy to keep this laundry room organized and tidy, so I can spend more time having fun.”
Every room, nook and cranny in a model home is important. As builders, you need your model homes to stand out and leave an impression. Therefore, you should strive to maximize the impact of each home by adding more value to every square foot for every room, even the oft forgotten laundry room. Knowing who your buyer is and taking the extra steps to understand their wants and needs will help define the character of this forgotten room while creating a space made for practical use through thoughtful design.
Post courtesy of Sue Ridgeway, Director of Marketing at Lita Dirks & Co., an interior design and merchandising firm based in Greenwood Village, Colo.
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