The Utility Room, Reborn

A home's "command central"

The utility room can be a center for just about everything that doesn’t have another, dedicated place. You can store the kids' schoolwork and outdoor clothing in lockers or "cubbies," or install a device that allows you to control utilities like heating and lighting, says Judy Pickett, principal of Design Lines, Ltd., in Raleigh, NC.

More typically, it's a place for cleaning, laundry or gardening—and as such, it must be accessible to homeowners of all ages and inclinations. The utility room is often located adjacent to a first-floor entryway that leads directly outdoor to the yard, pool or beach, outside kitchen or entertainment center. This versatile space can serve as a mending room or even the family's communication center with a message board or intercom system, says Faith Sheridan, principal of her self-named interior design firm in Seattle, WA.

"People are thinking of this area in terms of family's age and lifestyle," says Sheridan. "If the homeowner is a gardener who really enjoys being outside, a place for preparing plants may be incorporated into a counter surface or sink. If your kids are coming in from playing outside and are muddy, you don't want them running through the house". You'll want a utility sink or an adjacent small bathroom right there."

"For these households, the "gardening sink is a big idea," says Sheridan. The Harborview™ utility sink, made of KOHLER enameled cast iron, for example, is shallow and wide enough for working with gardening pots and dirty shoes, and its optional wood grate extends the countertop to create a roomy workspace.

For people working with heavy or bulky items, Kohler also offers its Oceanview™ in-floor sink. The sink's shallow-basin depth and removable wood grates are ideal for rinsing off sandy feet, mud- or snow-covered boots or a heavy bucket of garden vegetables.

With this sink, "you can water plants, wash the dog at the dog's level, fill cleaning buckets without lifting, and wash cleaning rags and mops," Schrage says. You also can hang clothes overhead to air dry.

Air it out

Air drying has become a growing trend in laundry features, say both Pickett and Nancy Hoff Barsotti, an interior designer with offices in New York City and Pittsburgh. Resembling side-by-side refrigerators, these units use natural or motor-generated air to dry clothes, and they’re becoming more common in laundry/utility rooms.

Air drying units provide "a 'green' energy alternative and are practical for drying woolens and sweaters," Barsotti says. "The units have hanging rods and adjustable wire shelves to facilitate clothes placement and wrinkle-free drying."