Beaulieu House by the SeaCountry Utility Room, Wiltshire
What Houzz contributors are saying:
Bring in baskets Who doesn’t love a basket? They not only look good, but can be used to keep less attractive items out of sight. A matching set of baskets can be the perfect solution for the open shelves in a utility room, where cleaning and laundry products can be stashed away while still being easily accessible. Sort all your products, from detergent to cleaning cloths, into groups and pop each into a dedicated basket.By keeping everything together like this, you’ll also find it easier to dust the shelves, as you won’t have to move individual bottles and jars.
Go easy on yourselfMake it as easy to put something away as it is to get it out. Store frequently used items in easy-to-reach spots and keep those difficult-to-access corners for seasonal stuff. Open baskets can be great for large items, children’s toys, toiletries or outerwear. Very small items will get lost at the bottom of a large basket, so use little containers for these. Make sure people can reach the boxes and baskets in order to pop things away, and that the box isn’t too heavy to lift. If it’s fiddly or difficult to put an object away, it will probably end up on the floor near its box rather than in it.
Bring out the basketsAh, the perfectly ordered utility room, where everything knows its place – a sight to gladden any tidy taskmaster’s heart… A shelf and basket combo like this one is brilliant in a utility room where there are lots of bits and bobs to store, but none of them pass the ‘nice-enough-to-have-out-on-display’ test. For top neatness marks, go for matching baskets.
Add drawers to your cupboards or shelvesIn a kitchen or utility room, where you have wall-mounted cupboards, use boxes as makeshift drawers to house your jars, bottles or packets. This makes it much easier to pull down all the contents without everything toppling on your head. You’ll also be frequently reminded what’s hiding at the back of the cupboard. It’s worth using transparent acrylic boxes to easily see the contents from a lower level.
Think about locationIn a busy household with lots of children and animals – cue piles of muddy boots and annoying paw prints – designing your utility space close to the kitchen and the back door makes a lot of sense. As well as being somewhere to stash your laundry out of sight, it’s a useful place to let dogs dry off after a muddy walk.
Call in the prosAs the cost for services is a major part of the project, it’s vital you consult a qualified Gas Safe-registered plumber or heating engineer along with a qualified NICEIC electrician. ‘With their level of experience, they will be able to best determine the degree of difficulty of this initial planning stage,’ says Darryl Pitt of Ballara. ‘You may also consider taking advice from a Gas Safe-registered heating engineer for moving an existing boiler or placing a new, energy-efficient boiler in the utility room, should your budget permit. Each appliance has its own requirements, and needs to be planned for accordingly.’Find plumbers and electricians local to you in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
What Houzzers are commenting on:
this one is my fav bc it open and colors are rlly good
