“The homeowner loves using her standing clothes steamer,” designer Stephanie Frees says. “I needed to figure out a way to allow that to be stored away yet easily accessible for use. The tall storage cabinet was modified to have the toe area attached to the door, so that the steamer can simply roll in and out of the cabinet.”
Dashing dog wash. If you think washing your clothes or your dog is a chore, this laundry room created by designer Dina Bandman for the 2017 San Francisco Decorator Showcase might change your mind. The blue-and-white room features hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, a window treatment from Lee Jofa and porcelain tile floors from Country Floors.
Style muse: Ward needed to efficiently use her space to include the washing machine and dryer and a large worktable, and she found inspiration in this Salt Lake City laundry room remodel on Houzz. She borrowed from this project the idea of having one basket for each family member. Though Ward is very happy with the end result, a few things went wrong along the way — including a slowdown in getting permits.
Custom tiled tub. New builds and remodels are usually the easiest way to get the exact pet-washing station you’re after. This dedicated dog tub-shower (with the photographer’s dog Honey modeling) is in the unfinished portion of a basement in a custom-built home in Wadsworth, Ohio, and was installed at the homeowners’ request, Kate Frichti of Modern Home Concepts says.
How to install one. Adding a pet-washing station is similar to putting in any other shower or tub. A general contractor, architect or designer will create a design and probably subcontract the work out to a plumber and tile installer. If you skip the contractor, start with a plumber, who will put in the shower pan or basin, install the drain and hook up the fixtures. If tile work is needed, a tile installer will then lay and grout tile for the walls or tub itself. Costs can range from about $1,000 for a free-standing tub to $3,500 and up for something more luxe.
The new laundry room was one of the trickiest projects the couple took on, and it was a real collaboration. While it has a casual look, it was planned out elaborately and installed meticulously. McLeod figured out the exact color pattern for the boards, drew it out and then painted them to look salvaged. “I used all the dregs — the leftover paints and stains from all the other projects we’d done,” he says. Johnson installed them very carefully, following the pattern. Note the way the colors continue around the corners of the room.
“That nook where the drying is situated was a bit tough to work out,” Meisels says. “We tried storage there and all sorts of various layouts. Given the pitch of the ceiling, it was an odd space to work with. When we realized it was a perfect solution for drying, there were high-fives all around.”
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