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M ost people have become very adept at multi-tasking to keep up with the pace of today's world, so it's not surpris- ing that the rooms in our homes are following suit. One logical place for a multi-tasking space is the laundry room. Kitchen and bath designers are noting that they are now combining the once utilitarian space with mud rooms, wrapping centers, pet care ar- eas and craft spaces, among others. The result of that mindset is designs that feature upscale amenities such as streamlined cabinets and storage, granite countertops, deep sinks and lots of tile. "At the end of the day, the laundry room is one of the workhorse rooms in the home, so it pairs well with other functions that can be a little messy, need a bit of countertop to spread out or just prefer a little bit of specially designed storage," explains Theresa M. Sterbis, AKBD, of Project Partners Design, in Fremont, CA. COMBINING SPACES Often, the combination of a laundry room with another function is sim- ply the result of not enough space in the house. This means that how the homeowners will use the room must be considered from every angle before launching into the design. "The laundry room has defnitely turned into a double-duty room in most cases, and we're trying to make it more functional," reports Alda Opfer, CKD, CAPS, showroom man- ager, Brighton Design Center, KSI, in Brighton, MI. "And, most people want all of that stuf behind closed doors." While she notes that sometimes the room will feature open shelving, more often than not homeowners don't want to have to dust things or keep the space pretty and organized all of the time. The most common secondary pur- pose for a laundry room is as a mud room, notes Dawn M. Whyte, kitchen and bath designer, Designs by Dawn/ Lake Street Design, in Petoskey, MI. When designing a laundry room that is also a mud room, Whyte makes sure there is ample space for shoe and coat storage, children's backpacks, sports equipment for active families and client-defned storage. "In this day and age, lots of us have very busy lives and children. So, there is stuf being dragged into the home – sports equipment and backpacks. It all ends up somewhere, and it's usually the mud room or the laundry room," notes Opfer. As a result, homeowners are looking to organize their lives, "and organize all of that stuf," Opfer con- tinues. "And the laundry room seems to be a good place to do that. "We get a lot of requests regard- ing how to make the room the most functional space that it can be – how to maximize it and make it organized," she adds. To help organize the space, Opfer suggests giving the children their own designated cubby or locker – "some- Laundry Rooms Double Up Constraints on square footage have led to laundry rooms sharing space with mud rooms and pet areas, with secondary laundry spaces sharing the cleaning load. November 2014 ForResidentialPros.com | 39 By Anita Shaw Laundry Room Trends TOP: An extension of the kitchen, this laundry room by Dawn M. Whyte of Designs by Dawn/Lake Street Design includes the same stacked wall cabinets, as well as farmhouse copper sink and goose-neck faucet. ABOVE: Theresa M. Sterbis of Project Partners Design has incorporated pet crates and dog showers into many laundry rooms, so that the space can also act as a home for the family friend. TOP: This multipurpose laundry room by Gail Monica Dent of Provanti Designs includes laundry area on the right and a pantry storage setup on the left. ABOVE: Even narrow spaces such as closets can be converted to efcient laundry rooms, complete with stacked appliances to save space, as the one shown in this design by Alda Opfer of KSI. Photo: John G. Wilbanks Photography Photo: Beth Singer Photo: Phoenix Photographic Photo: Theresa M. Sterbis