The Useful Utility
Ok. Ignoring Sunday. And, some of today. Spring is definitely in the air.
As I was writing earlier, a family of blue tits was flying crazily outside my office window - such a joyful distraction: a sure sign of spring. I have also seen the weather forecast for this week, and it is exciting! With spring comes the brighter, lighter, longer days; and, the highlighting of the winter dust that has stuck and settled.
Yeah. My house needs a spring-clean, and the audit will begin in the utility room.
The utility room - an extension of the kitchen - as important as the kitchen.
A well-designed and well-planned utility room can make such an impact on day-to-day living; and, we are seeing more and more requests for utility room design. We have recently begun to take photographing them more seriously too – our clients’ utility rooms often look as good as a kitchen does. But, it is where most housework is generated, so it should be a room that does inspire us, shouldn’t it? Kind of.
We have been lucky to have designed and made some wonderful utility rooms; and, here are our current favourites.
Tall cupboards are great for mops, brooms, ironing boards, and - hiding new shoes, maybe? The utility room can also be a chance to play with kitchen-complementing materials - such as traditional oak worktops - which are not as expensive as many stones, but are always lovely features.
A mirrored wall can make a smaller space, like a utility room, seem larger and brighter. And, a flexi-hose tap and deep butler sink are brilliant for washing … football boots.
To me, these examples above are utility-room havens. Obviously because of the Siemens laundry appliances! Those shelves, though. The flooring is wonderful - and, keeping the bulk of the fridge-freezer out of the kitchen is a great idea.
Did I mention those shelves?
The wine rack is also such a unique feature - the utility itself is hidden within the cabinetry of the kitchen, making it more like a sanctuary.
Currently, this yellow is one of my favourite cabinetry colours. But I do also love this green - both colours are really popular. Stacking the laundry appliances is such a space-saver - it looks good too. And, providing additional storage is what the utility room does best - extra cupboards for those things we know we will need, at some point.
Those who know me know that my utility is where I stash the sweets I don’t want to share; or where I go to hide and drink my tea in peace. No one else seems to know what happens in it!
In spring 2020, I was there a lot …. Ha!