Planning your perfect utility room

A well-planned utility room is so much more than a space to hide away laundry – it can be the cornerstone of a well-organised home.

Designing your utility room carefully will certainly pay dividends by making household chores easier and more efficient. Plus, working in a calm and ordered environment is a pleasure, especially when it’s designed around you.

Here’s how to create the perfect utility room for your needs.

Laundry room, boot room, larder, pet bedroom?  

Your utility room can fulfil many important functions for your home and family!

While laundry is often top of the list – it’s great to have dedicated space for washing, drying and airing – utility room storage can be invaluable.

Plus, the space might need to serve as warm place for pets to sleep, somewhere to keep a bike, a boot room or kitchen overspill with a luxurious larder cupboard.

This versatile space will best serve your home and family when you carefully consider how you want to use it. For our customers in Halstead, Kent, their utility room refresh was centred around creating a bright, space with clean lines, that would seamlessly tie in with their redesigned kitchen.

Their utility room was the ideal space for large worktop appliances such as the coffee machine and food mixer. The deep Belfast sink was perfect for washing out larger items of clothing or for cleaning muddy boots.

Read more about this bright, modern kitchen and utility room project.

Location, location …

Questions we are often asked by our customers are ‘do I need planning permission for utility room?’ and ‘does a utility room add value’?

To answer the first question, most utility room adaptions, or extensions (unless they’re very large) fall under Permitted Development, which means they do not require planning permission. The space will, of course, need to meet all the relevant building regulations regarding insulation, ventilation and electrical installations – all of which, we can manage for you.

Regarding the value of a utility room, we know from working with our customers that utility rooms not only bring value to a home in the everyday sense by making life easier, they are also very desirable for home buyers. In short, they are always a worthwhile investment.

In terms of their location within the home, traditionally utility rooms are located near the kitchen for ease of access. However, for some homes, utility room cupboards placed near to a bathroom can make laundry tasks more convenient. It’s important to consider proximity to water lines and electrical outlets.

Space and layout

Even in a small space, a well-planned utility room adds real value to everyday life.

Clever cabinetry design, coupled with smart utility room shelving, can create a stylish space that’s functional, and aesthetically pleasing.

And in answer to the question ‘does a utility room need a window?’, the answer is an emphatic ‘no’. As you can see, the simple, warm colour scheme in the utility room below ensures a bright space with personal touches that make it inviting and homely. Ventilation is taken care of with a simple extractor fan.

Innovative bespoke cabinetry

The joy of a bespoke utility room is the ability to tailor the space exactly to your needs.

Handmade cabinetry can be constructed with different internal heights, shelving and drawers. This enables you to neatly stow away ironing boards, mops and baskets. Features such as automatic internal lighting makes accessing the cupboard space even easier.  

For our customers in Oxted, every detail of their bespoke utility room was devised around their need for further food storage when they entertain, space for their two dogs, and a practical solution to storing and airing laundry. Their aim was a sleek, modern design that would be easy to clean and maintain, so it would stay looking fantastic.

Read more about this practical and stylish bespoke utility room.

Behind closed doors

In many homes, the utility room is a natural extension of the kitchen – an area with additional countertops for food preparation, storage cupboards for dry foods or the home of the pantry.  It’s therefore a popular choice for the utility room to reflect the design and finish of the kitchen.

For customers in Sidcup, this was certainly the case. We installed the same cabinetry and work surfaces in the utility room as the kitchen. The smartly stacked Miele washer and dryer make the most of the space.

A key feature was the tall corner cupboard, which can be easily accessed thanks to the tambour-style roller shutter, whilst keeping the household equipment neatly tucked away.

Read more about this smart utility room.

Clean lines

Utility rooms tend to be hard-working areas of the home – prone to spills and muddy boots!

Choosing cabinetry, countertops and flooring that are durable and easy to clean doesn’t mean compromising on the aesthetics.

This stunning utility room features gloss white handle-less cabinetry, giving it a fresh, bright look. The marble-effect tiled flooring brings a warmth to the overall effect, which is easy to keep sparkling clean.

The matching appliances are smart in every sense of the word, bringing state-of-the-art technology, as well as a cohesive aesthetic.

This galley utility room makes use of every inch of the space with custom-built cabinetry on the opposite wall for clothes hanging space.

Advanced appliances

A utility room can be the ideal space to house your appliances. As well as washing machines and dryers, they can be useful spaces for busy households to store refrigerated and frozen foods.

For customers in Dartford, their spacious utility room featured two extra-large, Fisher & Paykel fridge freezers, to free up space in their kitchen.

Read more about this stunning utility room with a walk-in pantry.

Futureproofing

It’s worth thinking about how your needs might change in the future. For example, if you plan to expand your family, add pets, or take up new hobbies, consider these factors when planning your utility room.

We are often asked, ‘can you have a toilet in a utility room?’. A flexible design can accommodate changing needs and add long-term value to your home, so it’s worth considering how you can make the most of the space to accommodate a separate loo or boot room if required. We can help you design a space that will work for the long-term.

Another aspect of creating a utility room that’s a pleasure to use and easy to maintain, is adequate ventilation. Customers often ask ‘do I need an extractor fan in a utility room?’.

Even if your utility room has a window, if laundry is going to be a principal function of the room, we will recommend the most appropriate ventilation to achieve a fresh environment to keep your cabinetry and décor looking great for years to come.

Let us help you achieve the perfect utility room

If you would like to chat to us about a bespoke utility room or any other cabinetry project for your home, we’d be delighted to help visualise your ideas.

Visit our spacious showroom for inspiration, or please call us on 01959 53 22 33 to book a design appointment.