Multi-Purpose spaces for the win!
There are two things that moms spend a great deal of their time doing. Laundry and gift prep. I know, that sounds funny, gift prep? I'm 100% serious though. I have four children, they all get invited to birthday parties or events throughout the year, that also means they have birthdays of their own (not even counting grown ups here). Figure in all the holiday gifts, wedding gifts, baby shower gifts, friend gifts, housewarming gifts, hostess gifts, etc, and half of your year is buying gifts and wrapping them. In my last house I didn't have adequate space or storage for all things craft and gift, so this time around I made it a priority.
I found this gorgeous reclaimed wood island at Restoration Hardware, and fell in love with the general store look.
Photo: www.restorationhardware.com
Unfortunately, I needed the back side to function for laundry basket storage, so the Restoration Hardware piece wouldn't work. I enlisted the help of a local furniture maker, www.petepagano.com and he gave me one island that met my craft and laundry needs, all using reclaimed wood we had, from the demolition of an addition.
Not only is this a custom piece, made from historic wood, native to the property, but it's THE FEATURE of this room.
Think outside the box
A laundry room doesn't just have to be a laundry room. Create a space that fits your lifestyle and your needs. Laundry and crafts don't go hand in hand, but because we designed it that way, it makes complete sense to us, and that's really all that matters.