Clean Sweep

Once relegated to the basement, laundry rooms now claim ever-bigger chunks of prime square footage in the home. Builders are upgrading these areas to build profits and customer satisfaction.

digital art: laundry

Take Toll Brothers, a national builder based in Horsham, Pa. "Toll offers its buyers a chance to not only have more space in the laundry area, but to make the space more usable," says Linda Hanford, senior marketing manager. "We are taking the laundry room from drab to fab with larger windows to let in natural light, stylish cabinets, spacious counters, dramatic wall paper plus compact televisions and other technology touches. The home's interior design themes no longer stop at the laundry room door."

Hanford notes that the company has changed its laundry rooms as a result of home buyer requests, as well as its own research on where trends in color and design are headed. Hanford notes that buyers love the convenience of a laundry room on the second floor, where the majority of dirty clothes amass.

But although some like the convenience of the laundry near bedrooms, having a full size laundry area off the kitchen is also a popular choice. And for the builder, this means buyers are more likely to upgrade the cabinetry and finishes to match the finish level of the kitchen -- that translates to more expensive flooring and cabinets, and high-grade sinks to replace the standard deep sinks found in many laundry rooms.

"We see a lot of people putting custom storage cabinets in their laundry rooms," says Mark Kovich, marketing director for the Whirlpool Brand Fabric Care division of Whirlpool Corp. "They ask for larger spaces that can be used for multitasking-like folding, touch-up ironing, and crafts."

Kovich says the appearance of the company's new top-loading Cabrio appeals to consumers who want the stylishness of their homes to extend to the laundry room. "With laundry rooms on the main floor, consumers are interested in styling anything that has sightlines through the home," says Kovich. The Cabrio model has a glass see-through top, which looks hip and also allows the owner to see what stage the wash load is in.

Kovich also points out that with housing starts continuing to climb in the condo and townhome markets, smaller units will continue to rise in popularity. The company's Duet Sport is shorter and shallower than usual units, making them a good fit for smaller spaces.

Kovich also notes that front-load products are being used in the kitchen, installed under countertops. "For these to work, we need to be cognizant of sound," he says. "When people use [washers] in a living space, they're using the delay wash setting more." With textile innovations removing most lint from the washing process, more people may be inclined to put their washer/dryer unit in the kitchen, especially in urban environments, says Kovich.