5 Reasons Why You Need a Utility Room

Published on 03 Mar 2020

It's little wonder utility rooms are popular. They're easy to achieve and benefit every home due to their… well, utility.

A dilemma many homeowners face, however, is whether they would rather a larger kitchen or a utility room extension. They view the kitchen as their home’s heart but equally understand that few spaces pump harder than the utility room, with its washing machines, tumble dryers and laundry shelves.

You needn’t compromise, though. Well-considered utility room ideas can deliver a great utility room, along with all the benefits, without making you feel like it’s cost you your larger kitchen. Indeed, today we'll explore why a utility room is, in fact, the best option and can even make a small kitchen seem bigger. Plus, we’ll share tips to optimise your utility room to achieve the home and life of your dreams.

More Kitchen Space

The odd laundry-related appliance takes up little kitchen space on its own. Add washing baskets, dirty clothes, ironing boards, clothes airers and other laundry products, though, and these utility-room staples can quickly make your kitchen feel so cramped it’s impossible to cook, even when it’s large.

Separate non-kitchen clutter into utility room storage, however, and it’ll give you the pleasure of a larger kitchen even with a small footprint. At least, that’s what one study claims; an orderly but small room often leads to better wellbeing than a disorderly large one, making the split worth it.

But what goes in a utility room? In short, consider your utility room an overflow kitchen. You could use yours to store laundry equipment, lesser-used kitchen appliances or even a freezer. Or, to free up more kitchen space, consider stacking a tumble dryer and washing machine, one on top of the other.

Less Clutter and Mess

Utility rooms act as marvellous decontamination chambers between outdoor and indoor activities, particularly if your family routinely accesses the building via a back entrance. As the first port-of-call for visitors, these rooms provide an ideal receptacle for dirty footwear, coats and umbrellas.

Installing a boot room, like this one in Hardwick Oxford blue, makes the cleansing effect particularly efficient, lessening the likelihood of kids or visitors dragging mud or water into your kitchen. Utility room shelving has a similar guarding effect against garden tools, outdoor bins and all sorts of clutter.

Conversely, if your guests enter via a different door, you can use your utility room to hide evidence of a busy day’s work from guests behind the closed door, which isn’t possible when you only have a kitchen. Indeed, utility room cupboards are the perfect place to store clutter until guests leave.

Better Open Plan Living

Utility rooms are even more convenient if your kitchen is open plan. You see, containing your washing machine or tumble dryer to their own room limits the disruption they can cause elsewhere. That means, you can chat while you eat, cook, or watch television in the living area without a constant din.

An added bonus is that utility room design allows you to stack noisy machines that handle laundry. This design choice, which you wouldn’t make in a kitchen, clears floorspace in your kitchen for other luxury appliances, one example being a quieter dishwasher which makes more sense in that space.

More Productivity

Let’s be honest, there are plenty of activities we’d choose to do over sifting through a laundry basket. But say you created a beautiful space that’s easy to use. In that case, you’ll resent the task less and possibly even learn to enjoy the unavoidable housework.

How can you achieve this feat? Simple. Choose a calming blue colour palette and keep fresh flowers to relax your mind. Perhaps, also use open shelving to store laundry equipment you frequently use to wash clothes. And don’t forget to include space for a heated clothes horse that’s always assembled. The nicer and more convenient you make your utility room, the more you’ll stay on top of your chores.

Extra Storage

Easily the biggest argument in favour of a utility room is the fact that you can use it as a catch-all space for household storage. At Masterclass, we understand this reality and produce versatile utility room cupboard dividers which make it easier to access cleaning equipment, detergents and sprays.

While utility rooms typically offer space for ironing boards, vacuum cleaners and washing baskets, they can also host multifunctional storage solutions. So, whether you want to store recycling bags, coats, dog leads or lesser-used kitchen appliances, our cabinets make organising your kitchen easier.

Utility rooms are usually small so storage options that make the most of your space like a corner pantry or a pull out larder are ideal for maximising space. Combine a few of these options together and you can create an exceptional utility room space that improves multiple facets of your life.

Add a Utility Room to Your Home

If you need more help creating a unique utility room that meets all your lifestyle needs then find your nearest Masterclass retailer and book a meeting with one of our world-class utility room design consultants. Or, if you’re not ready for a renovation yet, become a Masterclass Insider for free. You’ll get exclusive design tips, plus lifestyle guides just for joining the community.

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