Modern Laundry, Pantry and Dog Room
From Bruce Kanter
I live in a 1968 architect-built modernist house. It is a fantastic home situated on a 3+ acre wood lot with breathtaking views of the Hartford skyline and surrounding hills, but is a bit short on storage and convenience. In an effort to improve livability, I decided to convert a small bedroom located directly across the hall from the kitchen into a combination laundry, pantry and dog room.
The kitchen is all original, featuring custom cabinetry finished in four shades of green and yellow laminate, so I decided to keep the laundry neutral. The glossy white cabinets are by Ikea. In an effort to save on cost, I opted to go with Formica brand acrylic countertops. I selected a green glass mosaic backsplash to tie the room in with the kitchen. The deep stainless steel sink is by Kraus. The pull-down faucet and soap dispensers are by Danze. The new laundry features a large folding area over the washer and dryer; a raised feeding area for my Golden Retriever, Jake; pull-out storage for dog food; a small refrigerator for canned dog food, frozen treats, etc, which also comes in very handy for spill-over from the kitchen fridge; and a large broom closet. A 10 foot sliding glass door opens out to a balcony with beautiful views of the surrounding mature woods, bringing in more greens from the outdoors.
I installed LED strip lighting beneath the upper cabinets, but the glass wall provides so much natural light, that I rarely need to turn them on. I also installed LED strip lighting in Jake's feeding area. The laundry also provides invaluable prep space when there are too many chefs in the kitchen! I have done extensive renovation to this home, but the laundry/pantry/dog room has proven, by far, to be the most valuable addition.