What can I put in a large utility room?

[AalyaSecura]

We're finalising plans for an extension, which will include moving the kitchen to the current dining room. We were going to turn the old kitchen into a study and create a utility room somewhere else, but we aren't convinced that we need a study (have desk space in spare room) and it would save money to use the current kitchen as the utility instead. It's a decent sized room for utility (though small for a kitchen!) - about 3 x 2.5 metres. We already gave a downstairs loo and a big cupboard that we keep costs and shoes in, so after we have the washing machine, tumble dryer and sink in, and a space for recycling, what else could we use the room for?

Sheilas maid for drying jumpers (ideally have it at eye level height over a couple of cupboards/worksurface).

Storage, storage, storage.

Water softener and associated salt blocks.

Welly store.

Bag/rucksack dump.

All your cleaning stuff

Filing cabinet for stuff you have to keep long term (tax stuff etc).

Big cupboard for appliances you don't want out all the time (food processor, bread maker).

Several wash/laundry baskets for easy sorting/folding etc.

Ironing board out all the time.

Bins for dog food/bird food

Oooo I had to have a teeny tiny utility room. I could happily fill yours.

Ironing board out the whole time and radio.

My parents have got a huge utility room and it's fab. There's a spare fridge & freezer, 2nd dishwasher, washing machine & tumble dryer, huge sink for hand washing/dog, big dresser for spare crockery, pulley clothes airer, wine rack, spare larder cupboard & recycling bins. They've got an amazing house (you could fit mine in their living room!) but the utility room is the one I covet the most

What they said. And a massive cupboard for vacuum cleaner, ironing board, broom, mop, etc.

My utility is tiny and there's too much stuff in there. Am very jealous.

If it's really big, cover one wall with floor to ceiling cupboards.
You'll have no trouble filling them

Oooh one of those pulley things suspended from the ceiling. We've got one and it's great to have more drying space.

Look on pinterest for mudroom ideas.

Do you have an en suite bath/shower? If not it might be handy to put in another, ready for when DC become teenagers! One option would be to use part of the old kitchen for a downstairs shower room, with or without loo.

Giant enclosure for indoor guineapigs.

Ironing board & vacuum cleaner storage

Chest freezer

I always had in mind I'd like a bank of floor to ceiling cupboards containing all our tools, so we didn't have to climb over the bikes to get to them in the garage.

A place for everything - so everything can be put back when used !!

I'm not going to type a list - but am mentally listing in my head what I'd have - stopping now as I'm getting quite envious !!!!!

No one ever puts stuff back in the same place in my house - drives me potty !

A drying cabinet. I made a mistake not having one in my utility room when we remodelled it.

An extractor fan (or window to open) so you can shut the door and extract the moisture from the drying clothes. PigketJohn would approve.

Loads of ideas, thank you! Especially like the idea of it being a kitchen overspill, as the new kitchen won't be enormous in terms of storage. It'll be great to be able to wash, dry and sort clothes all in one place. Shelves or baskets for each person, so that I can train my ds's to put clean clothes away - they already sort their laundry into lights and darks! Going to have a browse on Pinterest now.

When we were growing up, our house had a huge utility about 5m x 5m - we used to have a wall of cupboards for all the kids craft stuff, chemistry sets, bike pumps, helmets etc, lightbulbs, wd40, torches, shoe cleaning stuff, general cleaning stuff, old towels for cleaning down wet kids toys outside, welly's (had a tiled floor so was better for muddy stuff than the hall cupboard), logs for the fireplace.
Space for the hoover, ironing board, drying rack, mop, buggy when not in use.
Loads of stuff.

Because mine is accessible from the back garden, I've got a drinks fridge in there, and also lots of cupboards for storage (for cleaning stuff / coats / garden and bbq stuff)
I've also got a pulley maid up into the high ceiling - my fave! Excellent for drying things flat.

Have you got a dog? Because a dog shower in the utility seems to be a thing in America.

They just have more space than they know what to do with

Second dishwasher for parties:Christmas/washing household stuff (I put high chairs and bins and all sorts in mine and would love to have a second)

(I put high chairs and bins and all sorts in mine

How big is it?

I do crave a drying cabinet but 2nd dishwasher sounds tempting too.

Ours isn't big, but we have a drying pulley, all the recycling stuff, a tall cupboard for storing the ironing board, mops/brushes and hoover etc. -on one side we have 2 rows of hooks - handy for coats/backpacks and laundry overspill. a cupboard for all the cleaning materials with a thing inside for storing plastic bags. We have a long low bench like you have in changing rooms with a lift up lid to chuck shoes and things in. It was really handy when the kids were small for them to sit on and kept all their shoes and boots together - now that they are teenagers, it's too low and their shoes are so big that you cant get many in :)

It’s time for us to add a second story over our existing living, which will become our master bedroom :). The new space will be a perfect rectangle, 23'x18'. This is the place we have planned for the bedroom and closet.
Our decision is to build a walk-in closet and has planned to contact Spaceage walk-in closet organizers in Toronto, but are arguing how big it needs to be. Our current bedroom walk-in is 8'x10', and it's much more space than we need. I'm planning a closet with a center door with two hanging racks. The architect is telling me that a walk-in should be "at least" 10'x12' or we won't be able to sell the house.

But we do not care less about resale. Plus, I refuse to design new construction solely for "perceived" resale value when I plan to live here for at least 35 more years. I neither want nor need a closet that big especially since we will still have the current master closet for storage when that room becomes the guest room.
So those of you with walk-in closets - how big are they and what are your suggestions? Thanks in advance.

As I have Dcs and a dog and a manic busy household, this room is my absolutely must have. The bigger the better and preferably where no visitors have to go (so not on the way to the loo or the back door). It fulfils many functions:

Boot room - accessed from the garden so it has a huge sink for muddy hands, washing dog, airer for damp clothes (whats an airing cupboard - think I need one!),

Wet room along the back wall for toilet & quick showers when too muddy to walk through the house.

Laundry room. life so much easier having the ironing board down all the time and the many dirty washing baskets stacked, mountain of ironing stacked.

Kids PE/swim/ballet/horse riding stuff on pegs

Wall of tall cupboards.

Id almost rather have one less bedroom than a utility.

Sounds fantastic OP. I have a theory that a big well designed utility is key to a tidy house.

I would def plan the space to have an airer up without blocking access to cupboards etc - one hung from the ceiling even better if you can. Space for ironing board up great too.

Our old utility had lots of storage for cleaning stuff inc mops brooms Hoover etc. lightbulbs and crap like that too. Storage for dirty wellies, fleeces etc.

My friend has a rail with hangers for drying shirts and I think plenty of work surface for folding dry laundry would be great too.

Door to the outside great too - I assume it already has this if it's currently the kitchen?

We have just moved to a house with one and i love it. All the laundry is held there until its washed, dried and ready to (eventually) be put away. I would love a ceiling airer to free up floor space. We have a large upright fridge freezer and a under counter freezer. A sink unit with cleaning kit under it. Big notice board and calender to keep us all organised. We currently have 2 piddly open shelves but they are going to be replaced by wall units soon.

I store broom, hoover etc in there. Also plan on putting occasionally used dinner stuff in there but havent as yet as we have just moved.

Its filling up fast even though its bigger than my first kitchen!

I take the top tray out of the dishwasher and j use the Ikea antilop high chairs so pop the legs off and it fits nicely. Sooo good when toddler has gone crazy with the soup/porridge/weetabix!!

Can't fit the kitchen bin in but small swing bins fit in fine.

More good ideas, thanks. Just trying to think of how we take advantage of the width - there's enough space for a full run of cupboards - work surfaces each side, even extra depth, and good space in the middle - maybe this kind of size or slightly wider this kind of size or slightly wider. I like that picture a lot actually.

I wouldn't have that row of wall units - you need one of these in that space:

www.castinstyle.co.uk/product.php/1283/seven-lath-gismo-kitchen-maid-clothes-dryer/4e6cd6fc77373076d45ed5bcdbc7df99

and we have a stack of these in a dead space under the boiler and behind the outside door for recycling stuff - one is for gloves and hats to save them lying around.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10255897/