Make it work hard
“Of all the work we’ve done on our house, my biggest regret is not installing a utility room, but I have a very clear vision for one in my head”, says interiors lover Jen Rothbury, who shares DIY home tips with 190,000 followers via her Instagram account @Crack_The_Shutters. Jen’s fantasy utility must-haves: a washer and dryer stacked on top of each other with a pull-out drawer between the two for sorting laundry; a fold-out ironing board; and a deep Belfast sink for rinsing mud-covered or stained clothes. Rothbury says the ideal utility room should be a backstage area for life in the house, “where all the mess can happen out of sight.”

Ideally, every inch of wall and cupboard space should be used, says interior designer Sophie Pringle. “A lot of handheld vacuums come with a wall mount that can be plugged in so it’s always charging,” she explains. “You can also hang mops and brooms on the back of cupboard doors, and roll towels into baskets.”

Go for bold
You can have any colour so long as it’s not white, says interior designer Kate Guinness. “This is such a practical room I think it’s important to have fun with the decoration. Paint the walls and cabinetry a strong colour and lay chequerboard lino tiles on the floor – I’ve just put bright red and blue ones in my laundry room.” Aaron Markwell, colour lead at Coat, agrees. “It’s a super boring space so go wild, he says. “Use a wallpaper you love then pull out a colour from it to paint the cabinetry.”

As it’s a smaller space, you can also embrace darker shades which might be overpowering elsewhere, says Rothbury. “I think dark greens, aged brass and exposed brick herringbone floors look lovely in a utility room,” she says. If you can’t afford under-counter cupboards, lean into the rustic look with a striped curtain.

Be practical with your flooring choice
“We favour marmoleum for the floor in a utility”, says interior designer Sarah Spencer Ashworth. The lino alternative, made from natural and recycled materials, “is easy to clean, soft underfoot and sustainable,” she says. “The utility room also lends itself to a patterned floor tile,” says Grazziella Wilson, head of creative at stone and tile brand Ca Pietra, who recommends porcelain or ceramic as another practical choice. “Most utility rooms are small so if you’re also going for a wall tile then opt for something glossy to bounce light around the space” she adds.

Go vintage with storage
Open shelving in a utility makes use of wall space and puts things within easy reach. Make them look nice with pretty storage solutions – vintage biscuit tins for cloths, glass bottles to decant fabric softener into, or tall seagrass baskets to hide cleaning products. “I love the look of amber glass bottles, and Black and Barn also do nice labels,” says Rothbury. She’s also a fan of “pretty wooden scrubbing brushes which you can hang on pegs behind the sink.”

Think like a German
Having a washing machine in the kitchen is a curiously British habit (the Germans put theirs in the bathroom, the Americans tend to have their laundry rooms upstairs) so if you’re planning to create a new utility, don’t feel like you’re confined to the ground floor. “If we are staging a total renovation we would always look to relocate the utility upstairs rather than down – the majority of washing is on a cycle between bedroom and utility so it’s far better to have it closer,” says interior designer Sarah Spencer Ashworth.