Kitchen and bathroom renos may be all the rage (who doesn’t drool over marble islands or claw-foot tubs?), but when it comes to the laundry room, we tend to value function over form. The thinking is, “you’re there to do laundry, not post photos on your IG,” says Stephanie Sabbe of Nashville’s Sabbe Interior Design.
But why not have it all? As Sabbe shows with the laundry room she designed at House Beautiful’s 2021 Whole Home in Fredericksburg, Texas, it just takes a little vision and ingenuity.
A High-Functioning Foundation
To start, Sabbe anchored the room with top-quality devices: sleek LG STUDIO appliances with built-in intelligence that takes the guesswork out of laundering (as in, the washer can auto-select the most optimal dry cycle for you). “Nothing is more frustrating than doing a load of laundry and having clothes come out with food particles still on them,” she says. “LG has a great reputation for not sacrificing one for the other.”
Knowing that side-by-side appliances would take up too much room, Sabbe selected the Single Unit Front Load LG WashTower, along with her hands-down favorite: the LG STUDIO Styler, a wi-fi enabled steamer she’s so enamored with that she hopes to install it in her own home. “Hello, who likes ironing?” she says, likening the appliance to a much-higher-tech version of tossing a wet washcloth in the dryer with a wrinkled shirt. “Our grandmas knew what was up with the trick and so does LG.”
Clever Contraptions and Fun Flourishes
With those laundry elements set, Sabbe made the space even more functional by adding a hose faucet for a combined dog- and clothes-washing area. And while she also included plenty of storage, she made sure the room’s focus wasn’t strictly utilitarian. “We didn’t treat this as a back-of-house space,” she says. The classic cabinetry she selected, for example—with room for pull-out hampers, cleaning supplies, and anything else one might want to stash away—is painted an unexpected tawny shade from Farrow & Ball, and she used floral wallpaper to draw the eye up toward the high, arched ceiling.
Fresh Takes on Traditional Elements
“I get excited by thinking outside the box and doing what has not been done before,” Sabbe says, “but on the flip side, I also try to practice restraint in a way that prevents us from being kitschy or trendy.” The end result? “It really turned out fun. It’s for sure a happy room.”
Sabbe is all about creating a beautiful laundry room that you’ll actually want to include in your home tour when guests come over, but what if your budget gets tight? “Splurge on appliances,” she advises. “You can add the wallpaper down the road.”
