Industrial Strength Storage

I just love the sound of that. "Industrial Strength" In other words in will last a really long time and will be nearly indestructible when my kids get their hands on it.

You may have seen these baskets in hotels being used for carting around laundry. Now you can get some of your very own from Industrial House. At Apartment Therapy they show three being used for sorting laundry. Industrial House also suggests using them for toys and sports equipment. I can see using one of the smaller baskets for gardening supplies as well.

I remember going to a friends house when I was a kid and they had a few in their garage. We would get in them and have someone push us around. So you don't even have to technically store anything in them, just add a couple of kids and take a little spin!

Although it is not exactly the same, I love my laundry sorter on wheels. Same idea but it has three sorting sections on one steel frame. Our sorter gets used quite a bit and I have never had a problem with it, even when my kids "help" me do laundry. I keep one in the master closet and one in the laundry room.

I also highly recommend this heavy-duty steel shelving for use in the home or garage if you are looking for industrial strength storage yet still wanting something aesthetically pleasing. I use the 3-tier shelf for shoes in our laundry room.

If you want to dress this type of shelving up here is a fantastic idea that was featured in Blueprint Magazine (I will miss that mag!) Stephanie, the creator of the Swigg line of products, stores her creations on these shelves but she added fabric panels on the ends to cover it up a bit. She attached the panels to the ends of the shelving with clothes pins. How simple, yet beautiful!

Laundry In Kitchen

Here is a goody I pulled from my idea file. One of the biggest problems we run into when house hunting is a small laundry room and small kitchen. Or my biggest pet peeve is when you have to enter from the garage through the laundry. Who wants to be reminded of doing laundry every time they walk in the door? Not me!

One of the first things we think is "How can we open it up?" I believe the kitchen is the hub and when we have guests they usually end up there. We want the kitchen as inviting as possible. I know this is starting to sound like a post about a kitchen but its really about what they added to this kitchen. A laundry room!


This laundry room is from the Better Homes and Gardens Idea Kitchen (8/07 issue). The laundry area is across from the range. It is all concealed behind cabinet doors. The counter space also serves as a buffet or extra prep space. The dining table is also centered in the room to be used as an island.

I like the openess of the room. They did not provide actual dimensions but here is the floor plan layout. It would be easy to measure out and give it your best estimate.

Next to the washing machine is a pantry pullout used to store soap and fabric softener. The drawer next to it actually houses a pull out ironing board. I don't know if I would personally have the dining table in the kitchen but the rest I would love.