Spruce Up Your Utility Room In Nautical Style
A utility room can be more than a no-frills space that houses the hot water heater
, furnace and everyday supplies. If your utility room doubles as a mudroom or laundry room, a few decorative touches can make the time spent there more pleasant and comfortable. Make your utility room more user-friendly with these easy style and shipshape storage solutions.
A Seaside-Inspired Palette
Nearly any shade of blue is a natural for a nautical theme, but there are other options to consider: Pale khaki, sea foam green, pale shell pink or sand dollar beige. Or choose a wall paper in blue and white or red and white ticking stripes for a very orderly presentation. Any wall paper design with nautical elements like lighthouses, dunes or sailboats can set the backdrop for your particular brand of seafaring style. No matter what color you choose, the space will look clean, bright and spacious if you paint all woodwork and cabinet doors in off-white.
Upgrade the lighting from functional fluorescent fixtures to ship helm lighting fixtures that can be flush mounted on the walls or ceiling, used as hanging swags or as wall sconces. Fixtures in off white or brass will complement a crisp nautical look.
Stow and Store
If you need extra storage and who does not? Consider open or closed locker-style storage for coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Open wood lockers with a tall cubby below and a shorter one above can be outfitted with hooks to hang coats, jackets and pet leashes. Metal or wicker baskets can be slid on upper shelves to hold small items and everyday supplies. For a funkier look, purchase metal lockers from a salvage yard and paint them to fit your color scheme.
If you do not have room for a wall full of lockers or if you just need a little extra space to supplement a utility room closet, paint plain open shelves to contrast with the walls and trim the edges in rope, hemp or sea shells to hold laundry supplies, paper goods or pet supplies and intersperse your necessities with nautical knick knacks and collectibles.
Add more storage with a lidded trunk; a cushion on top gives you a place to sit when changing shoes or brushing the dog. Wall hooks, wall racks and free standing cabinets in wood, metal or wicker give you lots of storage options to fit any size space.
Now that things are organized, bring in a few nautical accents.
1. Use mirrors to make the space feel larger. Porthole mirrors add nautical style, sparkle and reflected space. Space them evenly across one or more walls at the same height to mimic the layout of a boat galley.
2. Simple painted wood art of beach scenes, fish, or gulls add a little interest to smaller spaces. Find a piece in the shape of a boat or fish, screw in simple cup hooks and mount it on the wall for easy-to-find key storage.
3. Add doses of color with wicker shelves, painted tile or framed posters featuring beach side scenes, whales, ocean or sailing themes.
4. Mount a brass bell by the door for a whimsical touch.
5. Use an old brass urn to catch umbrellas and an old ship foot locker for shoes and out of season footwear.
6. Make tasks like laundry and ironing easier on your legs by adding a cushioned area rug that coordinates with your colors and accents and simplify ironing chores with a wall cabinet ironing board that simply drops down when needed.
by: Aja Klena
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