A Drying Rack That’s Always Out of the Way Upped This Utah Home’s Laundry Game

When graphic designer Amanda Jane Jones and her husband, Cree Lane Jones, moved from Chicago to Utah, their now 9-year-old daughter, Jane, had one request: Don’t make her sleep near the washing machines. “Poor thing. She always had the laundry in her room, so there was noise going all the time,” recalls Amanda. Fortunately for Jane and the rest of the couple’s children (Miles, 6, and Wes, 3), their new 2,800-square-foot house in Provo is big enough for the family to finally have a dedicated laundry-slash-mudroom connected to the garage. 

It took some patience to carve out the hardworking zone, though. The area not only used to be a covered outdoor carport, but the ground underneath it was sinking. After some necessary engineering that involved jacking up the house and stabilizing a few walls, Amanda got to work on the flooring and appliance selections, plus a clever addition that would change laundry day as they knew it. 

Copy the Kitchen

It didn’t take Amanda long to realize that it would be most efficient and cost-effective for her to order the cabinets for her kitchen and laundry space all in one go. She also admits that she’s a sucker for cohesion. “I think because I’m a graphic designer, I want the same type of look,” she says. Amanda turned to Form Kitchens, a European brand that offers made-to-order cabinets without the showroom markup. The white concrete countertops, on the other hand, were poured on-site by a local fabricator. 

Smile While You Swiffer

While Cree was skeptical of Amanda’s splurge of choice—the Fireclay floor tile—at first, the matte rectangles have come in handy in their new climate. The dark brown hue helps disguise mud that gets tracked inside. “Utah is much dirtier and dustier than what we were used to in a city,” says Amanda. 

Leave the Fancy Tech to Someone Else

After leaving their old washer and dryer in Chicago, the couple was in need of fresh appliances that, for starters, didn’t break the bank and fit in the tight nook under the countertop. Thanks to a Labor Day sale, they were able to find ones by LG that fit the bill on both levels. 

Because the space is a pass-through to the garage, and, therefore, the outside world, Amanda added a few key accessories near the wash-and-fold station. A round mirror over the sink means those tall enough can catch a final outfit-slash-hair check before they run out the door, and tiny individual key hooks promise important items don’t get lost in the shuffle. 

Hook, Line, and Sinker

In the Jones household, laundry happens approximately once a week, ”but it takes all day,” notes Amanda. For someone who is in and out of the room continuously, a flimsy floor drying rack is a tripping hazard. So instead, she bought George and Willy’s ceiling-mounted pulley system, which keeps clothing out of the way and also closer to the ceiling where the air is warmer. 

Quench Your Thirst

Cree was the one who was adamant about adding a drinking fountain to the room (he had one in the house he grew up in). “I thought it was frivolous, but I’ve been shocked at how handy it is,” says Amanda. Not only are there not a million half-drunk water glasses hanging around the house, but it allows her littlest one, who isn’t yet tall enough to get a drink from the kitchen sink by himself, a bit more independence.