Spic & Span

How many women would join Kristen Jacobs in naming the laundry room their favorite spot in their house?

It's an easy choice when the workspace's design is as user-friendly as that in Jacobs' East Brainerd home.

The parents of three small children, Kristen and Brad Jacobs worked with Becky Worley and the staff of Classic Cabinetry to design a room that's space-efficient, functional and durable.

"In our old house, we hung hooks on the wall of the room where you'd walk in, but the coats almost overtook the space," Mrs. Jacobs said.

Now each child has a locker hidden by cabinetry panels, each with hanging space and shoe shelves. A laundry chute eliminates trips up and down stairs. A stainless-steel sink is installed in a wide, granite-topped workspace.

Best of all, since clothing and supplies are hidden inside multifunction cabinetry, the room always appears tidy.

"One of the trends we'll see this year is that people are moving to houses where space is really well-planned," said Worley.

"We're doing a lot of multipurpose planning in kitchens such as including homework stations and places to store games as the kitchen becomes the family room of the house," she said.

"Laundry rooms this close to the kitchen are being built with lots of room for extra storage as consumers are buying in bulk. They can hold the overflow," she said.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.