Whether sold separately or as part of a kitchen, utility rooms or bootilities can be big business

Part of the Laura Ashley brand, by Symphony, is Harbury furniture shown here as a boot room

Once a mere overspill of the kitchen space, the utility room has finally come of age and with it a new glammed-up aesthetic.

It’s out with lower spec, minimal design and in with stylish laundry spaces, perhaps even combined with a boot room to create a bootility.

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And they offer retailers both the opportunity to extend a kitchen project or as an individual sale.

The growth of the utility or boot room could be attributed to more people working from home and having the time to realise how ground floor use can be optimised in their house.

Enter dedicated spaces for laundry, jackets and shoes and perhaps even a dog shower!

Blossom Avenue brand manager at BA Aine McKernan comments: “A dedicated boot room or utility is a great way to introduce a practical solution at the backdoor and expand the main kitchen area.

“And as we approach the coldest, wettest months of the year, furniture schemes that add value are now becoming integral to daily life.”

Social media stars

Such is the desirability of utility, boot room or bootility storage, these spaces have become stars of social media for home interiors.

Crown Imperial offers a range of ready to go furniture for utilities including a tall, laundry cupboard, alongside medium and high wall cabinetrs including pull-out laundry baskets

Fabric care manager at Miele GB Alastair Cooke comments: “Increasingly, the utility or bootility has become an instagrammable hub for domesticity, demanding the same level of design specification and attention to detail as the kitchen.”

While Jonathan Britton of  Perrin & Rowe/Shaws of Darwen EMEAA puts some numbers to this, as he reports: “The hashtag ‘utility’ has been used over 406k times on Instagram, which should just how popular these stories have become with the modern-day homeowners.

“Perrin & Rowe gets tagged in so many amazing spaces on social media by discerning customers sharing their renovation projects”.

Home added value

While a boot room or bootility may conjure up images of quintessential rural retreats, marketing and retail director at Symphony Group Simon Collyns says they are not restricted to country retreats.

This bootility, created by Daval, includes storage, laundry area and pet shower, is designed in solid ash kitchen furniture range Pembroke

Instead, he says: “Utility and boot rooms are very desirable with homeowners, wherever they are located (town or country) and whatever the style of house.”

And, then managing director of Fisher & Paykel, David Woollcott agrees adding: “We have seen this trend span from new build properties right through to older homes.

“A room which can keep household chores separate from other spaces is one which has proved to be timeless, bootility rooms have simply become an extension of this.”

Rotpunkt offers a range for the utility room with custom laundry cabinets, housing for appliances and tall units

In fact, the utility or bootility can be tailored to suit the size of most properties as Simon Collyns explains the financial benefit for the homeowner: “While a large utility and separate boot room would be the ultimate goal, a small utility or boot room or a combination of the two still brings significant added value to a property.”

Design considerations

So what should kitchen designers consider when creating these spaces?

Forming part of the Blossom Avenue brand by BA is this Bella Supermatt Indigo Blue Austin furniture, which answers the trend for ‘modern country’.

Unsurprisingly, it depends on the demands of the individual household, however commercial director of Crown Imperial Tony McCarthy states for a project designers should consider planning it in a similar way to a kitchen: “In designing a utility room the same principles apply as if it were a main kitchen, although customers may with to opt for more practical elements to maximise a small space.

“Organised laundry storage solutions need to be easily accessible for all the family, as well as incorporating appliances with a lower decibel rating for a quieter laundry experience.”

For storage, designers can consider a choice of tall or floor-to-ceiling cupboards for storing brushes, airing clothes or concealing brushes and ironing boards, while boot rooms will require hooks, shelving and perhaps a bench seat.

Matt Phillips, head of UK operations at Rotpunkt highlights furniture interior components coming to the fore, such as “specially-designed cavities for washer dryers, tall units with integrated laundry baskets adjustable shelves and angled storage options.”

While, fabric care manager at Miele GB Alastair Cooke offers some suggestions on appliance placement for a washing machine and tumble dryer, explaining: “These can be placed side-by-side, with the doors opening in the opposite direction for convenience or stacked on top of each other depending on space and the design layout.”

Solidified home position

While the utility or bootility is not guaranteed to be the hottest trend to watch over coming months and years, the reason is that it will have solidified its position in home interiors.

Designed in a galley-style arrangement, Velvet Blue Urban Furniture is used for overhead storage, hanging clothes and bench seating, created by Brandt Design

The need for an additional room is supported by the open plan kitchen space, which is now focused on socialising as much as cooking.

So by relegating daily laundry chores to an adjacent room, it allows for a more conducive environment for entertaining.

Managing director of Daval Furniture Simon Bodsworth explains: “I believe that bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor living will only grow in popularity with warmer summer temperatures and fresh design concepts like the bootility room are helping to retain the social aspects of open living by minimising noise from laundry appliances and preventing dirt and debris coming into the main areas of the home.”

So designers should unleash their creativity and consider how they can create bootiful interiors.