An ironing board is a family essential that is often forgotten about when designing a house. “Ironing boards are one of those necessary evils, like vacuums, toilet brushes and buckets,” says designer Jamie Herzlinger. “They are just constantly overlooked” Rather than shoving your clunky ironing board behind a washer or in a closet, try following these 3 easy tips from four pros: Hide it, hang it, either or decorate it!
Crisp Architects
1. Hide it. Installing an ironing board at a hideaway drawer or cupboard is an perfect laundry solution for many homeowners. Not only can you conveniently tuck your ironing board away at the drop of the hat, but it supplies a static and strong ironing channel without taking up any additional room.
Bud Dietrich, AIA
Cabinet hideaway ironing boards do not have to be set up in the laundry room. Since they’re hidden away in an attractive cabinet, you may choose the location that is suitable for your home and lifestyle best, and set up the ironing board. When it’s not in use, just fold it up and close the door — nobody could ever know that it’s there! The hideaway ironing board featured above was discovered at NuTone.
Jamie Herzlinger had a cupboard built in this laundry area to match the laundry cabinetry. She used a full-sized ironing board from Iron Away. The great thing about this type of cupboard is that when you buy it, you can confront it together with your own material to coincide with the rest of the room, therefore the ironing channel is eloquent with the rest of the area’s design.
Lisa Adams, LA Closet Design
Drawer hideaway ironing boards are another space-saving solution that needs less space than a cupboard ironing channel. This closet designer had a pull-out ironing board set up in a closet drawer for last minute touch ups. A similar model is sold via Rev-A-Shelf.
WL INTERIORS
This designer opted to keep the ironing board in the laundry area. Its clean and simple design helps keep this room (and its gorgeous cabinetry) looking spotless.
If you are a renter — or just don’t have the ideal kind of setup — occasionally doing a hideaway board is not really the ideal choice. Try investing in a bigger ironing board that is easier to conceal, but no more difficult to use.
2. Hang it. If a deficiency of storage is an issue, interior designer Nicole Lanteri suggests looking no farther than your laundry room doorway. “On the doorway is obviously my go-to for anything,” she says. “Search for doors you haven’t thought of yet. My ironing board is on the doorway in the closet with my own water heater. There’s only enough room for it there.”
Here, Janet Grubb, author of I Heart My Glue Gun, came up with a cute and convenient way to hang her iron on her laundry room doorway.
Meant for what she describes as “the world’s smallest laundry room,” Grubb created this adorable hook set with a 1 x 4, two hooks, some paint, and painters tape along with stencils for the design. The possibilities are endless here!
Julie Holloway
3. Decorate it. Julie Holloway came up with an even simpler solution. She did not wish to take care of the muss and fuss of installing new hooks or cabinetry to store her ironing board. So instead, she chose to embrace it! One cute ironing board cover afterwards, and it looks perfect in her adorable laundry area — tucked off, but still visible.
Laura Hayes
Lanteri suggests looking into getting a customized iron cover created. “You can get a custom cover with your preferred cloth without spending a lot of cash,” she says. “Hang the plank on adorable white and black hooks out of somewhere like Anthropologie. It is going to really increase your decor, rather than detract!”
Next: Products to liven up your ironing channel.
IKEA
PRESSA Ironing board cover – $4.99
These adorable ironing board covers out of IKEA come in a pack of 4, with colours and styles suited to any home. All these are easy to clean and maintain, and are a quick, easy solution to spice up an unattractive ironing board.
Etsy
Peacock Feathers Ironing Board Cover – $24
If you’d like something a little more unique, try searching Etsy. This Etsy seller specializes solely in covers for ironing boards, and contains everything from a bold teal and pink peacock feather pattern, to some subtle Marimekko-like poppy cover.
Lowe’s
Hide-Away Ironing Board with Sleeve Board – $209
Although installing a cupboard hideaway ironing board resembles a high-end endeavor, it can actually be rather easy process. This recessed model has a swivel board and a doorway that could mount on the left or the ideal side. It comes with all the screws necessary to set up. With a little elbow grease, a bit similar to this will wind up looking to be an integrated part of your house.
More ideas:
10 Tips for Creating Your Laundry Room Better
Laundry Rooms That Put the “Fun” in “Functional”