Beautiful Utility

April 2, 2025

Words by Andrea Darr | Photos by Brynn Burns

Laundry Day isn’t (as much of) a chore in these two rebranded spaces.

he laundry room: the must-have but, often, the most unloved room in a house. We ask for it to serve one of our primary needs in life—clothing—yet we do it a disservice by making it a mishmashed catchall without its own personality, cluttered with misplaced socks and overflowing household items. Maybe it’s time to rebrand Laundry Day as a “spa day for your clothes”—and match the environment to go with it.

Overland Park resident Tammy Horn had taken the time years ago to update her laundry room, painting the cabinets a sunny yellow and laying a pattern of black and white penny tiles on the floor herself.

But those cabinets had been made to fit from her previous kitchen.

“It was just a space that had never been properly designed,” she says. “It functioned for 15 years where I had stacked clothes where the double oven used to sit. For a first-floor space, it didn’t feel perfected or tailored.”

It might have stayed that way had an unforeseen incident not forced a renovation. A water leak damaged the ceiling below, and while it was exposed, Tammy and her husband decided to rethink that whole corner of their house, including their laundry room.

“It’s the first room you see—everyone comes in through the side door,” Tammy notes.

She hired trusted confidant Kisa White of KPW Designs to help redefine the intimate space with purpose and aesthetics in mind.

“I wanted to create a space that I wanted to enter,” Tammy notes.

The Horns are only the third owners of the historic early 1900s Foursquare-style house and have remodeled several spaces over the years. This was the one space that had been left behind. But there were three obvious keepers: a stained glass window and transom, along with the painstakingly laid penny tile floor. Everything else was up for auction.

“We had conversation after conversation about what was needed,” Kisa says. “My job was to ensure all those elements were there while still making it beautiful.”

The washer and dryer were elevated into armoire-like cabinets, with a pull-out tray below for easily scooping laundry into a basket without bending over.

The island doubles as a folding table and a wrapping station. Tucked underneath are a fold-out drying rack and more storage.

“It was all intentional planning,” Kisa says. “We spent a lot of time on the specifics.”

Kisa and Tammy collected and counted items that would go in the space, measured them and made a space for them. Tammy didn’t know how many rolls of tape she owned until she’d had a look at everything piled together.

“There are things you have and don’t know what to do with,” Tammy shrugs.

In her home, the mantra now fits: A place for everything and everything in its place. Sandwich bags, gift wrap and dog food have designated spots. Standard overflow items, like the crock pot and the food processor, found a home, but Tammy’s needs went even further than that.

“What about my oversized electric roaster that I use once a year?” Tammy asks.

And the percolator for hot cider? Space for canning supplies? The old family video recorder? It’s all hidden behind beautiful cabinetry custom-built by Ryan Parks of Parks Cabinets. And still, the Horns have drawers that are not yet filled.

Every visitor comments positively on the color choice, Farrow & Ball’s Drop Cloth, a taupe that changes color throughout the day. Kisa and Tammy selected sturdy, scaled-up hardware that Kisa calls the ‘jewelry’ of the space.

“Kisa says a little bit of black should be in every room, and I think that’s right,” Tammy adds. They included that touch in the light fixture and the framed art.

Kisa also replaced the makeshift remnant granite tops with Carrara marble tops. They brighten and modernize the space while looking timeless and appropriate for the house’s style.

Interior Designer: Kisa White, KPW Designs

Resources: Designer: KPW Designs Cabinets: Parks Cabinets Paint: Farrow & Ball (Drop Cloth) Countertop: Architectural Surfaces Countertop Fabricator: SCI Surfaces Light Fixture: Pottery Barn Plumbing: Grandview Winnelson Hardware: Locks & Pulls Featured Artist: Susan Righter Interior Amenities: Rev- a-Shelf

Graceful in Blue-Green

Photos by Matt Kocourek

For homebuilder and designer Lauren Browne of Grace & Nell Homes, the laundry room was a high priority in her 2024 Artisan Home at Mills Ranch. In fact, the idea blossomed into a beautiful, multifunctional space that she had wanted to try out for some time.

“As a woman builder, I do my projects based on how I’d like my home to function if it were mine,” she says.

Inspired by her own crafty kids, Browne wanted to split the space between the chore of laundry and the fun of art.

“They’re maker space kids; they’re constantly doing things,” she notes.

In this second-floor space, light floods into an open room that Browne recognizes is “definitely not cramped.”

The exterior design is to thank for that. The elevation created this oversized room inside that wasn’t quite large enough for a bedroom and bath. The windows divide the room asymmetrically, so one wall is wider than the other.

Browne ruminated on this factor: “How do I balance all the functionality without making it feel strange?”

Then the idea hit her: “I need to use a galley kitchen concept.”

One side of the room is dedicated to laundry, with a stacked washer and dryer unit, a built-in drying rack and a sink. On the other side, a desk space sits next to a built-in gift wrap station and floor-to-ceiling storage.

The concept works exceptionally well with a multipurpose wood-topped island on castors that floats between both spaces. It can be used for folding laundry, wrapping gifts or getting creative. Handily, it measures the exact height of the base shelves to make an even surface when pushed to one side.

Browne worked for months with her cabinet maker, Miller’s Custom Cabinets, to fully customize the storage, which consists of a mix of open and closed cabinets.

“I love having storage baskets to easily pull from, so I wanted some open but also some closed to hide all the junk,” she explains. “The right side has functional storage for days. We all have odd things that we need in our lives, but where do they go? Here.”

With paintbrushes and detergents properly hidden away, Browne could then focus on the aesthetics.

A starburst pendant at the center of the room adds a visual punch to a space already filled with natural light and several canned lights. A fireclay sink by House of Rohl paired with a shiny bridge faucet is set into an English marble countertop.

“It’s keeping with the vibe of the house,” Browne says.

Thibaut floral wallpaper with a custom-matched gray-green paint color for the trim and cabinets makes the most striking—and memorable—statement of all.

“It makes a dreamy room,” she says.

Builder/Designer: Grace & Nell Homes, @graceandnell

Resources: Builder/Designer: Grace & Nell Homes Lighting: Visual Comfort, sourced through Relative Lighting Plumbing: Rohl, sourced through Ferguson Countertops: Dimensional Stoneworks Wallpaper: Thibaut Cabinets: Miller’s Custom Cabinets