There’s a new kitchen trend on the block and this hybrid room is stylish, as well as practical- but what is a bootility and what are the advantages of a bootility?
It’s the space to store everything you need to keep your home running from day to day. From ironing boards, to cleaning product, to wellies and jackets, the bootility is an upgraded utility room with added benefits.
Here’s why a bootility is a desirable feature that can be designed to suit a whole host of house sizes, why you need one and what to consider including if you want to create your own.
What is a bootility?
A bootility is a hybrid room that combines a traditional kitchen utility room and a boot room into one. Not all homes have the space to have both of these rooms separately so combining the two creates a practical, multipurpose space with the best of both worlds.
Why is the bootility trending?
Whether you’ve got a small or a large space, multipurpose rooms and multifunctional living are becoming more and more important in the modern home. Storage is also a big requirement for most people, particularly in big families. One of the main advantages of a bootility is that it provides storage with multiple purposes and a room with multiple uses.
On top of that, there has been a big rise in people buying pets since the beginning of the covid pandemic and the bootility is the perfect space for new fury friends.
What are the advantages of a bootility?
The main advantage of a bootility is that it gives you the space to store everything you need to keep your home running from day to day, and bridges the gap between your garden and indoor living space. But there's so many more pros to this hybrid room...
Hide away bulky and noisy items
A bootility gives you a space to house bulky white goods, utility products, and everyday family clutter, meaning you can keep your main kitchen area clean and tidy. With the popularity of open plan kitchens not slowing down, it’s a great space to shut off noisy appliances like washing machines or dryers. This is great for when you’re entertaining and have guests.
Add value to your home
Another big advantage of a bootility is that they can add value to your home. In general, experts believe that you could expect around a 5% increase in value through the addition of a bootility room.
A survey commissioned by UK Radiators, questioned 1,000 people in the UK to find out what their dream home would look like and a utility/laundry room featured in the top three most sought after features for the home. A hybrid utility plus boot room has even more purpose and appeal and is definitely a desirable feature for those looking to buy a new home.
Bridge the gap between your home and garden
Like traditional boot rooms, the bootility is often found at the back of the house. They are usually just off the kitchen and designed to be a seamless extension of that room. From a design perspective, a bootility creates the perfect room to bridge a gap between your home and the outdoors, preventing outdoor dirt from getting into the kitchen and main living areas.
Therefore one of the main advantages of a bootility is that they’re perfect for after muddy dog walks or a gardening day as it’s a dedicated space to keep muddy boots, wet overcoats and mucky pups!
Great for fury friends
Another advantage of a bootility is therefore that they’re great for pets. ‘With approximately 45% of UK households now owning a pet, it makes sense to accommodate this furry friend from the outset’.
Create a washing area in your bootility, add hooks dedicated to leads, or even install one of our Mereway pet cabinets, made especially to house dog or cat beds so that they have their own dedicated space whilst still being close to you. A bootility is also the perfect place to store their food and treats.
Stylish storage
The final advantage of a bootility is the stylish storage solution it provides. Often designs mix open and closed storage: closed storage to store seasonal items, hide washing machines and cleaning products and open storage such as hooks and shelves for coats, shoes and dog leads. They give you space to store all of the extra everyday things that you might not have space for in your main kitchen.
What is in a bootility room?
What goes into your bootility room depends on the amount of space you have and the needs of your family and lifestyle. A sink is probably the most common feature of a bootility, along with a washing machine and/or dryer. Some families like to house their dishwasher in the bootility too so it’s out of the way, and others like to have a second fridge or freezer for extra space.
Then of course, hooks and shelves are important for shoes and coats, and a bench is a popular feature to make taking them off that bit easier. Drawers, storage baskets and wardrobes can also be useful. Some people even chose to include a dog or boot wash!
How to design a bootility
So, you’re convinced on the advantages of a bootility and want to install one, but what are the main things to consider and include in the design?
Flooring
If your bootility is designed right, it should get a lot of use and therefore it’s important to consider hard-wearing flooring Tiles are a good option as they come in a wide variety of colours and finishes, and are easy to install and wipe down. Vinyl tiles are a particularly affordable and versatile option. Another alternative is to opt for a more traditional natural stone flooring for a country-style design.
Cabinets
Full height cabinets offer the most effective and efficient solution as they provide the best storage space to floor space ratio. They’re also the most practical type of storage for bigger household items such as hoovers or brooms. They can also be used to create a small wardrobe for coats. To maximise space, and therefore storage, consider made-to-measure and bespoke cabinets for the best results.
Shelving
Customise your shelving to fit your storage needs. Consider a combination of open shelving and closed cabinets, as well as the height of the shelving to fit the size of the specific items stored there. For example, have a dedicated shelf the height of your wellies, or smaller shelves for hats and gloves.
Seating area
Customise your shelving to fit your storage needs. Consider a combination of open shelving and closed cabinets, as well as the height of the shelving to fit the size of the specific items stored there. For example, have a dedicated shelf the height of your wellies, or smaller shelves for hats and gloves.
Laundry area
The design of your bootility can help make doing the laundry as easy and as quick as possible. Consider housing your washing machine and dryer on top of each other in full height cabinets to maximise space and ease of moving clothes between the two.
Other features such as a pull-out clothes maid or a clothes maid pulley can provide useful drying space. Drawers above and below the washer can also be a good idea to store detergents, stain removers or used as storage space for the laundry basket.
A bootility is a stylish and practical space that you’ll soon realise you can’t live without. There are a lot of advantages of a bootility and a lot to consider when designing one. To maximise the efficiency and design of the space, it’s always best to get an experts’ help.
We’re here to help you create a bespoke solution that’s perfect for your family home.
Call us today on 0151 342 1000 or visit one of our showrooms in Chester, Prenton or Heswall to talk to one of our expert advisors about adding this extension to your new or existing kitchen and customising it for your family’s needs.