The utility room is a bit of a modern home luxury. A well-designed utility room serves to bridge the gap between indoors and out, preventing outdoor dirt from entering the kitchen and main living areas, as well as holding bulky white goods, utility products, and everyday family clutter.

"The so-called engine room of the home is deserving of its name," says Tom Howley, founder of the eponymous kitchen company. "A well-designed utility room can include a washing machine, tumble dryer, sink, a place to store clothes maidens, the ironing board and iron, extra storage for shoes and even additional pantry space.

"Busy lifestyles can be challenging. Work, leisure, and family life have never been more demanding meaning any help we can get to make things easier can come as a welcome relief."

Here, we look at 17 classic utility room ideas to inspire an update in your own home.

This elegant utility room has lots of clever features, like the double sink, integrated and overhead storage, and a copper hanging rail to dry clothes.

Pictured: Utility room designed by Stephenson Wright with hardware by Armac Martin

The 'bootility' room is a hybrid utility-boot room full of handsome cabinetry, a spot to hang coats, umbrellas and dog leads, and usually a bench to perch on whilst getting ready for a muddy walk.

Pictured: Country Living Whitstable Kitchen at Homebase

This attractive utility room solution is a bit of a secret money-saver. Instead of replacing worn out or outdated cabinets, hang some heavy-weight canvas curtains to add a bit of texture to your room.

You can never have enough baskets in a utility room. Pile them with linens, dishcloths and cleaning utensils to contain the clutter.

Pictured: Garden Trading Bembridge Storage Baskets at Cotswold Trading Co

Floor-to-ceiling storage – especially in a room with a lot of height – is a dream scenario in a utility room. This elegant example uses shaker cabinets to make something totally striking out of a practical feature.

Pictured: Utility room designed by Stephenson Wright with hardware by Armac Martin

Most of the utility rooms on this list err on the side of soft neutrals, with the odd racer green. We love this practical black version, which will better withstand inevitable scuffs and scrapes.

Pictured: Accessories at Garden Trading

The utility room is one of the most high-traffic areas in your home, requiring extra thought for choice of flooring. Whilst natural stone flooring is a traditional choice, an easy-to-clean engineered wood or high-quality vinyl tile are both versatile and affordable options to withstand muddy shoes and heavy footfall.

Pictured: Mardi Gras 576 Estrella Vinyl at Carpetright

One for the design conscious. Decant your cleaning materials into attractive glass jars and collect your utensils into apple crates – as for the utensils themselves, vintage or wooden versions can double as decor.

Pictured: Bespoke utility room by Kitchen Makers

The ultimate utility room space saver. This laundry maid from deVOL has a charming and vintage feel, which lends itself to a country-style home.

Pictured: The Laundry Maid by deVOL

The decorative side of a utility room is often overlooked in favour of more practical elements. And whilst the latter is most certainly a priority, some soft touches like flowers won't go amiss – it's all about making the room a nicer place to be whilst doing dreary tasks.

Pictured: Accessories at Garden Trading

This busy utility room utilises every inch of space. The L-shaped bench is great for storing muddy wellies, and offers a spot to sit to pop them on. The textiles are a nice touch too, so often overlooked in a utility room.

Pictured: Bespoke utility room by Kitchen Makers

The utility room will naturally be full of cleaning products, some unsightly bottles and perhaps extras like dog food and leads. Utilise some well-designed small storage solutions like this galvanised bucket to stop your bits and pieces drifting across your counters.

Pictured: Edgeworth Bucket at Garden Trading

Quite a few of the utility rooms on this list have a spot for chopped logs. And whilst many homes won't actually have use for them, they make for a great decorative touch.

Pictured: Bespoke utility room by Olive & Barr

This is lovely off-white putty colour is a great alternative to a more clinical white or dreary grey. The warm undertones lend themselves to brass or bronze hardware and some yellow-toned woods.

Pictured: Utility room designed by Rachael Somerville Interiors with hardware by Armac Martin

For anyone who is tired of unsightly drying racks taking up floor space, invest in a wall or ceiling-mounted dryer with a simple wood frame.

Pictured: Chalford Wall Dryer at Garden Trading

Take a close look at this XL utility room by Olive & Barr, and you'll spot a sweet integrated dog bed. "Get the most of your space by opting for bespoke," says Al Bruce, Founder of Olive & Barr. "Having a made-to-measure piece will help to maximise every inch of the room. Often dog beds can look unsightly or can often get in the way. To avoid this, design the perfect snooze spot for your pooch with an integrated dog bed."

Pictured: Bespoke utility room by Olive & Barr

Stacking your appliances vertically is a great space-saving device. For an extra helpful touch, incorporate a pull-out shelf into the space between your appliances so you can fold your clothing as soon as it comes out of the dryer.

Pictured: Utility room designed by Planet Furniture with hardware by Armac Martin