Laundry room and family room furniture question

[scooter028]

After spending way too much of my Saturday mindlessly browsing the internet for these things, I thought I'd ask on here for "real life" opinions...
We're moving to this house in about a month and to DH's dismay, I've already got projects in mind.  There is a mudroom between the garage and kitchen which has a dump sink and I think would be a great laundry room.  Only problem, they installed a laundry chute to the garage through this room, taking up the space where a washer and dryer would go.  I think it would be worth getting rid of the laundry chute and relocate the laundry here and add some hooks and shelves to the garage to use as a mudroom.  I grew up with laundry in the basement, but that was in a ranch.  This house would require two flights of stairs to the basement and carrying heavy loads of laundry up (I guess the chute would at least get the laundry down there).  The laundry chute upstairs is in a little hall closet, so if we got rid of it, we'd gain another linen closet upstairs.  
Is it worth moving the laundry to the main floor?  




Another random question, where do I find this fabulous leather furniture set?  I've been looking everywhere for something in this color with these lines and haven't found anything.  

 

[pamela]

I would definitely move the laundry up. I don't understand why if that finished room is there, they chose to put the laundry down there. Biggest problem might be venting the dryer.

[tarheels]

Is there room in the mud room for a WD? It looks super narrow, like you wouldn't be able to open the dryer door. Remember how deep WDs are - like 4 ft.

You can't find that furniture? Really? It's got really classic lines. Where have you been looking? EA, Thomasville don't have something?

[aweilba]

Yes, I would absolutely consider moving that laundry upstairs to the mudroom.  It'd be so much easier for you and totally worth the money.

[scooter028]

www.hhgregg.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/mProduct1_10154_10051_-1_26075_172018_26053_10552_catNav___
I did find something at hh Gregg, although not real leather. I'll look at Thomasville and EA now.
the laundry room is wider than it appears but we'll definitely take some measurements. hopefully with that column out of there, it'll fit. it's a two year old house too which makes the placement of laundry in the basement even more strange to me.