Laundry room
Dedicated Space for Laundry Baskets If you don’t have a lot of floor space, baskets can quickly take up the available walking area in your laundry room, making it hard to move around and causing tripping hazards. The low open shelving in this room by Meadowlark Design+Build in Ann Arbor, Michigan, gets around that problem with dedicated space for two laundry baskets, plus room for two more on the floor beneath the shelf.
Henrietta Heisler Interiors in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, used blue-and-white tiles as an eye-catching feature in this elegant laundry room. The room also includes some smart functional choices, including bumped-out cabinets above the washing machine and dryer that allow for easier access and increased storage. Open shelving next to the cabinetry creates space for the air vent on the back wall.
Main feature. A maple butcher-block folding countertop with custom shelving below it. “Our clients are super organized,” Grabarkiewicz says. “‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is their mantra. Thus, the folding counter designed to accommodate four laundry baskets underneath was a must-have for them.” Other special features. “White cabinets and light finishes along with the large window keep this room bright and cheery,” Grabarkiewicz says. “For a relatively modest-size room, it has the function of laundry rooms twice its size. The beauty of this room is that even though it’s centrally located in the home, the room is still tucked away on the side of the mudroom so that it can be closed off when necessary. Having the large window was important so that our clients didn’t feel like they were in a laundry room dungeon while using the room.” Designer tip. “The goal of this room was to make it easy to throw in a load of laundry at any time during the day,” Grabarkiewicz says. “Thus, a central location was key. This room is right off the kitchen and great room, where the clients spend the majority of their time. And having the large window in the room makes it all br...
The master bedroom’s lofted ceiling is white shiplap, and a sculptural black metal chandelier was selected to pop against that backdrop and draw the eye up. Lilac walls, painted in Benjamin Moore’s White Water, provide a cool, calming vibe. The bench at the foot of the tufted bed is upholstered in a windowpane fabric. “Working in subtle patterns throughout a house helps to keep a look cohesive,” O’Hara says.
Other special features. “We have a place for everything,” Hopper says. “We made a space specifically for the laundry basket that this client already owned, and a stepladder compartment. [We also added] a deep sink to accommodate the needs of her dogs, and the fabulous white backsplash that ties everything together from the countertops to the beautifully painted cabinets.” Note storage for laundry basket and step Ladder
Beach Style Laundry Room by Alison Kandler Interior Design Alison Kandler Interior Design Email Save 1. Soft Green and See-Through Storage The most-saved laundry room photo of the last three months is another shot of the bright and beachy Los Angeles room designed by Alison Kandler (also featured at No. 6). The sage green French door (Southfield Green by Benjamin Moore) pictured here fills the room with light, showcasing its old-fashioned details such as vintage art, perforated-mesh panels and a periwinkle ceramic backsplash with a linen texture. Your turn: Which laundry room is your favorite? Tell us in the Comments.
Tranquil and Tucked Away In collaboration with Chrissy Howard of Jinx McDonald Interior Designs, Jonathan Kukk of Kukk Architecture & Design created this 6-by-12-foot secondary laundry space off the master suite of a home in Marco Island, Florida. The barn doors and large window allow the smaller room to feel more open, while details such as the patterned cement floor tile and built-in cabinets designed to accommodate the oversize washer and dryer make the rest of the space stand out.
After looking to Houzz for laundry room inspiration, designer Beth Booth of Spaces Renewed in San Diego put her ideas to good use in the home she shares with her husband and business partner, Ben, and their family. “I really wanted something trendy, edgy and bold but in a small enough space that if it didn’t work out perfectly, or if it gets really dated quickly, I can somewhat easily change it out,” Booth says. “So I looked at a lot of pictures and decided that the blue, matte black, cement tile and bright whites all needed to come into play.” Booth worked with San Diego Custom Cabinets to create the perfect cabinet color. “The light blue was the perfect beachy modern farmhouse feel I wanted to go with,” she says. “I loved it so much I painted the downstairs barn doors the same shade.” The Booths also used the space as an opportunity to incorporate edgier touches on a smaller scale than in other rooms of the house, such as through the patterned cement tile on the floor.
Alison Kandler Interior Design Email Save 6. Airy and Bright Sun-soaked and cheerful, this Los Angeles laundry room feels beachy, just as the homeowner requested of interior designer Alison Kandler. Other musts included an operable window for fresh air, a pedestal under the washer and dryer to suit the homeowner’s height and loads of charm. Kandler appointed the room with flea market finds such as the vintage rug and old soap boxes, along with other fitting touches like mesh cabinet door panels and glass knobs filled with laundry-room-appropria
Combine patterned floor tile, sophisticated black cabinetry, contrasting gold hardware and a few handy features and you get this Charlotte, North Carolina, laundry room by Ram Design-Build. Plenty of flat surfaces, floating storage and a pullout drying rack take the space from stylish to smart.
Fun
remodeled my laundry room several years ago and almost immediately ran into an issue I wish I would have know/thought about. My counter extends over the sink and front load w/d. Note pics #1,, 3, 9, 15 and many others. Less than a year later my washer burned up. Now it's time to replace it and I could not find a washer/dryer that fit into the same height opening. I didn't want an apartment size so I had to settle on the ONE brand that did. Personally I would make 2 countertops, one for the sink and the other for the washer/dryer. Also be sure to make them somewhat moveable!!! The washers today have grown in height and if you ever need to replace one, you will save yourself a big headache!!! See pics 8, 24, 33 and a couple of others for the different counter heights.
Dog washing station
Urrutia Design brought in glass canisters to store detergent and clothespins in this San Francisco laundry room. Note the sleek black subway tile backsplash.
Aplliances on risers, but where do you keep the soap?
Laundry Room Layout Ideas This cutaway plan illustrates a laundry room sequence with common appliance, spacing and cabinet dimensions.
Craft area. In this generously proportioned laundry room, a countertop at left is a broad, flat surface for package wrapping and crafting. Notice that its height matches the countertop to the right (with the sink), which is 36 inches high. Two counter-height stools provide seating. Keep in mind that stools come in two heights: counter height, with seats about 24 inches (61 centimeters) high; and bar height, with seats about 28 inches (71 centimeters) high. The countertop on the rear wall is about 6 inches higher to accommodate taller machines.
Washing Machine and Dryer Configuration Side by side. Washers and dryers placed side by side are typically designed to fit within 60 inches (152 centimeters) of width, but some manufacturers make more compact machines. If you place front-loading machines side by side, you will have a nice, broad surface on top of them.
Primary Areas and Functions of Laundry Rooms 1. Entry and prep. If you install a laundry sink, you will probably want to place it where you enter the room and set down the items to be washed. Here you can sort, apply fabric treatments and soak stains if necessary. 2. Washing. It is good to have a countertop where you can place your sorted loads before putting them in the washing machine. 3. Drying. You’ll also want another section of countertop for items that need to be line dried, as well as space to fold dried laundry. 4. Storage and ironing. Following the typical sequence, you then need space to put things in preparation for ironing. (Note that ironing space may be less desirable in this room if you want to watch TV while you iron, or if the dry cleaner does much of your pressing.) Folded ironing boards measure about 14 inches wide, 60 inches long and 3 inches thick (36 by 152 by 7 centimeters). 5. Extras. Of course, some people with large spaces want to use their laundry room as a craft or sewing area, mudroom or dog washing station, or to hide the litter boxes. These are very specific to each of us; planning spaces with a little extra room for these functions lets individ...
Floor
Note basket area
After: Their wish list included a folding area, storage, pullout laundry baskets, a stackable washer and dryer, a pet water station and a dog bed. Stein gave the homeowners storage next to and above their stackable units. She added pullout baskets and a pull-down drying rack on the back wall.
Table
Farmhouse Laundry Room by Sunday Home Interiors Sunday Home Interiors Email Save The side opposite the cabinets serves as a family closet, housing shoes, coats, scarves and backpacks.
Height of appliances
Farmhouse Freshness It’s comforting that the most popular laundry room photo of the past few months has a more old-school, utilitarian feel to it. This room by architect Alan Clark has beautiful modern farmhouse style, but the concrete countertop, the shelves with simple corbels, the sconces and the rolling laundry cart add a no-nonsense vibe. Meanwhile, that wallpaper is an unexpected and fresh touch. Houzzers were especially taken with the style of the shelves and the pendant lighting overhead. Takeaway: Shelves in the laundry room are allowed to be pretty. Ditch the ugly ones for ones that will make you happy.
This laundry room is thoughtfully packed with function thanks to a cabinet arrangement by Vixon Custom Cabinetry. There’s room for the sink, an overhead rod, a drying rack and maxed-out storage all around it that can hold cleaning supplies, linens and pantry items. Houzzers commented the most on the drying rack — it was a big hit. Takeaway: Consider combining the functions of a linen closet and a laundry room. When these two usually tiny spaces are together, it makes for a More functional space.
The design pros at KSI Kitchen & Bath gave this room appealing transitional style that incorporates industrial touches, such as the wire cage ceiling light and the rods fashioned from plumbing fixtures. Many Houzzers noted one of the coolest features, the tilt-out hamper cabinet with metal grilles on its doors, in the foreground on the left, in their ideabooks.
Room With a View The ash, brass and gray tones in this laundry room coordinate with the nearby kitchen. And the window and light fixture make for such a nice view, the sliding door may as well stay open all the time. Takeaway: The person doing the laundry deserves a window. Being able to enjoy a view and some fresh air while sorting and ironing makes it worth the expense.
Think of how you do laundry. Do you need one hamper or four? Maybe you prefer to hang clothing rather than fold items after they come out of the dryer. Do you like to stand and fold clothes, or do you put them in a basket and fold them in another room? Do you need a place to iron or just the storage space to keep the iron and ironing board? Again, these are things that will help a designer quickly come up with the right design for you.
Can’t stand my front loaders. Planning to switch back would love to see some laundry rooms with old school top loader washing machine. 6 Likes 1 hour ago maggielou362 I agree, Gail. Been through two frontloaders, nothing but trouble! Expensive to buy, take AGES to do a load, once cycle has started you can't throw in one last item that you found on the floor. Give me a tough, old-fashioned top loader any day! 1 Like 41 minutes ago pfmaher Gail, I agree. I have been wanting to switch to a top-loader without the agitator. I’ve had front loading machines ever since they came on the market (the 90s?). I’m tired of cleaning the gasket so it doesn’t get moldy, really sick of unknotting my pajamas, and I’m getting old enough that not having to bend over or squat to empty the washer would be nice. 1 Like
Happy room! Homeowners’ request: The homeowner has twin 10-year-olds and wanted a space that she would feel happy in while doing ongoing loads of laundry. “A laundry room is often overlooked as a space to design, but let’s face it, we are in it so often, it makes sense to create a well-thought-out atmosphere,” designer Taylor Tanimoto says. Special features: Stacked appliances freed up space for a countertop and sink. Pink striped wallpaper and a similar-colored rug add cheeriness. Designer secret: “We decided to take the back panel off of the upper cabinetry so that the wallpaper can peek through when you open the cabinet doors,” Tanimoto says. “Also, it is important to consider the scale of the wallpaper based on the size of the room. These stripes work because the laundry room is so small. In a larger room it might overpower the rest of the space.”
Special features: Custom Shaker-style white cabinets. Blue scalloped tile with white grout. White quartz countertop. Sink. Laundry cart. Designer secret: “The space was a little larger than an average laundry room, but we made it feel extra big by keeping it bright and airy,” designer Lindye Galloway says. “This is a great tip for those trying to make a small space feel larger than it is.”
Pullout hamper. If you carry a load of dirty clothes to the laundry but don’t have time to run a load, a pullout hamper can be an ideal storage spot. This kind of cabinetry works just like a trash-recycle pullout cabinet, but with hampers for sorting clothes rather than garbage.
Double up. This laundry room is a dream if you have lots of kids and lots of dirty clothes. Two washing machines and dryers means you can get through your laundry twice as fast. The space also features a pullout drying rack for your delicates.
Custom drying rack. Designer Carly Visser created this laundry room for parents with two young kids. The space features custom drying racks specifically for baby clothes and small items, which can be laid across the bars to air-dry. If anything has to be hand-washed, the farmhouse sink next to the washer and dryer can be used.
5. Multipurpose. If you have the extra space, a laundry room is great for incorporating other functions, such as craft areas, work stations, message centers and more. That way you can double up on your productivity during a busy work and laundry day. This laundry room features a multiuse island for folding and gift-wrapping, with drawers, shelves and an open area for leg and knee space or a rolling laundry cart.
Wheeled bins. The builders of this laundry room worked in ample counter space and large wheeled bins, which is a great way to protect your back from not having to bend and lift a heavy hamper.
10. Air-dry. Even with ventilation, laundry rooms can get pretty stuffy. This San Francisco space gets around that with a Dutch door to let in breezes and views. While this room does include a dryer, taking some pieces out early to air-dry saves energy and provides a natural freshness that dryer sheets can’t quite copy.
Other special features. Robin’s-egg blue cabinets feature some open shelves for storage baskets. The doorway to the left leads to a laundry chute that allows the family to toss dirty clothes down from the second floor into a large laundry cart on wheels. “It was important not to have a bunch of trips down the stairs,” Johnson says. The countertops are quartz. Designer tip. “Often overlooked in laundry rooms: having a drain in the floor,” Johnson says. “We build those right underneath the washer and slide the washer over so the drain is hidden. If something happens to the water line and it bursts, then it’s not going to flood the space.”
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