The laundry room is vital to any home design. It should be decorated like any other part of your home, but it should live up to its function. The most important part of designing a laundry room is function and that it provides ample storage.
Laundry Storage Needs by Room Size
Laundry rooms come in all shapes and sizes. Often it is a small ante-room between the living quarters and the garage. This is also a high traffic area, but still a valuable space. While the laundry room is a purely utilitarian space dedicated to cleaning and processing laundry, there are always other things stored in this room. A second refrigerator often finds a home in this room. Pet food storage and clean-up tools, such as brooms and mops, usually find their way into this room too.
Small Laundry Room Storage Ideas
If you have a small laundry room, you can still optimize your storage space with:
- Overhead cabinets
- Rolling cart with a top to use for folding towels or ironing
- Shelf and rod combo above the cart
- Laundry baskets
- Wall-mounted ironing board
- Shelving or cabinet over washer and dryer
Create Zones in Large Laundry Rooms
A large laundry room gives you more options for storage and greater choices for room layouts. When planning this size of a room, it helps to create zones where certain activities will take place, such as:
- Washing detergents and sundries
- Dryer area with baskets and trash can for lint
- Clean laundry for ironing, hanging and folding
- Spot removal and repairs
- Cleaning appliances, tools and supplies
Put the necessary tools and storage in each zone so everything is handy when needed.
Cabinets, Shelving, and Other Solutions
While the laundry room has many standard appliances and tools that doesn't mean you're limited in how you approach setting it up. Cabinets and shelving are just two of the types of storage needed. You can increase overhead enclosed storage by taking the cabinets all the way to the ceiling.
It's All About Storage
There are many options when it comes to cabinets that include:
- Rollout cabinets and shelves: Place the slide out shelves or cabinets beside the washing machine to store laundry powders, bleach and other products.
- Ironing board storage: Opt for either a pull out or wall cabinet drop down design.
- Broom closet: The addition of a broom storage closet can neatly store brooms, mops, vacuum cleaner, and other household cleaning tools.
- Pull out racks: Place these beside the washing machine to hold laundry supplies. One beside the dryer can hold a trash can and fabric softener sheets.
- Under sink open cabinet or shelving: Use cabinets with a sink or an open shelf beneath a drop-in sink fitted in a long counter; it's ideal for storing laundry and other types of baskets.
- Rolling hampers: These are great for maneuvering through the house as you pick up dirty clothes. Find one with several divided sections to sort the clothes. Some come with an overhead rod for hanging clean clothes.
- Door racks: Use as many door racks as you need on the back of the laundry door and cabinet doors for additional basket style storage.
- Washer and dryer shelving: Add several shelves above the washer and dryer for storing laundry baskets.
- Drying racks: Select either a wall mounted drop down design or an expandable accordion style.
- Closet style cabinets: Use these all cabinets without doors Instead use clothing rods. Stack two rods and use for shirts, jackets, slacks and blouses.
Putting It All Together
Select a cabinet style that goes with the rest of your home décor. You may prefer to open shelving over cabinet doors, but it's best to select designs that combine both. Exchange a few solid doors for glass ones to keep the room from being overpowered by large massive cabinets. You can use decorating storage baskets in these to add color and texture the same way you would in other rooms.
Add a few LED pothole lights in the upper cabinets with glass doors to create ambience and provide needed light. Create a place to take a break with a window seat design that offers storage underneath the seat.
Neat and Organized Laundry Room Example
You want the laundry room to be neat and organized so work will be efficient and everything has a specific place when not being used. If you're working in a laundry room that has at least one solid wall, then you can use it to provide a valuable work space feature -- shelving.
Shelving
This room design in the photo incorporates a shelf and rod combo that's ideally placed near the dryer. This placement allows you to keeping shirts, blouses and tops wrinkle free by placing them on a hanger immediately after removing from the dryer. The shelf above the rod can hold other laundry items, such as an iron, detergents and storage boxes.
Two other shelves are supported with decorative brackets and provide additional storage and decorative space.
Other Storage Options
Below the countertop are drawers, shelves, and cabinets. A unique corner drawer feature is a fun and helpful design for easy access. Storage baskets can be conveniently placed on the open shelves.
Recreate the Room
Roman shades cover the windows leaving the transom windows uncovered so natural light can pour into the laundry room. The hardwood floor adds warmth to the decor, taking it from a cold necessary space to part of the home decor. Add a couple of potted blooming plants for splashes of color.
This laundry room takes advantage of colors, using four in this design. To recreate this look, use a dark mocha color on the exterior wall, a pale wheat color for the shelving wall and warm polished pearl for the cabinets and wall shelves. The trim and ceiling should be painted with a lighter beige color.
Basement Laundry Room Example
Put several ideas together for a cohesive and functional laundry design. This design takes advantage of the large open space supplying all the necessary tools for a great work space.
Utilize Work Space Tools
Some of the tools used include:
- A rolling divided canvas hamper stored against the wall when not being used. You can sort clothes in the three divided sections to keep piles of clothes off the floor.
- An adjustable drying rack allows you to air-dry delicates in the laundry room instead of the bedroom.
- A sink is a necessary feature for any laundry room and is located near the washer. It also provides under the sink cabinet storage space.
Abundant Storage Options
This laundry layout provides a large L-shaped cabinet design with drawers and cabinet space. Overhead cabinets bookend an open shelving that's perfect for different sizes of wire baskets. Several wicker baskets are stored on top of the appliances that also include an extra refrigerator. There's plenty of counter space for folding clothes and other laundry needs.
Recreate the Look
This design is easy to recreate by including each of the storage features. In addition, you can make it extra special by including a few decor details. The concrete floor is painted and sealed making it ideal for an area where water is a major element. White cabinets match the appliances and feature a brown granite counter top that give contrast.
The walls and ceiling are painted neutral colors that complement the light floor color. Add recessed ceiling lights for adequate lighting. If you need direct task lighting, you can place under the counter lighting. Word art, potted plants and wall art can be selected according to personal taste and displayed to give this room a cohesive homey appeal.
Storage With Style
While a laundry room is a necessary utilitarian room, it doesn't have to be a stark and drab design. Make each storage feature added to this room design one that has style and it will make your life easier.
