We were recently asked about laundry room design ideas, specifically how to create a space that is both functional and beautiful. Our team has designed countless laundry rooms over the years, and we’ve compiled our top five tips and design ideas for transforming this area of your home!
1. Keep Most Storage Closed
While open shelving is beautiful, most items in a laundry room are not ones you want to keep on display. Cleaning bottles, cleaning rags, detergent… you’ll likely be happier with all those items stored out of sight! This approach also takes away the pressure to keep everything neat at all times. We recommend using closed storage options in the laundry, such as cabinets, baskets, under-cabinet curtains—whatever works best in your space!
2. Create Hidden Working Spaces
Closed storage isn’t just for your soaps and cleaning supplies! You can also conceal your working spaces, such as ironing boards and clothing drying racks. There is no shortage of clever custom cabinetry solutions to keep these items out of sight when not in use. This not only makes your space more visually appealing but also helps keep the area free of larger items that you may not need every day and prefer not to have taking up space. This is especially useful if your laundry room doubles as a mudroom.
3. Consider How You’ll Realistically Use the Space
On paper, putting an ironing board in the laundry room makes sense. However, let’s consider your laundry and morning routines. Do you iron your clothes after washing them, or do you prefer to iron them before getting dressed in the morning? If it’s the latter, do you want to walk from your bedroom to the laundry room with your clothes, or would it be easier to keep an ironing board in your bedroom closet? These are the types of questions we discuss with our clients to better understand their lifestyle so we can design spaces that serve them and their needs.
4. Create a Thoughtful Layout
We often encounter homes where the laundry area is located in an entryway that also serves as a mudroom. In this case, the layout of the room becomes especially important. You’ll need enough surface area for clean clothes and we’re guessing you don’t want those right next to “dirty” coats, shoes, and where other outdoor items are entering the home. Consider organizing the space so that all cleaning and laundry tasks are confined to one area while designating another area for different functions. This approach will help you stay organized and make working in the space much more seamless!
5. A Room to be Playful
Finally, and perhaps the most important tip: don’t be afraid to showcase your personality! The laundry room is a space where we all spend more time than we’d like, so why not transform it into a room that you feel good being in? Depending on your personal style, this might mean adding pops of color or a fun patterned wallpaper. Or it could simply mean adding some decor items like you would in any other room of your home. Make it your own – it will make laundry feel a little bit less of a chore.
