How to Design a Small Laundry Room to Maximize Functionality

Designing a small laundry room that is functional and full of character is highly possible. If you are looking at how to design a small laundry room, you have come to the right place. From maximizing space, choosing the layout of the room, to decorating the laundry room, we have them covered in how to design a small laundry room.

What is a laundry room?

What do you need for a functional small laundry room?

• Use a sliding door for the entrance: To further maximize space, a sliding door that slides on a horizontal track is suggested. If you want other alternatives, you can consider bifold doors or a simple minimalist curtain.
• Vertical arrangements: Instead of placing your washing machine and dryer side by side, you can get the best of your space by stacking them together by putting your dryer on top of your washing machine.
• Be practical: Fill your laundry room with practical items like a countertop to fold clean laundry with underside storage space to store baskets.
• Countertops above machinery: Install countertops above your dryer and washing machines and make them your folding station. If you want to add more styles, you can conceal your machinery inside cabinets with concealing doors.
• Floating shelves: To put small cleaning products like detergents as well as small decorative items, or maybe small plants. Stack two or more shelves to make the room pretty.
• Portable folding station: A simple mechanical folding station that you can fold down whenever you need to use it and fold back up again after you finish.
• Collapsible drying racks: You can hang your wet clothes here. Additionally, they don’t take much space and you can fold it when not in use. But if you want something different, you can get clothing rods to drip-dry your wet laundry.

How to paint a small laundry room?

As a laundry room is usually the smallest room in the house, I suggest that you paint your laundry room with a light color to feel more spacious. Light paint color will make your small laundry room appear bigger, open, and more interesting. Furthermore, it will help stimulate positive and energetic emotions while you do your laundry chores. And not to mention that a light paint color like white, grey, and cream will create a sense of cleanliness, organization, and peace.

Decoration-wise, you can have fun with garage sales finds, unique wall art, interesting signage, cute little plants, and more. Since the laundry room is small in size, you can do décor experiments with ease. If you dislike the result, you can easily change the décor or theme of the room.

What is the number one concern in designing a small laundry room?

The number one concern for designing a functional small laundry room is space. It is arguably one of the most important aspects, if not the most important one of a laundry room. But you can still make a functional laundry room in a smaller space, and don’t be surprised at how small you can go. Bigger is always better but if space is limited and you still want your laundry room, then you should make the most out of your space. According to a seasoned builder from The Washington Post, the smallest laundry room you can have is 9 feet by 11 feet, which is around 3 square meters.

How to choose a small laundry room layout?

The dimensions of the room will direct your laundry room layout. There are some popular layouts that you can choose such as galley single laundry room, galley two-row laundry room, and L-shape laundry room.

• Single-row galley layout: In this layout, you put everything on one side including appliances, storage units, folding area, sink, and more. One of the most popular layouts for smaller laundry rooms as you only use one side of the wall while having ample space for you to work and move around.
• Two-row galley layout: It is where appliances and workspace are on both sides of the walls and run parallel to each other. You can put your washer, dryer, and sink on one side and storage and folding area on the other side for efficient workflow.
• L-shape layout: A great way to add more surface area to work on, storage area, remove dead corners, and add more utilities to the room, like a dog shower area.

The final layout of your laundry room will depend on your lifestyle and habits. Before finalizing your layout, you need to ask yourself questions like “Where do I like to fold or iron my clothes”, “How many cleaning products do I need”, or “How many types of fabrics do I need to separate”. These questions will tell you the functions and items that you need for your laundry room.

Where is the best place to put a small laundry room?

Commonly laundry room is placed on the same floor as the bedrooms to avoid carrying big piles of laundry up and down the stairs. But you also want to make it away from the sleeping area to avoid disturbance when you do evening cleaning. The thing is there is no “perfect” place to put a laundry room. However, here are some other places where you can put laundry room:

• Hallway: You can install your laundry machines at the end of the hallway. Alternatively, you can put them on the side of the hallway if it’s wide enough. To keep the visual of your hallway, you can store your laundry machines behind closed cabinet doors or add curtains to conceal them.
• Kitchen: A laundry room and kitchen combined is a compact and modern way for you who live in an apartment or smaller living space. It can blend perfectly within your kitchen by putting them inside cabinets that match your kitchen set. And my favorite thing is you can pay close attention to when the load is finished.
• Bathroom: A bathroom and laundry room together are common, especially in an apartment and in the dry bathroom. But you have to maintain the airflow in the room as moisture will destroy your laundry appliances. Additionally, keeping your bathroom clean and hygienic is important to keep mold and mildew away.
• Outdoor: Similar to having a laundry area in the bathroom and kitchen, you need to keep the power plug and electrical machinery safe from water. However, what makes the outdoor laundry area different is that you can air dry your wet laundry with heat-powered sunlight. When the wet season comes, your laundry area is prone to get wet, which is why you will need a roof or a shade to keep the area dry when it rains.
• Basement: You can make use of your basement as a laundry room if you have enough space for the laundry machines. Having the laundry room in the basement will conceal the noise that your machines may emit. Additionally, great lighting and ventilation like casement and tilt windows are important to make sure you have enough lighting and good airflow.
• Unused area: You can make a laundry area anywhere as long as you have the basics like water, electrical, and plumbing. Even though laundry machines have bulky designs, you can conceal them with a laundry closet to match the surrounding design.

The bathroom and kitchen are both great spots for the laundry area as the water valves and drainage are nearby. In addition, you can reduce the cost as you don’t need to build an additional sink.

Making laundry room on the same level as your bedroom makes the most sense, at least for most people. You change your clothes in your bedroom and put your clean clothes in your wardrobe. Having a laundry room near your bedroom is an excellent choice. There is no need for you to go up and down the stairs while carrying loads of dirty or clean laundry.

Even though placing a laundry room near a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen is generally the best choice, other places mentioned above work well as well.

How to do it yourself in a small laundry room?

Making a DIY small laundry room project is exciting You start to imagine how amazing your laundry room will be and how great it will be to do laundry chores in your perfect and cozy little laundry room, and you should be. But before you shop for the décor, there are multiple important things that you need to know and think about. Here are some tips to DIY a small laundry room that you shouldn’t miss out on:

• Plan the layout: First of all, you need to set up and plan the layout and position of the appliances, furniture, sink, and other items. A small laundry room without a thorough plan is a disaster waiting to happen.
• Place the dryer right: Position your dryer against an outside wall for the shortest and most efficient venting.
• Get the necessities ready: Prepare water, electricity, and plumbing nearby as they are the bare minimum in making a laundry room.
• Choose a single-load washing machine: In this time and age, we should weigh the environmental impact of our household. A single-load washing machine takes less time to complete the cycle and more energy efficient than a double-load washing machine.
• Conceal with laundry closet: It is an excellent way to blend your laundry area into any room by storing laundry machines inside the laundry closet that match the style of the room. If you plan to store your washer or dryer in a closet, you need to make the cabinets deeper as laundry machines are bulky and take a big portion of the space.
• Flat surface: Make sure to have a flat surface to put on and fold clean clothes before moving them to your closet or wardrobe. It can be a countertop, foldable table, or any clean flat surface that you can find.
• Room size: Ideally, you will need about 50 square feet of space which is equivalent to 5 square meters. But you can get away with smaller room sizes.
• Floor slope: Create a gentle slope that goes to the drain. It allows water to naturally move towards the drain and prevent trapped water.
• Fluorescent lighting: You want your laundry room to be well-lit when you do your laundry. It boosts your energy and promotes a positive mood. Subsequently, a well-lit room will make the room feel clean and organized.
• Waterproof tiles and furniture: Water spill is bound to happen, no matter how careful you are. Water-resistant floorings and countertops are a must to prevent mold from growing. You can get ceramics, vinyl, and natural stone floorings for your laundry room.
• Cabinets: Cabinetry is important as you have a lot of cleaning products to store. Additionally, you can use the underside space to keep your laundry baskets or hampers.

Conclusion

You can design a small laundry room with a bit of planning to make it work. There are number of options that can help make small space work for a laundry area. From choosing storage strategies, layout planning, and multipurpose furniture, you can turn a tight space to be a functional small laundry room.