Top 5 Tips for Designing an Efficient and Beautiful Laundry Room
Create a well-designed laundry room that is so beautiful and efficient you won’t even mind washing your kids’ dirty clothes!
Thanks to BLANCO for sponsoring this post and for offering gorgeous laundry sinks that help us implement beautiful sink design “beyond the kitchen.”
Let’s face it, no one loves doing laundry. On average, a typical family of four spends several hours each week sorting, washing, drying, folding, and ironing between 7-10 loads of laundry. Just as a thoughtful, well-designed kitchen makes everyday tasks more enjoyable, so too does a well-designed laundry room. With so much time spent in one space, you deserve to have your laundry room be a place you enjoy working–and a place that works for you! Here are my top five tips to help you design a more efficient and beautiful laundry space.
Laundry Room Design Tip 1: Make it Your Own
Whether you have a sprawling space or a tiny closet to work with, your laundry room should reflect your unique decorating style and blend in with your existing decor. Small spaces provide fantastic opportunities to take a few design risks, so go ahead and make it your own! Now is the time to try out that bold floor tile, wallpaper, or trendy pop of color you’ve been eyeing on Instagram.
Image Source: One Room Challenge Laundry Room by Haneen’s Haven
Image Source: Beautiful Mudroom and Laundry Makeover by Maggie Overby Studios
If light, airy, and neutral is more your speed, consider adding tone-on-tone texture to your walls with white subway tile, or an affordable textured wallpaper such as this brick wallpaper. Making your laundry room feel like a “real room” will brighten your outlook on the task and add character to your home!
Image Source: Brick Wallpaper from Postcards from the Ridge
Laundry Room Design Tip 2: Include a Laundry Sink in Your Design
Take exceptional design beyond the kitchen by installing a beautiful laundry sink. Laundry sinks are fantastic for hand-washing delicates, soaking stained items, pre-washing clothes, cleaning up paint-brushes, washing off dirty shoes, and taking care of kid and pet accidents. When considering laundry sinks, you want to look for a stain-resistant sink with a deep bowl. The BLANCO LIVENâ„¢ sink is a great option, offered in 8 heat, stain, and chip-resistant colors. It has an extra-deep 12″ bowl, and comes with a cute space-saving basket designed to fit on top of the sink. Its small profile makes it an ideal option for tight spaces.
Image Source: BLANCO LIVENâ„¢ Laundry Sink
With two kids and two dogs, I love the durability that stainless steel offers. The BLANCO QUATRUSâ„¢ R15 stainless steel laundry sink is convenient, easy to clean, and designed to fit within a variety of cabinet sizes. It features a versatile dual deck design, which can be installed as a drop-in or undermount. Both sinks have generous radius corners, making clean-up carefree. Life is messy, and a laundry sink will help you manage the mess with grace!
Image Source: BLANCO QUATRUSâ„¢ R15 Laundry Sink
Laundry Room Design Tip 3: Form Should Follow Function
When thinking through what your laundry design should include, form should follow function–meaning the purpose of the room should be the starting point for your design. Therefore, your laundry room should be designed with four zones in mind: sorting, washing/drying, ironing, and folding/hanging. With some creative planning, you can pack a lot of utility into even the smallest of space. Here are some quick mini-tips for each zone.
SORTING
Portable laundry sorters allow you to sort darks and lights and move dirty clothes to the washer with ease. If you have the floor space for a sorter, place it where the entire family can easily access it.
Image Source: White Laundry Room by So Much Better with Age
WASHING & DRYING
Your appliances will greatly impact your room design and need to be considered carefully. Stackable machines are a wonderful option for small spaces and free up precious square footage.
Image Source: DIY Laundry Room by The Everyday Home
For air-dry only items, a drying rack is handy! Use available wall space to install a pull-down drying rack that can be stowed away when not in use.
Image Source: Laundry Office Space Reveal by Simple Nature Decor
IRONING
Keep the ironing board accessible and out of the way by hanging it on the wall. Also consider updating your ironing board cover to match your new decor. A cute fabric cover can turn your ironing board into a wall accessory!
Image Source: Farmhouse Laundry Room by The Inspired Hive
FOLDING/HANGING
Front loader washer/dryer combos provide a wonderful opportunity for sneaking in some countertop space. Install a countertop over the machines to create a folding station.
Image Source: Affordable Laundry Room Makeover by French Country Cottage
A tension rod placed between cabinets allows you to hang clothes and freshly ironed shirts.
Image Source: Laundry Room Reveal by Rambling Renovators
Laundry Room Design Tip 4: Maximize Storage with Cupboards, Shelves, and Baskets
Take your cues from good kitchen designs and maximize your laundry storage with a combination of closed and open storage. In addition to laundry items, laundry rooms tend to house cleaning products, bulk supplies, and other random but necessary household goods. Closed storage is an attractive way of keeping these items organized, accessible, but out of sight.
Image Source: Hidden Laundry Vents by Worthing Court
However, open storage provides convenience and ease of use for frequently used items. A shelf directly above your washer and dryer makes for a convenient drop-zone for laundry detergents and dryer sheets. Store necessary laundry sundries in creative containers that fit your aesthetic. For example, in this farmhouse bathroom pictured below a vintage lunch pail cleverly hides dryer sheets.
Image Source: Farmhouse Laundry Room Reveal by Pink Postcard
Just as open shelving has dominated kitchen design in recent years, open shelving in laundry rooms is increasingly popular. To keep things accessible and uncluttered, use basket storage to organize necessities.
Image Source: Floating Laundry Shelves by Sand and Sisal
Image Source: Laundry Room Makeover by Ugly Duckling House
Image Source: Laundry Room Reveal by Four Generations One Roof
And never underestimate the difference a pretty glass container can make! Transfer your laundry detergents from their original packaging to a beverage dispenser or lidded glass jar. This small change makes a big impact.
Image Source: Floating Shelves Tutorial by The House of Wood
Laundry Room Design Tip 5: Utilize Every Square Inch
Granted, not everyone has the luxury of working with a large space or a large budget. If your laundry room is limited to a closet-sized space, this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice design or function. Think vertically in small spaces and utilize every square inch of space available to you.
Image Source: Beautiful Laundry Closet Makeover by Cherished Bliss
Image Source: Laundry Closet Makeover by Dagmar Bleasdale
Consider converting bifold closet doors to swing-out doors to create additional storage. I love how Blue I Style added a drying rack and container storage to her laundry closet doors! This is a brilliant way to get more function out of a small space.
Image Source: Laundry and Linen Closet Reveal by Blue I Style
And here is proof that event the smallest of laundry spaces can be beautiful and functional! Stackable machines, open shelving, attractive storage containers, and a cute sign make this tiny space functional and pleasing to the eye.
Image Source: Laundry Closet Makeover Reveal by 2 Bees in a Pod
Looking for more laundry room design inspiration? Get more ideas by visiting BLANCO!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BLANCO. The opinions and text are all mine.
Lindsay @ The DIY Mommy says
These are such amazing tips, Beth! I love how you broke down the different parts of a functional laundry room. Thank you so much for sharing!
Trisha says
Such great tips and I love seeing all the gorgeous inspiration! My laundry “room” (basically a big closet) is next on my list to transform into a tiny little space in my home that brings me joy, so this post couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks for sharing!
Suzy Handgraaf says
Hi Beth. What a great roundup of ideas and tips! Thank you for including my laundry room!
Beth says
Love your beautiful laundry room Suzy! Thanks for allowing me to feature you. 🙂
Leah | A Relaxed Gal says
I was so excited when I saw this post! I moved into a new house last year and am now ready to really start decorating. I decided this past weekend that I want to start with the laundry room. I figured it’s small and not many people will see it so it’s a good place to get my feet wet.
Looking over this post I’ve seen so many great ideas. Now I just need to narrow them down.
Leah | A Relaxed Gal
arelaxedgal.com