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laundry roomDesign DilemmaStorage & Closet
ventralpal

Master Closet vs. Laundry Room: That Last 18"...

Restorationers
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

Greetings! We're updating a master walk-in closet (below photo, on left) that abuts a second floor closet-turning-laundry room (room on the right). The master closet dimensions are currently 11' long (with a small window along one side, and a convex curved wall along another) x 8.5' wide (at narrowest).

There is 18" of contested space between the rooms; if we added it to the closet, we'd be making the master closet a little longer at 12.5' x 8.5'. If we keep it in the laundry room, we'll have room for a dedicated folding countertop at least 8.5' long and more storage.

Questions: is it worth it to grab the additional 18" for the master closet? Or will it not materially add much more storage space, and we get more bang for our buck keeping it in the laundry room?

Separate but related question - can we fit some kind of island / floating storage in the middle of that master walk in closet (not fully pictured), or would the dimensions be too small for it? Thanks!

Photos: Two rooms: Master closet on left (goes much deeper to the left than in picture), future laundry room on right.


Future laundry room (cabinets on either side; 18" deep on left, plenty deep on right for machines).



Comments (5)

  • User
    6 years ago

    I think expanding the master closet is a great idea. I am not certain about having an island in the master closet, why don't you wait until it is all done and then decide. I would really plan out every square inch of that master closet so you have the most hanging, etc for all of your clothing and accessories. Perhaps the laundry room can also be reevaluated to see if it can have more storage, etc in it - so even though it is a little smaller - it functions way better. You are doing some really wise decision making.

  • PRO
    Closet Factory - Colorado
    6 years ago

    ventralpal,

    The closet is fairly big without claiming those 18". And those 18" won't grant you the ability to do an island. I would say if you like the idea of having a folding table, you should claim the 18" for the laundry. If you're worried about storing all of your clothes in the master, add to the master.

    At 8'5" deep, you COULD do an island, but that would likely not be the most space-efficient solution. Without an island, you can do hanging on both long walls. With an island, you can't.

    The only other thing to think about is putting seldom-worn items or seasonal clothing in a separate closet. That way you can use every inch for the clothes you wear frequently.

    Best of luck!!

  • auntthelma
    6 years ago

    A laundry room that functions is a huge luxury. The closet is already big.

  • PRO
    Restorationers
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Hi everyone!! Thank you for all your great comments. We are having our cake and eating it too - the space is going to the master closet, but we reconfigured the other side so we will have a folding table and sink over the W/D (which will now be side by side)
  • ci_lantro
    6 years ago

    What are the dimensions of the proposed laundry room?

    Are you consulting professional designers? (I ask because of your question about doing an island in the master closet which is clearly not wide enough to accommodate an island. At least 11 feet in width is the rule of thumb for doing a small island in a kitchen. Hanging space requires almost as much room as base cabinets require. I.e., 24" is the minimum closet depth vs. base cabinets that are 24" deep + 1.5-2.0" countertop overhang.)

    How much free space will you have in front of the washer & dryer?

    48" is the usually recommended amount of space that is needed to comfortably work in the space.

    How wide is the door opening? Wide enough to easily get through with loaded baskets of laundry? To move the machines into the rooms. Is there enough space for almost inevitable repairs to be made?

    I'll echo what others have said; the master closet is large. IMO, a house that has a 'Master Closet' the size of a small bedroom should have more than a cubbyhole for a laundry.

    Better to have as much info as you can get ahead of a project rather than have regrets after it is done.


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