New This Week: 3 Cheerful Laundry Rooms Loaded With Ideas
Bright color and smart design details can make doing the wash pleasant and efficient
Sure, appliances take care of most of the workload when we do laundry, but so much happens on the periphery of those machines, and we often forget to give other areas proper design attention. Spaces for soaking, air drying, folding and storing and a general sense of well-being go a long way toward making laundry day more enjoyable and the process more efficient. The following three laundry rooms spin the formula just right.
Designer tip. “I love to add vintage flea market finds to every room,” Kandler says. “In this room, the vintage hook rug, iron, old soap boxes and vintage art all add to the charm. A few open bookcases are a great way to display that charm.”
Shop for laundry room products
Shop for laundry room products
2. Fold-Down Drying Racks
Designer: Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh
Location: Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Size: 63 square feet (5.9 square meters); about 7 by 9 feet
Homeowners’ request. Update a crowded and cramped laundry room and add plenty of storage and drying rack space. Designer Stephanie Frees collaborated with her client through Houzz ideabooks. “The homeowner was actually out of town for a lot of the process,” she says. “Houzz was our go-to for inspiration by both of us.”
Special features. Cabinets in a custom blue-gray color. Wood countertop in a custom stain. Separate folding area with quartz countertop. Beadboard-backed fold-down drying racks. Mediterranean-style floor tile. Bar for hanging clothes. Laundry sink. Canvas storage baskets.
Designer: Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh
Location: Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Size: 63 square feet (5.9 square meters); about 7 by 9 feet
Homeowners’ request. Update a crowded and cramped laundry room and add plenty of storage and drying rack space. Designer Stephanie Frees collaborated with her client through Houzz ideabooks. “The homeowner was actually out of town for a lot of the process,” she says. “Houzz was our go-to for inspiration by both of us.”
Special features. Cabinets in a custom blue-gray color. Wood countertop in a custom stain. Separate folding area with quartz countertop. Beadboard-backed fold-down drying racks. Mediterranean-style floor tile. Bar for hanging clothes. Laundry sink. Canvas storage baskets.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The homeowner loves using her standing clothes steamer,” designer Stephanie Frees says. “I needed to figure out a way to allow that to be stored away yet easily accessible for use. The tall storage cabinet was modified to have the toe area attached to the door, so that the steamer can simply roll in and out of the cabinet.”
3. Drying Station + Pullout Storage
Designer: Shirley Meisels of Mhouse
Location: Thornhill, Ontario
Size: 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. An upscale-looking laundry room that would flow with the rest of the home and include a drying station and folding counter.
Special features. Large drying station with multiple hanging bars and a white quartz countertop for folding. Painted Shaker-style cabinets (All White by Farrow & Ball). Marble mosaic backsplash made to resemble bubbles. Marble-look porcelain floor tiles (2 by 4 feet).
Designer: Shirley Meisels of Mhouse
Location: Thornhill, Ontario
Size: 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. An upscale-looking laundry room that would flow with the rest of the home and include a drying station and folding counter.
Special features. Large drying station with multiple hanging bars and a white quartz countertop for folding. Painted Shaker-style cabinets (All White by Farrow & Ball). Marble mosaic backsplash made to resemble bubbles. Marble-look porcelain floor tiles (2 by 4 feet).
Designer tips. “Pullouts for supplies make things easily accessible,” designer Shirley Meisels says. “A devoted drying space is handy too. We used a Caesarstone top on the base for waterproofing against drips. The wool rug, which is very durable around water, adds a fun hit of color and adds warmth to a functional space.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “That nook where the drying is situated was a bit tough to work out,” Meisels says. “We tried storage there and all sorts of various layouts. Given the pitch of the ceiling, it was an odd space to work with. When we realized it was a perfect solution for drying, there were high-fives all around.”
More on Houzz
How to Remodel the Laundry Room
Where to Put the Laundry Room
Browse thousands of laundry room ideas and save your favorites
Find a designer and get started on your own project
Shop for washing machines
More on Houzz
How to Remodel the Laundry Room
Where to Put the Laundry Room
Browse thousands of laundry room ideas and save your favorites
Find a designer and get started on your own project
Shop for washing machines
Designer: Alison Kandler
Location: Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles
Size: 108 square feet (10 square meters); 13½ by 8 feet
Homeowners’ request. “Fresh air was very important, so the room had to have a large operable window,” designer Alison Kandler says. “Also, my client is very tall, so a pedestal under the washer and dryer was a must. She wanted the room to feel fresh and bright since she spends a lot of time in this space. Even though it is a laundry room, she wanted it to feel beachy.”
Special features. Perforated-mesh cabinet door panels “for an old-fashioned charm,” Kandler says. Periwinkle ceramic backsplash tile with a linen texture. Green French door (Southfield Green by Benjamin Moore) to allow light between spaces. Glass knobs on the cabinetry that have “little bubbles in them, which is fun for a room with lots of suds,” Kandler says.
Find an interior designer to help create your dream laundry room