In the European examples I have encountered, the laundry units are smaller undercounter units. They just look like extra dishwashers or other kitchen appliances. And you get to take advantage of the extra counter space without feeling weird about putting food-related items on clothing-related items.

In a previous apt, our washer dryer fit in a large closet (built specifically for this use) in our kitchen. As long as there is some separation from the kitchen area the setup will work. Incidentally, the set designers for TV show Betwitched placed Samantha's washer dryer in an exposed nook in the kitchen. As a kid I thought this home was the ne plus ultra of decor & design (actually it's still pretty fab) . . .
http://www.1164.com/set/tv/kitchen/index.html

Can you pop new stacking units into a closet somewhere and add counters/cabinets?

I have lived with the washer and dryer in my kitchen for the last ten years. We recently moved to a small bungalow that had a laundry closet that was off a hallway leading from the kitchen to the bathroom. By knocking down this laundry closset and putting this (http://www.lge.com/us/appliances/pdf/WM3431HW_HSss_v1.pdf) washer/dryer combo under the countertop we were able to double the size of the kitchen. I think once you have lived with the washer/dryer in the kitchen you won’t find it as bad as you think. I don’t bring the clothes into the kitchen until I am ready to place them in the machine and when they finish I move them to the dining room table, which is probably the only place in this small home with a large surface for folding the clothes.

I've had my laundry in the kitchen for years and find it a big convenience. My time is limited so having these tasks concentrated in one place permits me to multitask, i.e. I can toss in a load while cooking. You will also find that it's best to concentrate all the noise, heat, and other negatives of laundry and cooking in one area leaving the remainder of your home in peace.

If you hate the sight of the washer and dryer in your kitchen, you can improve things by placing butcher block tops on them, therefore expanding your worksurface/countertop space.

You said you were renting, so I doubt some of the ideas above would work for you.

If that is the kitchen you are dealing with, I would see if I could scoot the washer/dryer units farther away from the counter and maybe put something like a rolling cart to the right of them to sort of visually separate the two areas into "food prep" and "clothes prep". It looks like you have the space. Then I would go to Home Depot and find a remnant counter piece that is approximately the length of the washer and dryer combined. It might take a little gerry-rigging to make it work but I am sure there's a way. Then you'd have a nice clean surface to fold clothes on, or in a pinch to use for prep if you are making a big meal.

I think it makes perfect sense, but could understand the dilemma of using the tops of the washer and dryer for both clothes folding and food prep. If it were me, I'd probably build a countertop that could go over the washer and dryer for food prep, but have it on a long hinge so you can fold up up and out of the way while laundry is underway. If you made it swing up to the right, you could probably get one of those super strong magnetic door stops to attach to the cabinet to the left of the sink to keep it securely upright. (I think I actually might replace that same cabinet with a full size one since it's so tiny - or at least place some open shelving below it.)

I have friends with the smaller stack-able unit in a small closet in the kitchen, it looks just like another pantry. I have washer dryer hook-ups in my kitchen too. But it's a rental and I'm not classy enough to care that much how it looks. They sit right in the open. Dirty laundry either stays in the hamper (in the bathroom), clean laundry sits in a basket in the bedroom til I fold it and put it away.
If you can't get stack-able ones go for a front loading washer and just embrace the extra counter space.

I have had my laundry in the kitchen for many years and enjoy the convenience. I can multitask cooking and cleaning while noise, odors, and other negatives are concentrated in the kitchen leaving the remainder of my home in peace.

One nice advantage is you can expand your kitchen countertops/worksurfaces by placing butcherblock tops on the washer and dryer.

i think it's nice to have that extra countertop! i would switch the dryer and the washer around so you can have the flat top of the dryer.

You could always grab a piece of wood and paint it and plop it over them when they're not in use. You can use them for fruit bowls, wine storage.

it's a strange concept to have the laundry in the kitchen, but you can make it work and i'm sure you'll learn to love it!

Our house was like this growing up, so I don't get the "issue". We did have a rule that no pots/bowls with liquids, sauces et al could not be placed on the washer -- but other than that, it offers extra counter space for staging, ingredients et al.

It sounds as if the problem you have is with proximity of food to clothing and vice versa. There are two ways to attack the issue.

Actual proximity of laundry area to food prep area: there are some great ideas up thread about perhaps giving yourself a little visual space between the two areas. Create a laundry area. As much as possible, move the washer/dryer in such a way as to create division in the space. If you don't want your laundry area to also serve as a food prep area, ever, then just don't do it. If there is a way to incorporate a screen or curtain to block the sight of the washer/dryer, perhaps that would be a way to go.

Functional proximity of laundry to food: again, pretty well covered already. Keep dirty laundry elsewhere other than the kitchen, only bringing it in when it is about to be popped into the washer. Take clean laundry immediately to another part of the home for folding. Living in a small apartment where clutter can be something as small as that day's mail, I can tell you that you get used to dealing with tasks such as laundry ASAP, and from start to finish, if you really have to.

My kitchen in The Fan district of Richmond is the size of my living room and bedroom, so it makes sense to use the space and keep it out of the other rooms. I'm really just thankful I don't have to go to the laundromat. I also use my Foosball table turned work table into a folding/sorting station. It's also nice to have 1 room dedicated to work and the rest of the apartment can echo relaxation.

I like the idea of creating a counter to place on top of the washer and dryer. If you further want to disguise the units, you could hang a curtain below the counter to cover the machines.

As for the cleanliness, I don't think it will be a big deal. Just keep your hamper in your bedroom or bathroom and fold laundry elsewhere.

I have the same issue of living in a rental with the washer/dryer in the kitchen (and I also live in the triangle area of North Carolina). Ours is across from our counter space rather than next to it, so we don't have the problem of needing to visually separate them, but I'm always trying to think of ways to conceal them somehow, or to be able to use them as extra counter space. We've considered putting some sort of board across the tops when not using them for laundry, but the surface isn't completely flat, so it doesn't seem like it would that well as counter space if the board couldn't sit completely flat, but other people have had luck with this? I'll be interested to hear more ideas from everyone.

One of my favorite Small Cool entrants seamlessly integrated her washer into her kitchen.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/small-cool-2009/small-cool-2009-catherines-traditional-modern-tiny-division-17-081383?image_id=5972

I may be wrong about this, since I don't have a degree in either architecture or engineering, but I assume the reason this set up is so frequently used is the availability and ease of plumbing and electricity? You need water in the kitchen, and water to wash clothes, and you need big amps to run both a dryer and a fridge (or at least you used to). It probably cut down on expenses when wiring and laying pipes.

Can anyone, who has a working knowledge of these things confirm or correct my theory?

hmr, i think it is the case, especially for the water (we have washers and dryers that plug right into the wall). also in older buildings it means you dont have to lay more pipes.

and i guess i never really considered it odd, it seems totally normal to have the washer in the kitchen. we just keep the dirty laundry in a different room, and put it away once its done, so you dont have a food/clothing mixture ever really.

I actually thought this post was a joke until i saw that the washer and dryer were top-loading. In Ireland front-loading machines are standard, and they fit perfectly and unobtrusively under your kitchen countertop just like your dishwasher. Mixing clothes and food isn't a problem (unless you just have a mental block), obviously you don't accumulate your dirty laundry in the vegetable rack or anything, you just bring it into the kitchen when you're ready to put on a load, and take it away when it's done.

In other (European) countries I've also seen washing machines in the bathroom (again possibly a plumbing reason), you just have to remember not to put your small toiletries on top or else they all fall off during the spin cycle ;)

I didn't realize this was so common... the only time I ever remember seeing this was in my grandparents' house in Iowa built in the late-50's, that had the washer & drier in the kitchen but set off (kind of like in the Bewitched link above) from the counters.

If this is an issue, perhaps the OP would be happier in a modern apartment complex where the laundry is a "safe" distance from her food.

(I don't recall ever hearing about anyone dying from their undies being in the same room as their Wheaties...)

When I had my w/d in my kitchen in a former home, I loved it, did not present a problem and dont believe anything contaminated anything else. Better than a basement any day, for me.

You know, maybe you should just be happy that you GET a washer and dryer in a rental! That only happened once, for me. I always thought of rentals as temporary (no matter how many years I ended up staying) so I could put up with almost anything not totally insane. This seems minor to me -- if you need high design, maybe you should find another kind of place to rent.

That said, if you owned the place, an episode of Designed to Sell on HGTV addressed the problem by creating a curtained closet for the laundry (they sold the old washer and dryer and replaced them with more space efficient stacking ones) with pantry space on the other side of the new wall.

Front loaders are easier to cover with counter or to just use the tops of for folding. (Mine are Energy Star, too, so they are power and water efficient.)

In defense of the OP...

The last time I lived in a rental with kitchen/laundry combo, the kitchen was pretty small, and I had a couple of near-disasters before I learned *not* to multitask. So that was actually more of a hassle than a convenience, because I couldn't cook until the laundry was done, or vice versa.

Also, maybe I just have really linty towels or something, but I was perpetually battling the lint bunnies that the dryer spewed into the kitchen (and yes, I cleaned the lint trap. Every time.)

I'm glad everyone else has had such wonderful, magical experiences. Personally, mine sucked. I totally get why the OP is fretting about this, and I'd recommend either (a) finding a different place, or (b) buying a good dustmop and accepting that Laundry Time and Cooking Time shall never overlap.

Mine are in the kitchen and I love it. We divided up our house into two apartments, and since our house is over a hundred years old and skimpy on closets, we had no choice in the upper apartment but to locate a super-efficient, compact pair like this (http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/l/kj/09/3/28/950/r3/6602abm_18.jpeg) next to the fridge. Since the dimensions of this set and our fridge are exactly the same, it looks like a clean bank of appliances and not out of place. Plus, it's like, so Euro. Duh.

Bonus: after just attempting to Google an image of my set, I see that the same brand (Asko) now makes a ton of pretty options to integrate laundry into the kitchen in an attractive manner: http://www.askousa.com/laundry/designer_laundry/

I would probably be more perplexed over the lack of cabinet space. I like the idea of making this part of the counter tops by using butcher block or some other type of surface covering. Usually, if you find a way to embrace a problem area as though you actually like it there, it feels less intrusive.

Too address the plumbing and electrical issues, dryers need large amperage for the drying element and use a special 3 pronged plug if I recall and washers use a regular plug and outlet, also, if you look at house plan much you'll notice that a lot of apartments and homes for that matter will often back the bathrooms, laundry rooms to the kitchen whenever possible to save on plumbing.

as for the lint issue, make sure your dryer is venting outside and that the vent itself is in good shape for if it's got holes or is not venting outside at all, you'll get lint all over the kitchen Mom has gotten into using a piece of old panty hose over the outside of her vent to catch the lint that spews outside during the drying cycle and repaces it every now and then when it's needed, that way there isn't all that lint all over the patio.

As for the washer and dryer in the kitchen, I have no issues with that idea at all and would want either as part of the kitchen or in a small laundry area/mudroom w/ perhaps a half or 3/4 bath off the garage so when one comes in dirty, the dirty clothes can already there and can then jump in the shower without tracking dirt all over the house.

I should say the piping to the vent outside should be in good shape.

I too, have a washer and dryer in my kitchen.
I think matching, made to size, cutting boards would conceal the tops and make it more functional. With two tops you can just move one on top of the other while your washing.
A nice tailored or gathered skirt can do for the set what skirts have been doing for bathroom and kitchen sinks through- out the ages. I've seen wood skirts too but I'm not that industrious. Thats my take on appearances, for the very real concern about sanitary processing of laundry in the kitchen:
Dont sort or store dirty laundry in the kitchen
Washing everyday as opposed to laundry day will lessen the laundromat-ish takeover of your kitchen
Finally, and probably the only thing I should have posted is a capful of bleach in a quart of water will sanitize any surface coming in contact with laundry. I believe it actually takes less but I like to smell it a little.

My husband and I recently rented a pied a terre in a very modern, luxury building. Part of that luxury was having the washer and dryer in the unit, in this case the kitchen. The stacked united looked just like another closet and I never really noticed they were there. If you're renting and the washer/dryer doesn't have a covering, a pull down shade might work.

Kind of interesting to me as a study of folk culture that a "taboo" exists for some people that forbids having laundry in the kitchen because it's just "wrong" somehow.
Last summer in Ireland we found the arrangement described above -- washer and dryer installed in the kitchen under the counter. If I did laundry between meals, I simply wiped down the counter before placing dry clothes on it for folding. Also, it was nice to have all the appliance noise confined to one area, which happened to be far from the bedrooms.

I don't have a problem with the washer/dryer being in the kitchen, but many of you have said that yours was designed to go under the counter tops, or you had a closet built for them, and those just aren't realistic solutions for a renter. I'd prefer to have my not-so-attractive washer/dryer be concealed while not in use, but in a tasteful way if possible.

WAY late to the conversation - may be too late - but some information and ideas.

You're looking at old architecture in homes that were built without indoor plumbing, often without indoor kitchens. So unless someone took on a major renovation to add closets and utility space, you're dealing with a situation where people have asked for a washer/dryer and, by process of elimination, the only logical place is the kitchen. No room in the bath, living/dining doesn't make sense, and certainly not the bedrooms!

If you really like the homes, think about getting a wide kitchen utility cart and adding casters for height. Or creating one! You can store it over the top of the washer/dryer most of the time, then roll it out of the way during laundry and, as a bonus, use it for folding! If you really hate the look of the laundry in the kitchen, you could even add a fabric skirt to help hide things. Measure your washer/dryer closely to see what height and width you need, but you might be able to tweak something like this (below) to meet your needs.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90116992