In the inspiration gallery, check out the various folding racks (including a neat DIY one from Martha) and folding ironing boards, since items that can lay flat against the wall are one key to a tidy and efficient space. Wall- and door-mounted shelves and racks hold supplies and can help the space double as a linen closet. Other neat tricks include using the space above side-by-side washer/dryers as a folding or ironing table or for shelving, or the space next to stacked washer/dryers for shelves and hanging rods.
Are you inspired?
1 Housetohome.co.uk via Houzz
2 Decorpad
3 Container Store white Elfa laundry room, entire DIY kit on sale for $374.45
4 Bernstein & Andriulli via Desire to Inspire (also see image 9)
5 Container Store via Houzz (also see image 8)
6 marthastewart.com
7 marthastewart.com
8 Container Store Door and Wall Rack System, on sale for $74.42
9 Bed Bath & Beyond Antique Bronze Rolling Laundry Center, $59.99
10 Bed Bath & Beyond Over-the-Door Ironing Board with Caddy from Real Simple, $39.99
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Oh cool, love the idea of keeping powder detergent in a glass jar, so beautiful! These rooms make one WANT to do laundry.
Should be "items that can lie flat," not "items that can lay flat."
These are totally gorgeous, I agree! I can't wait for the day when I have my own washer and dryer. My laundry room probably won't be as gorgeous as these... but a girl can dream! :D
I noticed that almost all of these laundry rooms have been painted inside, but if you really really don't want to paint, how do you still achieve a beautiful laundry room?
http://www.CompartmentLife.com
My washer and dryer are in an unfinished basement - with no option of ever finishing it since the ceilings are under 7'. It's never going to look nice :(
I live in a house and my laundry room is only big enough to fit the washer and dryer in the space and close the door. You have to stand in the doorway just to get anything out of either machine. I'd love for actual advice on how to make that kind of space functional (much less beautiful). I think more of your readers are likely to have those kind of laundry rooms if they have them at all....
My laundry room is big enough to be way more useful than it is. This inspires me to get moving with painting and organizing so I might actually enjoy (at least a little) going in there!
I'm basically in the same boat as toastercat. Icky spiderweb basement laundry room in a victorian house. How about some tips on how to deal with that?
Me three on the gross basement laundry room. I don't hang clothes down there to dry for fear that the spiders/dust will take them over. Since a basement reno is way, way down low on the priority list, some quick-fix tips would be much appreciated!
toastercat has brought up a good point about the typical size of laundry area for most of us. If I had the space like these pictures I would do something similar.
I struggle with what to do in my laundry closet and how to organize it and having gypsum board on the walls makes it hard to utilize the vertical space.
It would be great for AT to have a laundry room count down or contest for us apartment small space laundry dwellers.
@macewr82 - how about putting the washer and dryer up on a pedestal? Then you have a drawer underneath.
right now our washer and dryer are in the basement which is unfinishable. But when we redo the upstairs bathroom we will be installing plumbing to a nearby room this is just for storage right now. It doesn't have heat or anything and a door that leads outside two stories down (yes we still have to build stairs for it. That will be our laundry room when we do get all that done I want one of those clotheslines that are put across buildings somehow, so I don't have to go downstairs to hangdry I can do it from upstairs!
@sagekitten85....neat idea...any suggestions for something that would safely support that kind of weight and the heat of a dryer? I could only do the dryer because thats the only way a drawer would have room to open....it would have to open out into the doorway....there are only about 3 inches between the wall and the front of the washer...
macewr82 - they make pricey pedestal drawers specifically for this purpose, you can buy them wherever you can buy washers/dryers
Yeah, I was thinking of the fancy ones that match the washer/dryer set, but you could build a base out of plywood and 2x4s and put a pull-out basket in the space instead of a real drawer. Ana White could make that look great, don't know if I could though!
For some reason I thought your washer and dryer were stacked. If not, how about shelves up above?
Oh I wish I had a laundry room... Instead, my washer is in my kitchen! Quite common here in London... Makes me miss California, that's for sure!
My small basement laundry was partially dry-walled when I moved in 5 years ago. I would like to tackle it this year because it's so dark and depressing down there.
Challenges:
1)The previous owners stuck linoleum straight down on the concrete, no subfloor. I'm thinking of pulling it all up, cleaning and painting the concrete floor a nice colour. Maybe throw a couple of rugs down where I stand.
2) Lighting sucks. One light on a pull string and another light near the stairs. One small basement window facing north with no sunlight. Not sure how to tackle this one cheaply and easily
3) Ceiling is exposed with all the electrical, beams etc. I was hoping to avoid doing any drywall but it is pretty ugly
4) Exposed crawl space, exposed water heater, furnace. Not sure how to pretty that up.
These pictures are all my dream spaces, if only I had the money to do it!
That blue color is my favorite! (Images 3 and 4).
I was inspired to tackle my own space by some images similar to these. My finished product is not a "magazine ready" space, but I love to look at it, and it didn't cost much more than a small can of paint.
http://cleansmartsimple.blogspot.com/2011/07/laundry-room-re-do.html
My laundry 'room' is an unfinished basement where everything must be set on plinths because it is sometimes wet.
Looking at these laundry rooms is like looking at porn for me, especially the first and second ones.
wow I wish someone would come and make over my laundry room - beautiful.
Seattle Laundry Care