The laundry room has finally moved up from up from the basement, with laundry essentials being incorporated into multipurpose cleanup command centers which often include a home office, crafting area, or even a dog wash. But whether you're planning a new laundry room or updating an existing one, you’ll want to create a space that's functional and efficient as well as beautiful. Here are some laundry room design tips to get started.
Location
Position your laundry room in a location appropriate to your lifestyle and circumstances. For example, if you’re doing laundry for a family, it’s likely you’re doing laundry almost every day so you may want the laundry space adjacent to (or even incorporated into) your kitchen.
If your bedrooms are all on a second floor, you may prefer to lessen the schlepping distance by having your laundry near the bedrooms. In this scenario, consider extra insulation and a motion-arresting pad to reduce noise and vibration.
Task-Based Design
First and foremost, you’ll want your laundry room to be efficient to save you time and effort. Think about the main tasks involved such as sorting, washing, drying, folding, and ironing. Whether your space is large or small, arrange work surfaces and appliances close to each other to facilitate the flow and minimize your steps for maximum efficiency. A clothes rod placed to the right of the dryer is the most convenient place for hanging items. A sink near the washer and dryer is handy for pre-soaking stains as well as for hand washing delicates. If your washer and dryer are positioned side-by-side, shelves or cabinets can be placed above the machines for storing supplies. (Check out our traditional and "hidden" Heavy Duty Shelf Brackets that will safely and securely support open shelving designs.)
Washing & Drying
Sorting
Folding
Front-loading machines placed side-by-side provide an excellent opportunity to install a countertop to create a convenient folding station. You can also just use a table, or if your space is large enough, an island is a real laundry room luxury! (Take a look at our Hidden Island Support Brackets for extending your island countertop overhang to maximize your workspace.
Ironing
Having the ironing board accessible and yet at the same time out of the way can be tricky but there are many options available. Hanging the ironing board on the wall is an easy fix and a cute fabric cover to complement your decor can turn your ironing board into a wall accessory! Other ironing options are wall mounted drop-down ironing boards and fold-down boards that unfold from behind a false drawer front for a seamless look.
Make It Your Own
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