32 Lovely Laundry Ideas for a Stylish and Functional Space

Laundry rooms may be the most overlooked spaces in homes, but that doesn’t mean they have to be dull. Find inspiration in this list of ideas, from floor-to-ceiling storage designs to small space solutions.

Let’s start by listing your laundry must-haves:

Ironing board with long storage space to put it away in
Laundry hamper
Laundry sink
Washing machine
Dryer
Laundry cabinets and storage
Drying rack

You might also want external door access, potted plants, a gift-wrapping station, and maybe even a dog bath.

It’s important first to establish what your renovation boundaries and budget are. If you’re knocking down rooms (so it’s brand new), that’s very different from working with your existing laundry dimensions.

Depending on your priorities, you can focus on the basics, such as washing and drying machines, a spot for ironing, a broom, a mop, and a laundry sink.

Contents

Small laundry ideas

1. Keep it stylish

Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu from Pexels

You might not have a lot of space, but what you do have you should make absolutely fabulous with all the design elements you love. You can make use of marble tiling to elevate the interiors.

2. Designate storage space

If you have the space for adding more cabinets, you can store all of your laundry essentials in there. Think: laundry detergent, fabric softener, ironing tools, and more.

3. Stack ’em

If you need both a dryer and a washing machine in your laundry, get ones that you can stack on top of each other as this will allow you to fit a lot more into your laundry.

4. Use any space

If you’ve got some empty space at the end of a hallway, that’s a spot that could be ideal for a laundry nook. All it takes is a bit of work to hook up the plumbing then you’re all good to go. You can find professional plumbers near you to get the job done much faster.

5. Under the kitchen sink

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Well, in this case, it’s technically the kitchen countertop but this is a really nifty idea on how to better utilise a space usually reserved for platters and appliances.

Laundry cabinets

When cabinets will not only act as storage but also hide appliances, it’s worth investing in the very best quality in terms of product and craftsmanship. Here are my top laundry ideas when it comes to decking out your laundry with cabinets.

6. Natural wood laundry cabinets

You might be reluctant to use wooden materials in a traditional wet area of the house, but as long as it’s properly treated you should be fine.

7. White laundry cabinets

Classic white will always be fashionable and work with any design aesthetic that you’re trying to achieve throughout your home. If you want to update the look, a simple swap of handles will make it seem like a new room.

8. Coloured laundry cabinets

If you want something a little different, why not inject a bit of life into your laundry cabinetry? Define the space with a contrasting colours.

9. Shelves

To seemingly give your laundry more space, put up a simple shelf or two, which you can easily style with some great accessories and lighting options.

Laundry flooring

10. Patterned tiles

Depending on what tiles you’ve used in your bathroom, you might want to extend it through to the laundry as well – especially if you’ve used a patterned tile.

11. Wooden floorboards

If you want something earthy and warm, floorboards are a classic (and suitable) choice for your laundry. Ranging from a darker tone to a whitewash finish, there are all different colours and styles that you can pick and choose between.

12. Chevron tiles

It’s the perfect pick for your farmhouse laundry, especially if your laundry has an external door.

Laundry door and windows

What are simple doors and windows doing in an inspirational article you ask? Well, I’ll let the stunning images below speak for themselves.

13. Sliding doors

Sliding doors are an excellent way to hide laundry rooms, especially if you have limited space and can only tuck them away in a closet.

14. Blinds

Want just a touch of sunlight pouring through? Some blinds for your window should do the trick.

15. Glass doors

Keep the space bright with glass doors. They let in more light and promote more drying time which helps avoid mould from forming in a damp or humid room.
If you do find yourself with an unfortunate mould problem, it’s not as easy as just using a bleach-based product which only masks the problem. You’ll need these tips on how to rid mould from your home for good.

Multi-purpose room

16. Laundry and mudroom

It makes sense to roll two of the messier rooms in the house into one and keep all the mud and dirty clothes in the same spot.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for your entryway, I’ve put together over 50 mudroom ideas to suit any home and any space, large or small.

17. Kitchen and laundry combination

Need a small laundry design? Why not combine it with your kitchen space so that all your plumbing and electrical work can stay in the same spot? You’ll need to consider how it will work with your kitchen cabinetry and the rest is simple. This will help keep your renovation budget on the lower side, which is an added bonus.

Make sure you’re being cost-efficient by doing some research to see how much a plumber will cost you.Everyone dreams of the perfect kitchen and the number of decisions that need to be made can be quite overwhelming. So as a starting point, it’s important to look at as many different types, colours and shapes of kitchens so that you can come up with a good plan for your own. To help you get started, take a look at these kitchen ideas that we’ve carefully curated.

18. Laundry and bathroom

This is another concept that just makes sense when you need to combine rooms. There’s efficiency in being able to easily chuck in your clothes and towels before and after a shower.

19. Laundry and home office

This is a bit of an odd combination but if you’re stretched for space, perhaps you need to combine your home office and laundry into one spot. With some careful planning and design, there’s no reason why this can’t work.

20. Powder room and laundry

If you don’t have a separate bathroom from your main bathroom, it’s a really good idea to add a toilet to your laundry which can be easily accessed by guests.

Laundry sink

21. Farmhouse laundry sink

Although this is typically a farmhouse sink, it will work with either industrial, Scandi or vintage design.

22. Standalone sink

Don’t have enough room for a bench in your laundry? Well, you can still have a super cute standalone laundry sink, and better still, it’s definitely something you can DIY.

23. Concrete laundry sink

If you’re going for a country farm style, you can’t look past a concrete trough sink such as the one below.

24. Brass laundry sink

Want to go glam? Add a brass sink to your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry too.

25. Round laundry sink

Looking for something a little different? A round laundry sink will definitely make people stop to think.

Laundry tiles

If you’re looking to keep the laundry consistent with the tiles which feature in your bathroom or water closet, that’s a really great economical way to keep your costs down. If your laundry is in your bathroom, you’ll definitely be doing this.

But perhaps you either want to pare back on the tile design or take it up a notch if your laundry room is standalone. Here are some options for any laundry design.

26. Subway tiles

These are classic laundry tiles because they can be used in any style that you want to implement in your home. Or you can also have some fun with subway tiles by picking a different colour or instead of a matching grout, pick a contrasting colour.
If you go down the path of picking a lighter contrasting colour of the grout, you need to make sure that you stay on top of the cleaning so that it always looks great. As a starting point, here’s a tile cleaning cost guide.

27. Hexagon tiles

These are the ‘new’ subway tile and, again, come in many colour variations. They are a good choice if you want something that catches the eye but doesn’t stand out too much.

28. Penny round mosaic tiles

Now if you’re wanting to make a bit more of a statement, a penny round is a lovely way to do this either in a neutral colour, or full glam mode with a metallic finish. Plus your floor tilers will love how easy these are to install.

Want a bit more inspiration when it comes to tiles. I’ve deep-dived into the world of bathroom tile ideas and I’m sure you’ll find something there you love.

Laundry accessories

29. Laundry hamper basket

A basket is versatile because it can be used in a bedroom, bathroom or laundry room and helps you to easily carry your laundry to put in the washing machine.

30. Laundry hamper cubbies

If you like to have everything tidied away, then some small cubbies with hampers for your laundry cabinets is something you can try. Multiple tubs allow for more sorting — by colour, material, and more.

31. Clothes hanging rail

Photo by Bayu Syaits on Unsplash

Make sure those freshly ironed shirts stay crease-free with a railing to hang them on.

32. Retractable drying rack

Maximise the space in your laundry with a retractable clothes rack. This drying rack can be easily mounted on the wall. Simply pull the rack down or out when you need to hang your washing.

Hopefully these laundry ideas inspire you. If you’re looking to set up a new laundry room, connect with laundry tub contractors near you to get it done in no time.